How Chaos & Magic Work? in The Witcher Series
The rules of Chaos and Magic in the Witcher series are completely different from all the other fictional series. Magic originates from Chaos, and in turn, Chaos originates from magic.
The fictional series, based on Polish books by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher, is currently trending all over the world. Netflix released the first season in 2019, and the second season was released a few days ago, on December 17th 2021. The time gap between the first and the second season of the witcher was because of the global pandemic that halted the filming.
The Witcher series is the first series that showcases magic in a unique manner. In it, the magic works around Chaos, as Chaos follows it as its shadow wherever the magic is shown.
The foundation, Sapkowski books, includes performing magic, which requires harnessing Chaos. The spell casting with controlling Chaos is the most dangerous yet ancient power present in our world. However, the world became full of this ancient power when the Conjunction of Spheres happened, 1500 years before the happening in the books.
The catastrophic event, The Conjunction of Spheres, give rise to Chaos from different lands coming together with the magical powers and changing the course of nature and the future forever.
Chaos, also known as Power or Force, is extracted from the key elements – air, water, fire and earth. The four key elements are the branches of magic that add to mind and divination to make the whole tree. Another powerful element, called Ether, can be created by combining all the four key elements. All the magicians, wizards, sorcerers, and other magic users follow this structure.
The Chaos Magic in Witcher
Geralt of Rivia, the witcher, uses various Chaos wielders, called sources and small magic spells, which he learned during his training as a Witcher. The sources are only used by those who realize the true potential of magic and use it wisely.
In The Witcher Series, the central point is the cost one bears when harnessing Chaos to make the magic work. The cost of chaos magic is a sacrifice, which leads to the desired outcome.
In the Witcher season 1, Yennefer, after her training as a sorcerer, wanted to remove her physical impediment and become a beautiful human being. Yennefer went to another magician and asked for her wishes; in return, she lost the chance of being a mother again and, in the process, was so painful that she nearly died. The greater the desire, the larger sacrifice it needs.
Another character, Princess Cirilla of Cintra, Ciri, in the veins of whom Elder Blood is flowing, is continuously in danger as the sacrifice magic requires can be the cause of one’s death, despite being the powerful being.
The Brotherhood of Sorcerers, a group in the witcher series, limits some spells and forbids some of them because it can cause a lot of destruction and ethical reasons.
In one instance, The Brotherhood of Sorcerers forbids the use of fire magic, even in the worst situations, because they are aware of the cost it will require in their lives.
On the other side, in The Kingdom of Nilfgaard, some mages disclose information about a few magicians sacrificing human beings for powerful magic spells. Many of the beings on the continent follow the rules assigned by the group for their protection. However, many of them completely ignore the concept, leading to a dangerous risk on their bodies and lives.
The growth of Chaos and Magic will continue in the future seasons, and we will be here to share every little detail about it.