The best thing about Netflix’s The Witcher, hands down, is the cast of characters. Even though we know Henry Cavill sadly won’t be returning as our beloved Geralt of Rivia after season three, at least we will have him for one more season. That means more of him interacting with the other fan-favorite of the show, Jaskier (flawlessly played by Joey Batey). Their chemistry is amazing, and at the end of season two, Geralt had finally accepted that Jaskier is his BFF (or true love, or both).
I am such a fan of these characters that I willingly sat through all four episodes of The Witcher: Blood Origin to understand their world that much more. (The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf was much better.) Blood Origin is supposed to take place 1,200 years before the main Witcher show, so imagine my surprise when Jaskier popped up in the first scene. A mystical being called Seanchaí called upon him to tell an ancient story because Jaskier was the only one who could do it right. Seanchaí, like all of us watching, knew that only Jaskier’s songs could change the world and alter the tide of war.
Toss a Coin
Jaskier entered the first season as what Geralt perceived as an irritating sidekick, while fans immediately fell for the hilarious bard. After hanging out with Geralt, Jaskier wrote the absolute bop “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher.” Before Jaskier, most people feared Geralt after he became known as The Butcher of Blavikan. With Jaskier’s catchy tune, towns actually sought him out for his monster-killing services. His song changed public opinion. People no longer cared if Geralt “butchered” some townsfolk once. They knew they could count on him for help because Jaskier said so.
After Geralt broke his heart, Jaskier changed his tune about the Witcher. In season two, he put out the ultimate breakup song “Burn Butcher Burn.” The song totally slaps and became a huge hit all over the Continent. Everyone knew who the song was really about, even though Jaskier never said his actual name. Jaskier’s popularity had grown exponentially by this point. People hummed his songs and recognized him in the street. When Geralt brought Jaskier home to Kaer Morhen, even the other witchers knew who he was. Jaskier is basically their Beyoncé.
The Sandpiper
Beyond his amazing musical talent, Jaskier has also been helping the elves escape to Cintra to escape persecution. His empathy for the elves set him apart from most humans. He explained to Yennifer that he was helping because “sooner or later, they will come for everyone. Anyone that they deem the ‘other.'” Jaskier could see the danger the growing war was bringing.
Although it wasn’t explicit when Jaskier met Seanchaí, it was probably right around season two when the struggle between humans and elves reached a boiling point and we knew the Wild Hunt was coming from another world. Seanchaí appeared to Jaskier as himself. (In total Jaskier fashion, he found the situation kind of hot.) Then, Seanchaí revealed she needed Jaskier to know the truth about the lost Story of the Seven, the cause of the Conjunction of the Spheres, and how the first witcher came to be.
She thought Jaskier would be the only one with the skill and fame to get the story to the masses and change the course of history. His song will hopefully unite humans and elves to fight against the incoming extraterrestrial threat. We all knew Jaskier was changing the world with his beautiful music, but now even the ancient spirits are recognizing him.
(featured image: Netflix)
