Geralt of Rivia

Geralt of Rivia (Polish: Geralt z Rivii) is a fictional character and the protagonist of The Witcher series of short stories and novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, as well as its video game adaptations.

Fictional biography

Geralt, the central character, is a witcher. Shortly after being born, Geralt was abandoned by his mother at Kaer Morhen — the witchers' stronghold. Geralt survived numerous mutations during the Trial of the Grasses (alongside the extra mutations), thanks to which he gained practically superhuman physical and mental abilities with minimal side effects. He resisted the "changes" brought on by the trial of grasses better than most, which encouraged his makers to perform even more dangerous experimental procedures on him, making him lose all body pigmentation. Because of his pale skin and white hair, he is also known in the Elder Speech as "Gwynbleidd", the White Wolf.

Despite his name, Geralt does not come from Rivia (although he learned how to mimic Rivian accent): young witchers were encouraged to make up surnames for themselves by master Vesemir, to make their names sound more trustworthy. His first choice was Geralt Roger Eric du Haute-Bellegarde, but this was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious.