Witcher

The Witcher is a fantasy franchise created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. It centers on Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter for hire, known as a witcher, who travels the Continent taking on dangerous contracts while navigating political intrigue, prejudice, and personal relationships.

Sapkowski's Witcher universe began with a collection of short stories, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, and continues with a series of novels that make up the Witcher Saga, including Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of the Swallow, and The Lady of the Lake.

Witchers are mutated humans produced through the Trial of Grasses, trained from a young age and armed with steel and silver swords, magic-signs, and alchemy. Their primary role is to confront monsters, though they inhabit a world where moral dilemmas and political machinations blur the line between good and evil.

The franchise has expanded beyond books to video games by CD Projekt Red: The Witcher, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as well as expansions and spin-offs. In 2019 a television series adaptation was released by Netflix, bringing the character and world to a broader audience.

The Witcher has received widespread critical and popular acclaim for its storytelling, world-building, and moral complexity, influencing fantasy literature and expanding into multiple media properties.