‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’: Why Was Fjall Banished From the Dog Clan?
Seven heroes go on a quest for revenge and to save the elven people under a new reign of power in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin. The Witcher prequel series takes fans 1200 years into the past that led to the Conjunction of Spheres. To tell the story, fans meet Fjall (Laurence O’Fuarain), a warrior of the Dog Clan whose purpose is to protect Xin’trea royalty. But one significant error committed by Fjall in The Witcher: Blood Origin leaves him without a clan and venturing on his own.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin.]
Who is Fjall and the Dog Clan in ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’?
The prequel series takes place in another world where only elves exist within their own kingdoms across the continent. There are four major kingdoms, one of them being Xin’trea. Fans will find the name very familiar in the original series. Fans first meet Fjall when the newly crowned King Alvitir (Mark Rowley) ventures to the lowborn town and is ambushed.
Seanchaí (Minnie Driver) narrates The Witcher: Blood Origin to Jaskier and explains the king has protection. Anyone threatening the king or the royals must first get through the Dog Clan. Among the group of protectors is their most outstanding, Fjall Stoneheart.
The scene unfolds with Fjall showing his immense strength with an ax as his primary weapon as he saves the king and his sister, Princess Merwyn (Mirren Mack). But every clan of elite warriors has rules that cannot be broken. If they do, they must face immense consequences.
The Witcher: Blood Origin tells Fjall’s story after his exile from the Dog Clan, which leads him to meet the Lark, Éile (Sophia Brown). What did Fjall do that got him kicked out of his family and the Dog Clan?
Fjall has a sexual fling with the wrong person in the prequel series
Not too long after the scene of Fjall saving the King and Merwyn from mercenaries, fans soon learn why he was exiled from the Dog Clan. In The Witcher: Blood Origin Episode 1, Fjall checks on Merwyn as she was forced to kill a man for her own safety. While he assures her the Dog Clan will uncover who is out to kill the King, Merwyn has a look in her eyes.
She explains Fjall has always been there for her when she needed him most. But he says it is his “duty,” while Merwyn thinks it is something much more. It is clear that Fjall and Merwyn had a romantic past they decided to forget, but neither of them can.
They give in to temptation and kiss. The Witcher fans can likely guess where the scene is headed. Two Dog Clan warriors are seen talking and walking the hall but become alarmed when they do not see Fjall guarding Merwyn’s door. With swords drawn, they enter her room and find Fjall and Merwyn having sexual relations.
It just so happens that one of the warriors is Fjall’s father and leader of the Dog Clan. Having been caught, Fjall knows exactly what comes next. Having relations with a royal leads to Fjall’s exile from the Dog Clan in The Witcher: Blood Origin. The scene changes to Fjall and his father on horseback. Fjall must live in shame for what he has done. His father reads him his farewell and banishes him from Xin’trea and the clan.
What do fans learn about Fjall’s backstory in ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’?
Fans now know the big event that caused Fjall to wander the continent, leading to him meeting Éile in The Witcher: Blood Origin timeline. But with the prequel series only being four episodes, what does it reveal about the brute warrior?
Fjall’s backstory of being born into the Dog Clan is scarce. On his way to be exiled, Fjall tells his father he knows his brother, Kareg, should have returned from battle instead of him. His father rejects his notions and says Fjall should have been chieftain, but he betrayed his clan.
The Witcher: Blood Origin dives only a little bit into what happened to Fjall and his brother during battle. In the second episode, Scian (Michelle Yeoh) is dying from a poisoned blade. Éile and Fjall meet Callan “Brother Death” (Huw Novelli), who says he can take them to a healer.
Through the forest and fog, Éile and Fjall have a vision of their past. In Fjall’s, fans see his brother Kareg in battle. He tells Fjall to get back in the fight before getting killed. For the rest of The Witcher: Blood Origin, the story focuses on Fjall and the others returning to Xin’trea to stop the new monarch.
The Witcher: Blood Origin is available on Netflix.
