Geralt of Rivia

Geralt of Rivia (Polish: Geralt z Rivii), known also as Gwynnbleid (name in the Old Speech meaning "The White Wolf", given to him by the Dryads) and Vatt'ghern (by the elves), is a witcher and the protagonist of the Witcher series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski and its adaptations (including The Witcher computer game). He is also known as the Butcher of Blaviken.

Despite his name, Geralt does not really come from Rivia, but 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 was dismissed by Vesemir as silly and pretentious.

Biography
Geralt was the son of sorceress Visenna and (presumably) a warrior called Korin. Shortly after being born, Geralt was taken by his mother to the Witchers' Place - the Kaer Morhen stronghold. Geralt survived numerous mutations during the Trial of Grass, through which he gained practically superhuman physical and mental abilities (increased reflexes, speed, strength and enhanced hearing) surprisingly well. Because of that, as one of the few he was selected for additional experiments, and of the few he was the only one that survived. His white hair, completely lacking pigment, is a side effect of these experiments. After finishing the witcher training, he embarked into the world on his horse called The Roach (he gave the same name to his every horse) to become a monster slayer for hire.

Even though Geralt did not believe in destiny, he demanded the unborn child of princess Pavetta and her husband Duny as a reward for his services. As the child turned out to be a girl, he did not take her. However, fate or blind chance caused Geralt and Ciri, the daughter of Duny and Pavetta to cross their paths thrice, and after the death of her grandmother, queen Calanthe, Geralt ended up taking care of the girl and loving her as his own daughter. His best friend was Dandelion the bard, while his lover and the love of his life was Yennefer.

After seemingly having been killed by a mob during a pogrom of non-humans at the end of the Witcher saga, Geralt returns to life with no recollection of the details of his sudden reappearance or the intervening 5 years. He is rescued by the last remaining witchers in the world and taken back to Kaer Morhen. It is hinted that in the game, he will reluctantly uncover a conspiracy concerning the Witchers.

In the English version of the game, Geralt is voiced by Doug Cockle and in the Polish version by Jacek Rozenek.

At the beginning of Act III, Geralt gains the quest Identity, and subsequently a character entry for himself: "A book entitled "The Rivian Pogrom" claims that Geralt, known also as the White Wolf, died during a massacre of non-humans. The pogrom took place in the city of Rivia just after the war with Nilfgaard. Geralt was killed by an angry mob when he tried to defend the oppressed. The sorceress Triss Merigold and the dwarf Zoltan Chivay witnessed his death. The witcher's body was never found.

Some years ago, Geralt of Rivia came to King Foltest's court in search of work. He obtained a contract to free the monarch's daughter Adda from a spell which had turned her into a striga, or to kill her if all else failed. The witcher managed to free the girl from the spell, and discovered that one of the courtiers had been responsible for the curse."

The Hexer movie and series


In The Hexer movie and TV series, Geralt's role was played by Michał Żebrowski.

In other languages

 * Czech: Geralt z Rivie
 * English: Geralt of Rivia
 * Estonian: Rivia Geralt
 * Finnish: Geralt Rivialainen
 * French: Geralt de Riv
 * German: Geralt von Riva
 * Italian: Geralt di Rivia
 * Lithuanian: Geraltas iš Rivijos
 * Polish: Geralt z Rivii
 * Russian: Геральт из Ривии
 * Slovak: Geralt z Rivie
 * Spanish: Geralt de Rivia
 * Hungarian (Magyarul): Ríviai Geralt
 * Turkish : Rivia'lı Geralt
 * Slovenian : Geralt iz Rivie

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