“Before A Fall” | Around The Table: The Lore, Culture, and History Behind The Witcher
The world of Andrzej Sapkowski and Netflix’s The Witcher draws inspiration from real life history, folklore, and culture.
Join Alyssa from GoodMorhen, the host and producer of Breakfast in Beauclair, and Witcher content creators Anita and Karolina of Witcher Kitchen, Brett from Whispers of Oxenfurt, Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye, Cyprian from Berlin, and Lars from Witcherflix in this episode as they share facts and tidbits about Nilfgaardian lore and real-life inspiration and Mongolian shagai.
Transcript
ALYSSA: What happens when we draw the curtains back on Nilfgaard’s historical lore and real-life inspiration? Which East Asian country has a connection to the episode’s Cintran street game? Welcome to Breakfast in Beauclair’s “Around The Table,” a segment where we go around the Beauclair breakfast table with other Witcher content creators sharing facts and tidbits about the production and real life history, folklore, and culture behind an episode of Netflix’s The Witcher. This week we’re diving into Episode 107, “Before A Fall”.
LARS: Hey, it’s Lars from Witcherflix. Did you know in this episode, the mage, Istredd, works on an archaeological excavation site in the former kingdom of Nazair, which is now part of the Nilfgaardian Empire. Nazair used to be independent and had very close ties with Cintra. Long before Ciri or even Calanthe were born, Princess Becca of Nazair even became queen of Cintra. In more recent history, the relationship of these two kingdoms deteriorated. There were several wars between Nazair and the Northern Kingdoms; one war even saw the destruction of Nazair’s capital, Assengard, by forces from Redania and other Northern Realms. Later, under the reign of Queen Calanthe, Nazair had invaded Cintra, but they were defeated by the young Cintran queen at the Battle of Hochebuz, where Calanthe gained the name ‘Lioness of Cintra.’
BRETT: Hey, this is Brett from Whispers of Oxenfurt. The Nilfgaardian Empire expands and engulfs all around it and brings peace, prosperity, and purpose… as well as alliteration! Just at the point of a blade. The Roman Empire did this as well and is closest to what Nilfgaard is based on with a sprinkle of Nazi German militarism thrown in. When the Romans subjected people to their rule, they did not force anyone to convert religions, speak Latin, or even act Roman. However, leaders had to communicate in Latin and dressing the part would be more appealing to their overlords. Eventually, the people would take on their leaders' customs and voila! Romanization. And it’s counterpart on the Continent: Nilfgaardization.
CHARLOTTE: Hi, this is Charlotte from Vengerberg Glamarye. Before Ciri’s explosion in the field, she mentions to one of the boys harassing her that they used to play knucklebones together. It’s mentioned earlier in the series too, but it’s a point of interest for me. Knucklebones is taken from the real-life game of ankle bones, played by vikings as well as many cultures throughout Central Asia. They’re regarded as a primitive form of dice. I study Mongolian culture for fun and in Mongolia, these bones are called shagai. Shagai are also used for divination and fortune-telling. Typically they are made from the bones of sheep or goats. But in Mongolia, men collect the shagai of steppe wolves for luck.
ALYSSA: Thanks for sharing breakfast with us in this installment of “Around The Table.” The Witcher Universe has so much to uncover! Let us know in the comments below what you found interesting from today’s segment and if you have something new to share with our hanza about this episode. We’ll see you after the next episode of Breakfast in Beauclair.