To make matters more murky, magic use in the world of The Witcher is described as 'controlling chaos.' Is chaos predetermined, or is it unpredictable? If it is not predictable, how is it controlled to produce magic? Does The Witcher's 'chaos' interact with its Destiny? The magical-or supernatural-elements of Destiny seems to indicate a connection to The Witcher's system of magic. 'It is hard to see how, if the state of the world 1,000 years ago fixes everything I do during my life, I can meaningfully say that I am a free agent.After all, I have neither the power to change the laws of nature, nor to change the past! So in what sense can I attribute freedom of choice to myself?' The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Determinism elucidates it thusly: This overarching theme of the magical, monstrous misadventures of Geralt of Rivia and company raises the age-old question: How can choice matter in a world controlled by destiny? Essentially, what happens is out of your control life in all its facets is inescapable and… inevitable.ĭestiny is the poetic, archaic form of causal determinism, the concept that since all of reality is governed by immutable physical laws, every action taken is merely an effect of the Big Bang, thereby making free will moot. While The Witcher personifies destiny, the term is typically defined as a fate or an event which cannot be changed or avoided.

(Y’all better get used to puns ‘round these parts.) She's got a beef with Destiny.) I reckon you could call Princess Cirilla Destiny's Child.

Destiny is spoken of reverently by magic-users and laypeople alike (well, except for Queen Calanthe. Still, I want to discuss something else about The Witcher: Destiny.įrom the outset, many characters of the show speak of Destiny as that which should have a capital D. We also were dismayed by the random nudity which taints the purity of the show, and confused by the non-chronological nature of the narrative.

The first few episodes did seem humorous on the surface, largely because of our lack of prior engagement with the characters or universe. While my wife and I are fans of high fantasy, neither of us knew much about the story or what to expect. If y'all ain't watched it yet, beware: here there be spoilers. My wife and I ( newlyweds!) recently watched the entire first season of The Witcher on Netflix.

Destiny interrupted