Easter Eggs You Missed In The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf
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"The Witcher" fans get to take a trip back in time to a storied moment in the Continent's history in "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf." The new anime film introduces fans to a younger version of Vesemir (voiced by Theo James), the beloved mentor of Geralt of Rivia who taught him everything he knows about being a witcher and surviving their collapsed status in society.
In the film, we first meet Vesemir at a time when he is young, arrogant, and obsessed with his ability to earn coins for his craft. It's not a completely easy road for him, of course, what with so many swarms of bloodthirsty creatures to contend with. But he's successful and well fed and has plenty of stories to win over the ladies with. Everything changes, though, when a determined and vengeful mage named Tetra (Lara Pulver) decides it's time to make a move on Kaer Morhen to end the witcher line for good.
Confronted with the disturbing truth of the witchers' origins and actions, along with elements of his own personal past, Vesemir faces the fight of his life as Tetra's forces move in on his homestead and threaten to rid the world of witchers for good. Not only is the film filled with riveting fight sequences and fascinating creatures, but there are also a ton of Easter eggs scattered throughout for fans of the books, video games, and — of course — the live-action series.
Cheeky parallels
One thing fans of "The Witcher" streaming series are bound to notice right away is how many moments in the movie echo some key scenes in the show. For example, who can forget that time Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) nearly broke the internet with his steamy bath scene? Well, in this film, we learn that he got his love of soaking from his mentor, as Vesemir is also shown enjoying some time in the tub in the pic.
Vesemir also seems to have preceded Geralt in having some tense confrontations at local pubs, since we see that, even at a time when witchers are less universal outcasts, he is confronted by a few naysaying knights. On top of all that, there's even a scene in which Vesemir aligns with the stunning mage Tetra for a flirty skirmish with a basilisk, much like Geralt and Yennefer joined forces for a fight during the dragon hunt in "The Witcher."
All of these scenarios have different origins and outcomes, of course, but for those who have checked out "The Witcher," "Nightmare of the Wolf" finds quite a few ways to wink to history repeating in some memorable ways.
Tragic history
Another thing fans are bound to notice in "Nightmare of the Wolf" is the devastating lens it puts on the fall of the elf kind — and perhaps the reason Geralt is so knowledgeable about and sympathetic to their plight. In "The Witcher," we meet Filavandrel (Daniel Olbrychski) at his most desperate hour, having relocated to the edge of the world and subsisting on stolen wares to survive with the few elves that remain, alongside a sylvan.
However, "Nightmare of the Wolf" shows him at a slightly less precarious time. We see an elf school that's been turned to ashes, but he is still hopeful that he can stop the bloodletting by getting to the bottom of a mysterious string of elf disappearances. Unfortunately, it's a bit too late by the time Vesemir finally tries to help, and Fil is only able to rescue one mutated elf girl from a pile of bones. Vesemir's act of mercy in letting Fil take the potentially dangerous elf into his own care could be one of the reasons Filavandrel chooses to give grace to Geralt in "The Witcher" as well.
Strange idols
In "Nightmare of the Wolf," the first creature we see Vesemir taking on is a nasty little leshen with the ability to shapeshift throughout the swamp. Upon confronting the beast, which has already wiped out one boy's entire family right before his eyes, Vesemir is amused by its ability to morph from a solid swamp creature into a swarm of bats. Vesemir jokes, "You must be very popular with the druids."
What Vesemir may be referring to here is the fact that leshens, which are also known as woodland spirits in the "Witcher" video games, are sometimes worshipped as gods by nearby villagers for their sheer power. Since druids are true lovers of forest creatures, it makes sense that they might be key members of the local leshen fan club, even if the leshens do rip a lot of heads off, which seems counter to the druids' preference for peace. In other words, Vesemir's comment is a nice wink to those fans who are deep into their "Witcher" lore.
Creepy crawlies
Leshens aren't the only creatures of the night who come out to play in "Nightmare of the Wolf." We also get to see Vesemir tangling with wraiths and werewolves, and a slew of other creatures that fans will recognize get name-checked throughout the story, too. For instance, Vesemir's mentor Deglan (Graham McTavish) mentions the intriguing abilities of the higher vampire while discussing how the latest leshen might've learned to speak the ancient Elvish language Ellyon. And the subject of the unique characteristics of krallachs, like the spidery one that played sidekick to the assassin mage in "The Witcher," also comes up when Vesemir visits the bestiary at Kaer Morhen.
We also get to see some mysterious creatures slithering around in the laboratory tanks, and Vesemir finds out the hard way exactly what happens when an elf is crossed with a mahr, a monster that has the gift of making people see nightmares that aren't there. And who can forget those pesky strigas? Geralt dealt with a particularly gnarly one in "The Witcher," but according to Vesemir, he had no such trouble dispelling the dirty beast.
Quaint spell
Since "Nightmare of the Wolf" takes place before the Witchers were all but eradicated at the Battle of Kaer Morhen, it's not just Vesemir who spends time casting spells and slaying monsters throughout the movie. In fact, the film gives fans a chance to see a full-on Witcher brigade in action together, including Vesemir's own trainer Deglan treating the young recruits, including Vesemir, to a trial by fire — er, swamp wraiths.
"Witcher" fans are also bound to notice how Delgan implements one of those familiar witcher signs on the forehead of the lady of Vesemir's home to rid her of the nasty bugger within. And there's also a familiar mention of the Law of Surprise, which comes into play in a big way in "The Witcher," especially in Season 2 as Geralt finally unites with his destiny in Ciri (Freya Allen).
Another Easter egg that is meant for the true "Witcher" faithful is the moment when Vesemir predicts the young witchers who are most likely to survive, saying, "It'll be Eskel, Lambert, maybe Remus." In "Witcher" lore, Eskel and Lambert are, like Geralt, students of the School of the Wolf and train with Vesemir. And while Remus is also a pupil of the Witcher school, "Witcher" watchers will know that he meets a rather unfortunate fate in the series, when he's killed by the striga that Geralt will face because he goes into the job thinking he's up against a vukodlak. The fact that Vesemir's boasts about easily dispelling a striga come so soon after his mention of Remus is probably not a coincidence.
Last survivors
For those "Witcher" fans who were hoping to see Vesemir and his protégé Geralt of Rivia together in "Nightmare of the Wolf," the final moments of the film are certainly satisfying. Because yes, Geralt is one of the four baby witchers who manage to escape from the sack on Kaer Morhen — and in fact, Geralt is actually the one who finds them all a way out.
As it turns out, Geralt was already ready to run away from the witcher school before the attack on Kaer Morhen and found a hatch in the grain hold that later comes in handy when it is time for him and his peers to escape the siege. And when these tiny survivors are rounded up by Vesemir, who was previously reluctant to become a witcher trainer, he gives them all a choice whether to continue. It's Geralt who hesitates, saying, "But they hate us?" And that's when Vesemir repeats the recruitment phrase he heard from his own mentor Deglan, saying, "There will always be another monster." And the rest is fantastic history.