Netflix’s The Witcher Medallions and Symbols Explained

By Colin Stevens

Netflix has unveiled new images of the cast of its Witcher series, showing Geralt of Rivia, Ciri, and Yennefer in full costume. In addition to the cast photos, Netflix also revealed three logos, each attached to one of The Witcher’s main characters.

So what are these symbols exactly? In preparation for the eventual release of The Witcher on Netflix, let’s dive in and explain why medallions are significant in The Witcher, and what exactly these symbols mean.

Spoiler warning: naturally, there are spoilers for The Witcher books and video games below. Additionally, you can click through this gallery to see the symbols being discussed:

Medallions in The Witcher

Medallions play an integral role in The Witcher, both in Andrzej Sapkowski’s series of books and CD Projekt Red’s video games; it appears they may be significant in the Netflix series as well. Medallions are a symbol of a Witcher’s profession, and indicates which school any given Witcher hails from. A medallion is given to Witcher candidates who pass the Trial of the Grasses, a potentially deadly ordeal that uses powerful ingredients to strengthen Witcher apprentices – the ones that survive, at least.

In The World of The Witcher (via The Witcher Wiki), a compendium by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt writer Marcin Batylda, medallions are used by a Witcher as a tool, and react to the presence of magical auras, allowing a Witcher to become aware of nearby sorcery including illusions, spells and magical creatures. Medallions can also warn its user of sudden dangers, though some enemies like vampires and dopplers can’t be detected by a medallion.

In The Last Wish, the first book in the series chronologically, Geralt claims that no monster can touch a Witcher’s medallion. Geralt’s original medallion was destroyed in the book The Tower of the Swallow, but three Witcher medallions were taken from the bounty hunter Leo Bonhart after his death in The Lady of the Lake: a cat medallion claimed by Ciri, a wolf medallion claimed by Geralt, and a griffin medallion claimed by Yennefer.

Those don’t line up directly with the three specific symbols Netflix revealed, which are labeled on Geralt actor Henry Cavill’s Instagram: Geralt’s Gwynbleidd, Ciri’s Zireael and Yennefer’s Obsidian Star. While these may not actually be medallions (with the exception of Geralt’s), they are significant to each character. Let’s break them down below:

Geralt’s Symbol: Gwynbleidd

The most famous symbol in The Witcher, Gwynbleidd is an Elder Speech term for The White Wolf, a name many call Geralt. In all three Witcher games, this white wolf medallion/symbol can be seen in the user interface, surrounded by Geralt’s health and other metrics.

In the original The Witcher video game, Geralt’s medallion can be tuned to detect monsters or magic, vibrating when a monster is nearby or when close to a Place of Power. In The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, his medallion can be heard when near magic, and can be used when it emits a yellow aura: players can then use it to highlight plants, monsters, containers and more. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, his medallion is less useful, only sometimes vibrating during gameplay, as most of its uses were replaced by Witcher senses.

In the recently-released promotional materials for Netflix’s The Witcher, this very same symbol is featured on the medallion that hangs around Geralt’s neck.

Ciri’s Symbol: Zireael

Cavill’s Instagram post labels Ciri’s medallion symbol as Zireael, which takes the form of a swallow. In fact, in Elder Speech, Zireael translates swallow.

In the books, Zireael is a old gwyhyr sword forged by gnomes in Tir Tochair, and is given to Ciri as a gift. Ciri was forced to fight with this sword in the Claremont arena by Bonhart, whom she ultimately killed with Zireael. Ciri then takes three medallions from Bonhart, keeping one from the School of the Cat. While not actually her medallion in established lore, marketing Ciri with a Swallow symbol for the Netflix series makes sense for her character overall.

In the games, the sword Zireael is given to Geralt by Master Ort in one of the endings of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and is intended to be given to Ciri to start her career as a Witcher. When playable in The Witcher 3, Ciri’s UI medallion is shown as a cat, calling back to the medallion she obtains in the books.

Yennefer’s Symbol: The Obsidian Star

Yennefer is a sorceress, a love interest for Geralt and a mother figure to Ciri. Her symbol, the Obsidian Star, is a pendant that hangs off her neck with a velvet choker. In the books, Yennefer often touches her Obsidian Star in conversation. In the games, she wears the necklace at all times, suggesting it’s highly important to her and potentially her magic.

Yennefer’s Obsidian Star necklace in the games features a five-pointed, upside down star, though the symbol revealed for the Netflix show is asymmetrical and has eight points. The promotional images of Yennefer for the Netflix series show her wearing a choker with a pendant, but it’s unclear if it is the same as the symbol that was revealed. As Yennefer is not a Witcher, she wasn’t given a medallion early on in the books, though her griffin medallion was given to her by Ciri after killing Leo Bonhart.

The Witcher on Netflix

For more on Netflix’s The Witcher, check out everything we know so far. The Witcher’s release date hasn’t been revealed, but the show is expected to premiere in late 2019.

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