Crach an Craite

Template:Character infoboxCrach an Craite, also known as Tirth ys Muire ("Sea Boar") and "Wild Boar of the Sea", was a nephew of King Bran of Skellige and was mentored by Eist Tuirseach, king of Cintra. He was described as a broad shouldered youth with a mop of red hair and is known for sometimes showing quite a temper. He was known for his fiery temperament and healthy appetite.

In his early years he was a contender for the hand of Pavetta, Princess of Cintra, however, it never came to anything. After the death of his uncle Eist Tuirseach, who had inherited the throne of King Bran, Crach became the Jarl and thus the ruler of the Skellige Islands.

He also had a brief affair with Yennefer and remained fond of her afterwards, which he demonstrated by helping her in her search for Vilgefortz during The Tower of the Swallow novel.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Template:Spoiler The Jarl, along with his son Hjalmar and daughter Cerys, play an important role in The Witcher 3. Crach will find his demise through Eredin in the final events of the game's main storyline.

Associated quests

• Gwent: Skellige Style
• The King is Dead – Long Live the King
• King's Gambit
• On Thin Ice

Journal entry

Skellige sagas brim with praise for war chiefs and warrior-braves of ages past, yet the saga of Crach, jarl of the Clan an Craite and lord of Kaer Trolde, will outshine them all. It will sing of his strength, his courage, his wisdom, his generosity, his loyalty to friends and his relentless pursuit of his foes.

There will be few exaggerations in such a tale, for Crach, the mightiest of Skellige's jarls, truly did possess all the traits of a hero. He aroused terror in his enemies – in fact, Nilfgaardian mother would use his name to frighten their children into obedience, and all in that empire spoke in hushed tones of the infamous Tirth ys Muire, the Wild Boar of the Sea, who devastated coastal provinces during frequent and terrible raids.

Geralt had known Crach for long, since a time when as a young man the jarl had sought the hand of young Pavetta, Ciri's mother.

After Bran's demise, Crach could easily have claimed the throne for himself. Yet he preferred to support the claim of his son, Hjalmar. When his daughter Cerys announced her intention to seek the throne as well, the jarl also gave her his support, showing no favoritism when it came to his children.

To the islanders, honor is the most prized of virtues. Crach thus agreed without hesitation to live up to the pledge he made many years ago on behalf of himself and his entire clan and supported the search for Cirilla with any means Skellige could offer.

Crach also did not balk when the time came to stand and fight Eredin. Though Eredin killed Crach during this fight, the jarl's death did not break the islanders' spirit, instead becoming a model of how to die like a true hero.

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Trivia

• Cráite means haunted, tormented/tortured or annoying in Irish, while crach means raid. Therefore "crach an cráite" could be translated as "raid of the tormented", albeit being grammatically incorrect.

Gallery

a young Crach an Craite (Michał Milowicz) in The Hexer TV series

Crach releasing an arrow.jpg

Crach in The Witcher 3