Between the popular Witcher video game series and the The Witcher TV series, available with a Netflix subscription, the original novels by author Andrzej Sapkowski are more popular than ever. The newest book, a prequel to the series, was recently published in Polish, and with it comes confirmation of a major fan question. Just how old is Geralt of Rivia?
The newest Witcher book confirms the year that Geralt of Rivia was born, which, would make him about 38 years old when he first meets Yennifer of Vengerberg. Of course the thing that really has fans blown away is that by this date, Yennifer herself was quite a bit older when the two first met.
The Age Gap Between Geralt and Yennifer Is Bigger Than Most Fans Guessed, And In The Wrong Direction
The Witcher stories take place over decades, but considering that Geralt of Rivia is a mutant Witcher and Yennifer of Vengerberg is a wizard, it’s essentially impossible to gauge either of their ages based solely on how they look. It turns out that when Geralt and Yennifer first met, Geralt was 38, and Yennifer was twice that age, as she’s 38 years older than he is.
While it seems all the Witcher fans on Reddit had different estimations for just how old the various characters were, many seemed to guess that, if anything Geralt was a lot older than he actually is. The fact that Yennifer is so much older than Geralt, as a lot of fans making jokes about the Witcher and older women.
- So age gap Ciri-Geralt is almost identical to Geralt-Yen. Daughter, father, grandma. How cute. - Ferengsten
- He loves older women. I dig it. 😎 Del-Marr
- So Geralt is closer to Triss in age than Yen? I can’t lie this is crazy. I always thought Geralt was late eighties early nineties. Lol - NaturalDesperate638
- Yennefer you sick fuck, he was only 60 years old! How dare you take advantage of a poor sexagenarian… - monalba
- Damn Yen is a cougar lmao - Aggressive-Expert-69
Some fans thought Geralt was a lot older than he apparently is. Others at least assumed that Yennifer wasn't quite as old as she is. In the books it's well established that wizards can halt their aging, so it's impossible to guess how old one actually is.
The Netflix Series Flipped The Ages
Since The original novels had not previously set a date for Geralt’s birth, the various adaptations of the work had to make their own determinations. As a result, the Netflix series inverted the chronology almost exactly, as Geralt is 32 years older than Yennifer in the series. The popular video game series essentially has them the same age, with Geralt just a year older than Yenn.
Of course, the ages aren't the only difference between the source material and the series. The Netflix Witcher has been criticized previously for the way it differs from the books.
Things will get even more confusing when The Witcher Season 4 debuts next year. Liam Hemsworth who is taking on the role of Geralt, is seven years younger than Henry Cavill, who played the role for the show’s first three years.
