What Is Dimeritium In The World Of The Witcher?

"The Witcher" is set in a dark and brooding world full of monsters, magic, demons, and political intrigue. Based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski and popular video game series of the same name, "The Witcher" is Netflix's answer to sword and sorcery. Starring Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan, and Joey Batey, "The Witcher" has been a huge success with growing popularity in the literary, video game, and television spheres.

Witchers themselves, like Geralt (Cavill), are augmented and artificially mutated humans that are granted enhanced physical attributes, as well as skills in the magical and the arcane. However, Witchers are by no means the only magical beings, and instead are often second-fiddle to the mages of the "Witcher" world. Mages channel the raw and latent chaos in the environment into a myriad of effects. These can be mind control glamours, destructive blasts of fire, teleportation, or even transmogrification. With these kinds of powers, one might think that the mages have complete control of the world in "The Witcher," but there are some things the common folk can utilize that even the playing field as it were, and one such element is dimeritium.

Dimeritium is a rare mineral that is mostly mined in the Northern Kingdoms of Kovir and Poviss, which, at one point, become part of Redania, a nation that is working behind the scenes on "The Witcher," but with far grander ambitions than they let on. According to a book found in "The Witcher" video games, "Dimeritium is a rare and precious metal with an interesting feature — it represses the transfer of magical energy. A bluish alloy of iron and dimeritium is used to produce handcuffs and necklaces. Those who wear them cannot cast spells or use magic in any way. There are known cases, however, of extraordinarily powerful sorcerers managing to overcome the shield generated by dimeritium."

Though the mineral is not directly named in the television show, it could be assumed that Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) was bound with dimeritium chains following the events of Sodden. The Battle of Sodden sees Yennefer tap into the forbidden school of fire magic to devastating effects, but she is captured afterward by her enemies — the Nilfgaardians and former classmate Fringilla (Mimi M. Khayisa). The Nilfgaardians don't realize that Yennefer has depleted her magical reserves, and she attempts to get her captors to release her binds so she can help them. 

Dimeritium is often used in the production of magical shackles, and in the video game franchise, is looted from witch hunters. Considering the growing role mages will play in future episodes of "The Witcher," there is a good chance that dimeritium will become far more prevalent to the plot for its subversive impact on magic.