Every Scar On Geralt's Body (& How He Got Them)
Over the years Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher has acquired many scars in battle. Here we explore the history of his most prominent ones.
Most of the time in The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) is trussed up like a leather-clad turkey, clad head-to-toe in garb that protects his body against whatever magical monster he goes up against. The Netflix series has made sure to have a few moments deprived of supernatural slayings to reveal the Witcher beneath the armor. Scars can be seen all over his body, which over the years has taken a beating due to his particular line of work.
We first get a peak at his scars when he's in bed with a wench, but it's not until the enchanting mage Yennefer beckons him to bathe that we get an even better gander at the marks his vocation has left on his hide. For those that play The Witcher video games, note that he hasn't received all of the scars that he will but the ones he does reveal betray a life of hardship and pain. Below you'll find every scar on Geralt's body and how he got them. For those only watching the show, note that this article includes the history of scars we've not yet seen in the Netflix adaptation.
7 HIS NECK
In one of the most harrowing episodes of the series, we watch Geralt do battle with a striga. In Polish folklore, of which aspects of the books are based, a striga is a woman transformed into a monster by a curse. In this case, it's a king's daughter.
He battles the striga in an old crypt, eventually using her sarcophagus as a means to stay alive until dawn when the curse can be broken. If he can't, he'll be forced to kill it. Luckily, it doesn't come to that gruesome outcome, but he does get a bite wound on his neck by the striga before the curse is lifted.
6 HIS CHEST
While not visible in the series (yet), the scar the Witcher received on his chest is from an incident known as the Rivian Pogrom, a riot that began in the city of Rivia in 1268. It began between Nadia Esposito and some dwarves and resulted in a giant bloody mess between humans and nonhumans.
Dozens were killed that day, including Geralt, who got stabbed by a young boy named Rob with a pitchfork. Yennefer also died trying to heal him however, Ciri eventually tracks them down and is able to rescue them. She takes them to a private island for five years to nurse them back to health and allow them to regain their strength.
5 HIS ARM
The second volume in The Witcher novels is comprised of a collection of short stories. The fourth story, "A Little Sacrifice", focuses on two star-cross lovers from different species; a mermaid and a prince. Geralt is hired by the prince to translate the Elder Language, the only words the mermaid can speak.
Geralt acquires a scar on his arm from a Vodyanoi priest during his contract with the prince exploring the Underwater City, which is compounded by the fact that the prince doesn't want to pay him when he fails to persuade the mermaid to trade her fins for legs and accept the prince's proposal. To top it off, Geralt's still getting over his own emotional wounds from parting ways with Yennefer.
4 HIS THIGHS AND ABS
Nekkers are creatures that Geralt encounters in both The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as well as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. They're fearsome, ferocious creatures that cluster together in nests, and are part of a social tribe, attacking in groups to take down larger prey. Nekkers burrow beneath the ground to surprise prey from below.
The creatures in the games were based on the bridge-dwelling monsters that Geralt fought in the short story "Something More" from The Sword of Destiny. It takes place after the fall of Cintra, when Geralt is trying to locate Ciri, and instead encounters these creatures that claw up his thighs and abs.
3 HIS FACE
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansion Hearts and Stone, Geralt encounters Gaunter O'Dimm, known as the Man of Glass. Thought to be a former mirror merchant turned vagrant, he is, in fact, a much more powerful entity that barters people's souls in exchange for favors (much like the djinn in Episode 5 of the Netflix series).
When Geralt encounters Gaunter O'Dimm, it's while on a ship headed to Ofiri for execution. In order to escape his predicament, he makes a pact with the man for his soul, and gets branded across his face. It serves as a reminder to later complete his contract "at the crossroads at midnight". The scar goes away when this task is completed, but in some cases, can remain through a glitch.
2 ACROSS HIS LEFT EYE
The nasty scar across Geralt's left eye appears in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. In the third game of the series, Geralt endeavors to find Ciri who, like in The Witcher series, appears as his adopted daughter. The last child of the Elder Blood is missing, and the Wild Hunt, a powerful supernatural force is unleashed upon her.
As in the Netflix series, Ciri is capable of manipulating space and time. Geralt must get to her before the spectral soldiers do, led by King Eredin. When they reunite, she asks him about his scar, which she doesn't remember seeing. He replies that it's a "souvenir" from the "cockatrice of Spalla", and it's another "addition to the collection" of his many others.
1 VARIOUS
At the end of the day, Geralt of Rivia has been a Witcher longer than most people have been alive. Battling monsters for decades, even when you have mutagens that grant you superior strength and reflexes, is going to take its toll on your physicality. The White Wolf has the scars to prove it.
Geralt has been caught in one (if not many more) race riots, he's been held prisoner in the dungeons of La Valette Castle, held captive and tortured by disgruntled Elves, and he's a professional monster slayer. Any scar he has that hasn't been explicitly described in the books, games, or series is just a little souvenir from his adventures.
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