The Witcher Swords

The Witcher originally began in the early 1990’s as a series of high fantasy novels penned by Andrzej Sapkowski, a Polish author whose stories were loosely inspired by Slavic folklore. However, The Witcher is actually best known for the video games set in the same world and more recently, a television series which largely follows the plot of the book series. When it comes to swords, the Witcher series is unusual in that the protagonist doesn’t have named swords, however, the Witcher swords are iconic because of their unique design and involvement in both the plot and worldbuilding. The Witcher replica swords available here should work well in any collection or cosplay.

The World of The Witcher

While the Witcher as a series had relatively humble origins, the novels not being hugely popular outside of Central and Eastern, in recent years it has become a household name. This is largely attributed to the very successful video game series, to the point that many people believe the games came before the books, despite the games being set after the end of the Witcher Saga. While much of our ideas of the aesthetics of the Witcher may come from the games, Sapkowski’s world and story shouldn’t be skipped over. There may be mild spoilers ahead, although the plot is deliberately vague.

The Setting of the Witcher

The Witcher Saga takes place in a high fantasy world teeming with elves, dwarves, gnomes, and many other mythological creatures, some relatively benign and some very dangerous. However, the Witcher is also undoubtably a dark fantasy series, the setting is fantastical but sometimes painfully realistic. Before the story begins, many of the non-human races have been relegated to being second-class citizens under the oppressive rule of humanity. They either live in relative poverty, or away from humanity. The time of the Witcher Saga is a tumultuous one, shortly after the end of a war between the Nilfgaard Empire to the South, and the Northern Kingdoms.

The Story of the Witcher

The Witcher Saga itself follows Geralt, a Witcher and monster slayer for hire as he finds himself bound by destiny to a young girl, Ciri. Geralt is forced to protect Ciri from dangers both mundane and magical throughout the Saga. As Geralt is attempting to both protect and train Ciri, the continent erupts once more into a savage war between the North and South of the continent, with both sides scheming against the other. Several times, Geralt and Ciri are separated and must reunite, often with the help of other characters. The video games are set after the end of the series but aren’t considered a canonical sequel. Because of the medium, the plots aren’t set in stone as they often depend on the player’s actions. However, the basic story continues to follow Geralt as he continues slaying monsters. Along the way, Geralt managed to get himself embroiled in both a civil war and some more extravagant magical threats, for which he needs all his skill and abilities. Finally, the plot circles back around to Ciri and her future, along with other beloved characters from the Saga.

The Witcher and Swords

Swords are a huge part of the Witcher Saga, because of how deeply they are intertwined with the world and the plot. The protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, wields two swords. Both of these swords, while unnamed, have managed to become iconic in their own way. This is because of both their purpose and design. Because Geralt is a Witcher, he often comes against both human and inhuman threats. For the much more common human threats he faces, Geralt uses a somewhat ordinary steel blade, using his incredible skill and training to great effect. However, Geralt often comes up against creatures which prove resistant to steel. For these more supernatural threats, he must use his silver-plated sword. While silver is a massively inferior material to steel for weapons, especially when it comes to holding an edge, the magical creatures of the Witcher world are vulnerable to it. The silver sword is partly why the Witcher’s swords have captured so much attention. The aesthetics are great, and the way that the silver is used in the plot is very interesting. It lends a much more magical feel to the story and shows both the difficulty of battling these creatures and how humanity has adapted to this threat. As mentioned earlier, silver is a poor metal for a sword. It is too soft to hold an effective edge and actually cut through anything, as well as being very prone to damage. While the bulk of the sword would still be made of steel, for Geralt to use it in ordinary battle would be folly. It’d make a better club than a sword. Because of this, the silver sword has an incredibly distinctive Y-shaped guard to differentiate it from Geralt’s usual steel sword. In the books and television series, Geralt tends to keep his silver sword with his horse. But the video games sometimes usually Geralt carrying both weapons with him, both for gameplay purposes (imagine having to run back to a horse every time you want to switch weapons), and for the aesthetics. Because of this, our image of Geralt is often with both swords.

Geralt’s Sword – The Controversy

There is some debate over the type of sword that Geralt uses, as it’s occasionally described as longsword in the games, but the dimensions given in the books have caused some confusion. His sword was described as 40.5 inches in overall length, with the blade itself measuring 27.25 inches long. This would leave 13.25 inches for the hilt, making the hilt a third of the length of the overall blade. These are… unusual dimensions to say the least. A hilt of that size would historically be used for a much longer sword. But we forget, this isn’t a history novel. Geralt was often described in the saga as using his sword with both one and two hands, much like how a bastard sword would be used. It could be that Sapkowski hadn’t realised the dimensions of the sword he was picturing and meant to describe a more traditional bastard sword, or that he had intended for the design to be slightly different. In any case, the design that people are more familiar with is that of the games and the television series. As said earlier, the games sometimes describe the sword as a longsword, but the Geralt of the games tends to similarly use the sword both with one and two hands. Likewise, the depiction in the television series is too short a blade for a longsword, but with a hilt allowing for both hands when needed. However, the design seen especially in the games is akin to a bastard sword. Perhaps with a slightly shorter blade than to be expected, but far from the extreme dimensions described in the books. This is the design of the Witcher swords that most sticks in people’s minds.

Geralt of Rivia

Geralt of Rivia is the protagonist of the Witcher, and it’s his swords that have proven so interesting to us all. Part of this is because of how well they work with his character. As a Witcher and a monster hunter, Geralt’s swords aren’t just a part of his character design, but they are his livelihood and a symbol of his identity as a Witcher. The silver sword especially marks him such, simply because of how specialised such a weapon would be. Only someone who regularly fights supernatural monsters would carry such an otherwise useless and expensive weapon. Ironically, the fact that Geralt hasn’t named his weapons adds to his character. This is a man who names every horse ‘Roach’, despite his horse also being incredibly important for his livelihood. The fact is, he doesn’t need to name his weapons. They are distinctively Witcher swords, both steel and silver. Geralt is not only a swordsman, however. He also uses magic and alchemy to help him to hunt monsters. With each hunt, Geralt must research the monster he needs to eliminate, finding its strengths and weaknesses and preparing both himself and his weapons before battle. The design of Geralt is often what makes him such a popular character, however. With his white hair, cat’s eyes, and pale skin, he is incredibly distinctive. This makes Geralt a great candidate for cosplay, as he is immediately recognisable, especially with his swords. Finally, Geralt is interesting because of his interactions with other characters. He is every part a gruff, seemingly typical action protagonist, but he is surrounded with a colourful cast of characters, each of which bring out a different side to him. These characters are all incredibly important to Geralt and the story at whole. To the point that the main plot revolves around his parental relationship with Ciri and is compounded by the complex romance he has with both Yennifer and Triss, both powerful magic uses. Finally, Geralt is often accompanied by Jaskier, a bard and Geralt’s best friend, despite being his polar opposite.

The Witcher Swords for Sale

The two most distinctive and iconic swords involved in the Witcher series are those wielded by Geralt of Rivia. His swords are part of his identity and, as such, are imperative when planning to cosplay as Geralt, or as collectables. The Witcher replica swords sold here easily fulfil these purposes, being immediately recognisable as Geralt’s swords. Both swords are best to complete the look, especially of videogame Geralt, but even one will work. His steel sword was more often used, but the silver variant has a more unique design.

Geralt of Rivia Sword – Steel

This is the sword that Geralt most commonly uses when fighting human or otherwise mundane threats. It has an iconic and elegant design, not too dissimilar to a classic bastard sword, without being overly complicated. It’s immediately recognisable as belonging to Geralt. Geralt used this sword, much like the silver variant, with great skill and to deadly effect. He used either one hand, or both hands, depending on what suited the situation. Because Geralt didn’t fight with a sword, he generally had to parry and evade attacks.

Geralt of Rivia Sword – Silver

While Geralt’s steel sword would be the better weapon for dealing with the majority of opponents that he faced, his identity as a Witcher also called for a more exotic choice of sword on occasion. Geralt’s silver sword isn’t entirely silver, of course. Such a weapon would be painfully expensive and unwieldy. Rather, it had a silver coating which was damaging to the many supernatural creatures roaming the Witcher world. Not only this, the guard and blade were inlaid with magical runes that would further affect the monsters that Geralt had to fight. These, along with the silver coating and Geralt’s own treatment of the blade, could bring down a beast that no ordinary man could face. In order to differentiate between the two blades, Geralt’s silver sword had a distinctive Y-shaped guard, which allowed for him to quickly select the best weapon for the job. This guard, especially when engraved with runes, makes the silver sword instantly recognisable and very attractive.

In Conclusion

The Witcher swords are an important part of both the setting, and the character of the eponymous Witcher himself, Geralt. They may seem like a small detail, but even the imbuement of magic in the silver sword in particular shows what a dangerous world Geralt lives in, and what a dangerous man he proves to be. His more mundane sword, however, demonstrates the more common, but no less present, danger of humanity. Geralt fights two wars. The Witcher replica swords available can help you to step into Geralt’s shoes for a moment, to feel the weight of his sword and of his responsibilities as a Witcher. They can also serve as a great decorative piece, whether you’re a fan of the series or are simply after an attractive weapon to hang.