Ciri's Powers In The Witcher Season 2 Explained
Spoilers ahead for "The Witcher" Season 2.
Fans of "The Witcher" have been wondering about Princess Cirella's (Freya Allan) powerful abilities ever since the show's debut season first premiered. Raised by her protective grandmother, Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May), Ciri quickly became a target of the forces of Nilfgaard. The enemy country obviously desired her because she was the seat of Cintra, but also because of the mysterious powers she exhibits. While magic is common in the world of "The Witcher," it's clear that Ciri has powers no one else possesses. As a result, Ciri is chased around The Continent throughout "The Witcher" Season 1, unsure the whole time of what it is that makes her so special.
Ciri is different in "The Witcher" Season 2. The character is visibly older than she was the last time viewers saw her, thanks to the gap that took place between the filming of "The Witcher" Seasons 1 and 2 (via CinemaBlend). Although she possesses some newfound grit and a desire to learn how to fight, there's still a lot of mystery surrounding the character, as Ciri herself does not even know what she is capable of.
Thankfully, some much-needed details about her powers are finally revealed in "The Witcher" Season 2.
What we first learn about Ciri's powers
Ciri has demonstrated some amazing abilities in "The Witcher," but it's difficult to pin down the exact nature of them in the show's first season. Usually, the moments when Ciri uses her powers are random and are caused by extreme stress. This first happens on Calanthe's deathbed when Ciri expresses her sadness by letting out a deafening scream that rattles the entire room. Calanthe understands that Ciri is wielding Chaos, but does not have the knowledge or time to explain that to her.
From there, Ciri's powers only continue to increase. While on the run from the Nilfgaardian knight, Cahir (Eamon Farren), Ciri escapes using her power to take down a Monolith. The Monolith creates a great chasm, which allows Ciri to escape, but her abilities also seem to grow to a point where she is no longer able to contain them. Her Chaos is destructive and untethered, and during some of her final moments in "The Witcher" Season 1, Ciri unleashes a blast of energy that is so powerful it obliterates everything around her.
It's the moment in the show when Ciri begins to understand that her power comes from deep within her, a realization that leaves her understandably shaken and afraid.
Ciri got her powers from her mother
Ciri's powers make her a force to be reckoned with, and they appear to be somewhat unique in the world of "The Witcher." However, while many people do not seem to possess her gifts, there is one other person we know who did.
During her wedding feast and the Law of Surprise, Ciri's mother, Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori), displayed the same destructive ability as Ciri. In fact, when Calanthe attempted to separate Pavetta from her intended husband, Duny (Bart Edwards), she let out a scream that was quite similar to the one Ciri made when Calanthe was on her deathbed. Not only did Pavetta's scream shake the room and blast people back, but Pavetta also surrounded herself and Duny in a circle of protection. Like Ciri, Pavetta seemed unaware of the implications of her powers, or where they come from.
It's revealed in "The Witcher" Season 2, however, that Calanthe knew more than she let people think.
Calanthe is descended from Elves
Based on the events of "The Witcher" Season 2, it seems safe to say that Ciri's family had been keeping their powers under wraps due to concerns about their lineage. Every time Ciri or Pavetta demonstrate their gifts, Queen Calanthe is noticeably unhappy. The more light is shed on the issue in "The Witcher" Season 2, however, the clearer it becomes that the most logical explanation for why Calanthe is so disturbed by Ciri and Pavetta's abilities is because she fears that they could reveal a shocking truth about her family history.
Queen Calanthe, it turns out, is descended from Elves. This is an issue in the world of "The Witcher" because Elves are not accepted as equals and were nearly eradicated at one point. In fact, Calanthe is one of the people who despised Elves and supported the genocide attempt against them. As a result, the royal house of Cintra's connection to the Elves becomes, unsurprisingly, very relevant in "The Witcher" Season 2.
Ciri possesses Elder blood
Due to the persecution of Elves and perhaps even her own self-loathing, Calanthe kept her Elven heritage a secret, including the fact that her family line is descended from a powerful line of Elf mages and contains Elder blood. As Triss (Anna Shaffer) reminds Vesemir (Kim Bodnia) in "The Witcher" Season 2, it's long been assumed that Elder blood was eradicated from existence, a detail that is significant to Vesemir because Elder blood is a key component in the mutagens required to create more Witchers.
Vesemir, notably, longs to make more of his kind. However, Triss becomes concerned that Ciri's power is dangerous. Elder blood has, after all, not appeared in a long time and Ciri's powers have become unpredictable. Unfortunately, that suggests that dark things may lie in store for Ciri, who confesses to Geralt (Henry Cavill) at one point that she feels a "pull" toward the new monsters they have encountered.
Ithlinne's prophecy spells doom
Ciri has, among other abilities, the power to learn about certain events before they happen. These abilities do not present themselves as frequently as her other powers, but they are just as important. Of course, the most significant display of Ciri's ability to see the future is her recitation of Ithlinne's prophecy. First heard in "The Witcher" Season 1, Ciri recited a prophecy that was given by the Elven prophet, Ithlinne, which predicts:
"The world will perish amidst ice and be reborn with the new sun. Reborn of the Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of a planted seed. A seed that will not sprout but burst into flames."
The prophecy comes back into play again in "The Witcher" Season 2 when Ciri and Triss embark on a vision quest of sorts. Searching for some kind of meaning or explanation for Ciri's abilities, the two enter her subconscious only for Triss to grow concerned when everything becomes, well, interactive. To make matters even worse, in the final vision they see, Ithlinne predicts that the end of the world will come when the Elves rise again.
Triss subsequently determines that Ciri is dangerous and may bring about the end of the world, and Geralt decides that the best course of action is to take her to the Temple of Melitele where she can learn to control her Chaos. The priestess Nenneke acknowledges the depth of Ciri's power and ominously warns that it may be too much for Geralt to handle.
Indeed, while Ciri is shown learning how to cast basic spells like portals, "The Witcher" Season 2 also makes it undeniably clear that she is meant for greater things. Fans of "The Witcher" will, unfortunately, have to wait to see exactly where Ciri's journey takes her next, but at least they can take some consolation in the fact that they now know more about her powers than they ever have before.