Jaskier Might Be More Important Than The Witcher Lets On
The power of bards should never be underestimated, whether it be a historical figure, roleplaying class, or fictional character. Typically, bards are known for their charismatic nature and penchant for storytelling, with the real-life William Shakespeare being referred to as "The Bard" in some circles. In roleplaying games like "Dungeons and Dragons," bards are usually jack-of-all-trades, blending some combat skills and minor spell casting with their innate ability to inspire their comrades or berate their foes. Of course, these days, one of the most famous bards in entertainment might be Jaskier (Joey Batey) from "The Witcher."
Known for asking those that appreciate Witchers to toss a coin to the often maligned monster hunters, Jaskier makes his first appearance in the first season of "The Witcher." Originally appearing somewhat incompetent and fearful, he and Geralt (Henry Cavill) find themselves captured by elves. Luckily for Jaskier, and much to Geralt's chagrin, Jaskier crafts a song inspired by this event, which makes both of them famous. However, although insanely catchy, Jaskier's song isn't exactly a faithful retelling of his and Geralt's captivity, though the common folk certainly believe it to be. This power of storytelling is actually one of the greatest strengths of Jaskier, whether he realizes it or not, and not for the reasons he probably thinks.
Batey understands the power of entertainers
As mentioned earlier, Jaskier isn't much of a fighter, nor does he wield direct power and influence over leaders. In Season 2 of "The Witcher," Jaskier spends most of his time entertaining people in taverns, though he does lend a secret hand to elves attempting to flee. Although Season 2 sees Jaskier harbor some slight frustration towards Geralt due to the nature of their parting of ways in Season 1, he quickly relinquishes his animosity when he hears that Geralt needs help, which highlights that perhaps Jaskier just enjoys being dramatic.
Speaking with Collider in 2021, Joey Batey explained what he thought Jaskier's motivation was in Season 2 by saying, "In my preparation for Season 2, I did a fair bit of research into entertainers throughout history who used their platform and their position of fame within the entertainment industries to do good. Amazing people like Josephine Baker, the early years of even Marcel Marceau." He continued, "They all used their position in society as performers, and in some ways being outside of society and commenting on society, but they used their fame to do some real good, particularly in times of war or turmoil. And so that greatly influenced me when I was prepping." Besides directly aiding the downtrodden, there is another aspect to Jaskier that will continue to resonate through the world of "The Witcher."
Jaskier has the ability to influence history
Surprisingly, Jaskier appears in "The Witcher: Blood Origin," which actually acts as a prequel. The show recounts the story of how the first Witcher came to be and the creation of the apocalyptic riders of the Wild Hunt. "Blood Origin" takes place 1200 years before the current events of "The Witcher," and in an exclusive interview discussing "The Witcher: Blood Origin," showrunner Lauren Hissrich explained that Jaskier wasn't included in the original script. Still, they later realized that his inclusion only felt natural.
Hissrich elaborated, "One of the things that we have played with Jaskier in 'The Witcher' series is the idea that he tells stories and he can actually change the course of history by the stories he tells. That's our introduction to him. He is getting the world to love Geralt after Geralt has been the Butcher of Blaviken. [It's about the] power of story and how story will shift, how it is forgotten when you are not the victors." Hissrich continued and said that the idea of Jaskier being included in "Blood Origin" seemed like the right fit because Jaskier has now been given a slice of history to adapt and retell to countless others. In other words, Jaskier has tremendous power with this new story because he can editorialize it any way he sees fit, much like "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher." The only real question is what Jaskier will do with this ancient knowledge in the future.