‘The Witcher’: How Do the Medallions Work and How Are They Helpful to the Witchers
Besides their brooding physique, sour facial expression, and weaponry, a witcher can be spotted in many ways. Geralt of Rivia has always been seen wearing a medallion in The Witcher series. It is a common trademark for a witcher that differentiates itself from others. The simple piece of metal is vital to a witcher for its magical properties and significance.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 2.]
Geralt wears a witcher medallion with a wolf carving in ‘The Witcher’
Since the first season of The Witcher, Geralt himself stood out among the crowd. His tall stature, muscled body, white hair, and yellow eyes would cause anyone’s head to turn. One of the main reasons most townspeople recognize Geralt is his witcher medallion.
The medallions are exclusive to witchers, with each one having a custom emblem for the person who wears it. Geralt’s is in the shape of a wolf. His white hair after the Trial of Grasses makes him resemble the animal. Most people also know his notorious battles and tagged him at The White Wolf.
A witchers medallion is sacred, and no one else is allowed to have it. One of the main reasons is that the deceased witcher’s medallions are taken back to Kaer Morhen to hand on the Medallion Tree. In The Witcher, when Geralt sees the dead body of his comrade, the first thing he does is take the medallion.
What magical powers do the medallions have?
The Witcher barely explored the importance of the medallion to the witchers. In The Witcher Season 2, fans get more insight into what powers it possesses. When Geralt meets Nivellen, he knows he is not an actual monster. According to IGN, “In The Last Wish, the first book in the series chronologically, Geralt claims that no monster can touch a Witcher’s medallion.”
Seeing as Nivellen is a human cursed to look like a beast, he is not an actual monster. The medallion has other useful properties. They “react to the presence of magical auras, allowing a Witcher to become aware of nearby sorcery including illusions, spells, and magical creatures.”
In The Witcher Season 2, fans see how the medallion works. In the dining hall at Kaer Morhen, the witchers are alerted to a magical presence when the medallions start to quiver and emit a high-pitched noise. The medallions sensed the presence of a Leshy.
The medallions also alerted a magical presence when Yennefer sacrifices herself to become Voleth Meir‘s vessel to
‘The Witcher’ teased other famous medallions from the book series save Ciri.
Fans noticed many Easter Eggs in the Netflix series. In season 2, Vesemir hangs Eskel‘s medallion on the tree. To the far right, fans can see Geralt’s other well-known wolf medallion seen in the video game and introduced in The Lady of the Lake book. Instead of a flat medallion, the other medallion is a 3D wolf head.
The Witcher‘s title card paid homage to the other medallions fans know about in the books and games. The title card includes a wolf head with a swallow and an obsidian star. According to IGN, the swallow represents Ciri, who gets her own medallion in the books, while the star is Yennefer’s.
In The Witcher Season 2, the title card for the episode “What Is Lost” shows a small bird with wings. Fans can assume it represents Ciri and her medallion in the books.
