2019 fantasy drama television series
chronology - Timeline of The Witcher tv series - Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange
New to Witcher, in season 1: timeline confusion
Completed the date and locations subs for the first season. (download links in post)
The TV series in chronological order.
Videos
In an interview with one of the showrunners, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, she says:
Is this crazy? Like, is it crazy to do that with this story? Is it crazy to say that Ciri's (Freya Allan) story takes place over two weeks, Yennefer's takes place over, you know, it's like 70 years. Geralt's (Henry Cavill) takes place over 20 years. Is that crazy?
If she was, say 20, when she went to Aretuza, she would be 90 towards the end of the show. Perhaps not 3 lifetimes, but certainly 2.
As I watched, the details I caught that led to realizing the [timelines] were:
- During the mage's council discussing where to send the new mages, they refer to Calanthe (Ciri's grandmother) as a young, promising princess [Yennefer]
- [Geralt] is fighting the shtriga for King Foltest, but we cut to [Yennefer] who walks past a child Foltest who is pestering his sister.
- [Geralt] attends Ciri's mother's betrothal/wedding where we find out she is pregnant.
- Once [Geralt] and [Yennefer] meet, when next we see them together during the dragon hunt there are flashbacks of several meetings that occurred in the meantime.
- Finally, [Yennefer] is talked into helping the mages defend Cintra, before anything in [Ciri's] time.
Those are just the ones that I caught and I wasn't trying to pay too much attention once I realized the timeline differences. This Screen Rant page includes many other smaller details that I missed. It also includes this timeline from dates in the novels:
1170 - The Great Cleansing of Elves
1173 - Yennefer is born
1190 - Yennefer attends Aretuza
1230 - Yennefer becomes mage of Aedirn (approx.)
1232 - Calanthe named queen
1233 - Calanthe wins The Battle of Hochebuz
1234 - Geralt meets Renfri
1235 - The Usurper overthrows Nilfgaard
1237 - Princess Pavetta is born
1252 - Princess Pavetta is married
1253 - Ciri is born
1257 - The Usurper is killed
1260 - Yennefer and Geralt meet (approx.)
1263 - Nilfgaard invades Cintra
Specifically for the Netflix television show the entire timeline of major event is listed here.
- Conjunction of the Spheres: Unknown but prior to 500
- Birth of Stregobor: 786
- Laws of Magic created: 839
- The Opening of Aretuza: 839
- The Creation of the First Witcher: 967
- Birth of Geralt: 1160
- Beginning of the Great Cleansing (Elf Genocide): 1187
- Birth of Yennefer: 1192
- Yennefer Attends Aretuza: 1206
- Yennefer is Transformed: 1210
- The Royal Ceremony (Mage Party): 1210
- The Curse of the Black Sun: 1213
- Birth of Renfri: 1213
- Birth of Calanthe: 1216
- Birth of Jaskier: 1222
- A Striga is Born: 1229
- Calanthe Ascends to the Throne: 1230
- Battle of Hochebuz: 1231
- The Butcher of Blaviken: 1231
- Calanthe Marries Roegner: 1232
- Urcheon Saves Roegner: 1233
- Birth of Pavetta: 1234
- The Striga Attacks: 1237
- Nilfgaard Attacks Ebbing (start of war): 1239
- Geralt and Jaskier First Meet: 1240
- Yennefer Escaping the Ronin Mage: 1240
- Geralt Defeats the Striga: 1243
- Geralt Claims the Law of Surprise: 1249
- Cintra's Double Wedding (Pavetta/Urcheon & Calanthe/Rist): 1249
- Birth of Ciri: 1250
- Yennefer and Geralt Meet (facing the djinn): 1256
- The Dragon Hunt: 1262
- Geralt Return to Cintra (to claim his Law of Surprise): 1263
- The Battle of Marnadal (Cintra v. Nilfgaard): 1263
- Yennefer returns to Aretuza: 1263
- The Slaughter of Cintra (by Nilfgaard): 1263
- Ciri in the Refugee Camp: 1263
- Ciri in Brokilon Forest: 1263
- Ciri's Prophecy: 1263
- Geralt is attacked by Ghouls: 1263
- The Battle of Sodden Hill: 1263
- Destines Meet (Geralt and Ciri): 1263
Deductions from Above:
- Geralt is 103 years old
- Yennefer is 71 years old (not exactly 3 "lifetimes")
- Renfri was 18 when she was killed by a 53 year old Geralt
- Calanthe is 47 at the time of her death
- Jaskier is 41 years old (18 when he met an 80 year old Geralt)
- Ciri is 13 years old.
- Geralt is 96 and Yennefer is 64 when they first meet