You are correct. There are three linear timelines: Yennefer's, Geralt's, and Ciri's, which start at different times but all coincide by the final two episodes.
Here is a timeline of the events depicted in the show:
Dates and relative position of events are taken from 3 sources:
In-show dialogue:
Ep.1Ciri: You won your first battle at Hochebuz when you were my age.
Ep.1Renfri: Queen Calanthe of Cintra, she just won her first battle at Hochebuz.
Ep.3Tissaia: Princess Calanthe? Good luck with that. Word is she's even more stubborn than her father is.
Note: This event occurring in 1210 contradicts the official timeline stating Calanthe was born in 1216.
Ep.3-4Yennefer: Instead, I've spent the last three decades cleaning up stupid political messes.
Ep.4-5Jaskier: What's it been, months? Years? What is time, anyway?
Ep.2-5Jaskier: Oh, are we not using "friend"? Yeah, sure. Let's just give it another decade.
Ep.4-7Geralt: I've been away twelve years and I'd planned on staying that way.
Ep.7-8Yurga: Cintran refugees, dead at least a week.
Ep.8Sabrina: It hasn't been two days yet. How is Nilfgaard's army here already?
Showrunner's comments:
... Ciri's story takes place over two weeks, Yennefer's takes place over, you know, it's like 70 years. Geralt's takes place over 20 years.
- Interview with tvguide.com
Note that Geralt's timeline spanning 20 years does not match up with:
1. Ep01 occurring shortly after the Battle of Hochebuz (which Calanthe won at Ciri's age ~13).
2. Pavetta being pregnant with Ciri at the Banquet at Cintra.
3. Ciri being ~13 in the present day.
A more reasonable timespan is around ~30 years, which coincides with the dates given in the books.
Official Netflix timeline
https://www.witchernetflix.com/
A quick crash course in the multiple timelines of The Witcher. #TheWitcher
- NX - @NXOnNetflix, 10:52 AM - 7 Jan 2020
Im on ep 4 right, and during all the episodes it cuts between geralt yen and ciri, but in episode 4 when geralt goes to the ball ciris grandma and grandpa are alive, are all the episodes when transfering back and forth during different times? Are certain moments showing the different characters in completely different moments or do some episodes take place in different times while others all at the same time?
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You are correct. There are three linear timelines: Yennefer's, Geralt's, and Ciri's, which start at different times but all coincide by the final two episodes.
Here is a timeline of the events depicted in the show:
Dates and relative position of events are taken from 3 sources:
In-show dialogue:
Ep.1Ciri: You won your first battle at Hochebuz when you were my age.
Ep.1Renfri: Queen Calanthe of Cintra, she just won her first battle at Hochebuz.
Ep.3Tissaia: Princess Calanthe? Good luck with that. Word is she's even more stubborn than her father is.
Note: This event occurring in 1210 contradicts the official timeline stating Calanthe was born in 1216.
Ep.3-4Yennefer: Instead, I've spent the last three decades cleaning up stupid political messes.
Ep.4-5Jaskier: What's it been, months? Years? What is time, anyway?
Ep.2-5Jaskier: Oh, are we not using "friend"? Yeah, sure. Let's just give it another decade.
Ep.4-7Geralt: I've been away twelve years and I'd planned on staying that way.
Ep.7-8Yurga: Cintran refugees, dead at least a week.
Ep.8Sabrina: It hasn't been two days yet. How is Nilfgaard's army here already?
Showrunner's comments:
... Ciri's story takes place over two weeks, Yennefer's takes place over, you know, it's like 70 years. Geralt's takes place over 20 years.
- Interview with tvguide.com
Note that Geralt's timeline spanning 20 years does not match up with:
1. Ep01 occurring shortly after the Battle of Hochebuz (which Calanthe won at Ciri's age ~13).
2. Pavetta being pregnant with Ciri at the Banquet at Cintra.
3. Ciri being ~13 in the present day.
A more reasonable timespan is around ~30 years, which coincides with the dates given in the books.
Official Netflix timeline
https://www.witchernetflix.com/
A quick crash course in the multiple timelines of The Witcher. #TheWitcher
- NX - @NXOnNetflix, 10:52 AM - 7 Jan 2020
Here's a chart I made recently. It briefly covers the events and their time of occurrence in the series.
Didn't Calanthe and Mousesack die in the first episode? How are they back again? And what is Yennefer talking about when she said she spent three decades with political messes? Is something fycky going on with timelines?