FOLKLORE AND FORETHOUGHT – NARRATIVE DUALITY IN THE WITCHER
FOLKLORE AND FORETHOUGHT – NARRATIVE DUALITY IN THE WITCHER

Summary/Abstract: In the ongoing article I attempt to accentuate the contrast and the duality of the source material behind Netflix’s The Witcher, all the while acknowledging, as well as opposing, the masterful work of Andrzej Sapkowski – the Polish fantasy writer and mastermind of The Witcher world. To be precise, I will investigate the folkloric origins and history of the show, as well as its richly philosophical universe, comparing the two techniques head-to-head in the two main chapters of the article. Namely, I will tackle the main plot device of the show – The Law of Surprise – as being both a vessel of destiny, and that of a philosophical omnipotence. Furthermore, I undertake the strenuous and analytical task of painting the portrait of the show’s main character – Geralt of Rivia – as both a deeply, morally-entrenched protagonist, and a product of an unforgiving and seemingly dysfunctional medieval society. I will interpret the ways in which his encounters with destiny, the characters of the show, and morality itself manage to shape up one of the most complex characters of modern television and pop-culture alike.

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