Ciri is the new heroine in the Witcher universe.
We've been waiting for this for a long time and we were finally presented with the first trailer for Witcher 4 at the last Game Awards. In the six minutes we witnessed a morbid ritual and got our first look at our new heroine: Ciri.
Ciri not only clears things up in the trailer, but also raises some questions that are hotly debated among fans of the universe. A female witcher, is that even possible? Would Geralt ever have allowed this? And why should Ciri of all people undergo the brutal tests to become a witcher?
A YouTuber has addressed all of these questions and browsed a little through the books and other works from the Witcher cosmos.
Can there be female witchers?
The YouTuber Neon Knight has published a video on his channel in which he shows what the Witcher lore has to offer on the subject of women as sorcerers (sorceresses? witches?). As the new main protagonist, Ciri is apparently the first woman who is actively working as a witcher. You can see the full video here, but in English:
Link to YouTube content
As a big fan of the series, Neon Knight has already poked his nose into some topics related to Geralt and friends. So he didn't want to miss the opportunity to clarify some discrepancies regarding Ciri as a witcher, because there is turmoil in the community. Some are of the opinion that there can be no female witchers and that Ciri would therefore disrupt the lore.
In fact, it's not that easy to become a witcher and only a few actually survive the process.
The test subjects, mostly orphaned boys, have to undergo several brutal tests, including the so-called herb test. They are introduced to various tinctures made from herbs and mushrooms that trigger mutations. The goal is quick reflexes, keen hearing and immunity from disease, but the price is high. Only two out of ten test subjects survive the ordeal.
In all books and games there is always talk of boys as witcher pupils. In addition to Ciri, there are so far no known female sorcererwho survived this procedure. But the books also don't mention that it's impossible for girls to pass the exam.
There is even some evidence that girls and women were experimented on in order to bring about the witcher mutations. For example, CD Project Red's game Gwent: Rogue Mage mentions a wizard who used women as test subjects to develop the Witcher Trials. However, he only achieved his first successful transformation with a boy.
Girls are also named as test subjects in the official Witcher tabletop game. However, they became ill more quickly than the boys during the experiments and ultimately died during the experiments. It is not yet known whether a woman ever became a witch before Ciri, but one thing is certain: that it was tried again and again.
Ciri as a witcher
If any woman is capable of surviving the Witcher Trials, it is Ciri. We got a taste of Ciri's abilities in the trailer:
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The Witcher 4: In six minutes of cinematic trailer we see the new heroine Ciri in action
Ciri apparently took the test during or after the events of Witcher 3, not as a child, but as an adult. Before that, she took part in the full witcher training program on Kaer Morhen, where she was also given mushrooms and herbal mixtures that the witcher trainees consume to develop their strength.
So Ciri would have much better conditionsto survive the exams than many other candidates. On the one hand, at 24, she is no longer a child and on the other hand, she already has extraordinary abilities.
However, many fans also see a problem with how these tests are carried out, because Triss believes in the books that the details of this process have now been forgotten. At some point there was hardly any need for new sorcerers as there were no longer so many monsters roaming the world and the process became more and more secondary.
In addition, the witcher mutations became more and more unstable over time and the success rate of the tests continued to decline. This was noted in the latest Witcher book from 2024. So how could it be possible for Ciri to become a witcher now?
At this time, no one in Kaer Morhen really knows how the exams are carried out, but the necessary resources are still available.
In the books, Ciri and Yennefer spent a lot of time in the laboratory and would have had the opportunity to acquire the lost knowledge. Yennefer even performs such an experiment on Uma in Witcher 3. So it is far from impossible that Ciri was able to face the trials.
The question remains as to why Ciri should undergo the dangerous tests to become a witcher. As a child of the Elder Blood and through her training, she already has extraordinary and magical abilities.
But we can assume that this question will become part of the new saga. In our interview with the developers you can see what is so special about Ciri's story.
[Ciri] experienced so much trauma as such a young person. She was on the run almost her entire life. But you can't always just run away from your life. At some point you have to face it and take your own path. And that's exactly what Ciri [in The Witcher 4] will do.
Sebastian Kalemba, Game Director
Even though Geralt certainly wasn't particularly happy about Ciri pursuing a career as a witcher, it's not illogical that he allowed it. During his own journey, he had to learn to let go and have trust in Ciri's own decisions.
How do you feel about the new Witcher saga? What do you hope for from the adventures you will experience with Ciri? Feel free to write it to us in the comments!
