What Do the Symbols in the Opening Credits of The Witcher Mean?

The Witcher has quickly become one of the most popular shows you can stream today, as it has a good blend of fantasy, action, and lore. Of course, the amazing adaptation of a video game and book series into a live-action series is the cream of the crop in The Witcher. But one of the things that anyone who watches the series will notice is that there are some symbols in the opening credits of The Witcher.

Those who have watched any kind of series in the past know for a fact that showrunners don’t just put random symbols and images in the opening credits of their shows. The same holds true in The Witcher, as it is quite obvious that those symbols are not there randomly and were not put there without a good reason. That is why we are here to talk to you about the symbols in the opening credits of The Witcher.

What do the symbols in the opening credits of The Witcher mean?

When you watch The Witcher, one of the things you will quickly notice is that every episode has its own specific title and symbol. Of course, it isn’t rare for different shows to have episodes with unique titles, but what sets The Witcher apart is that every episode also has a unique symbol that you may or may not be familiar with? So, what do these symbols in the opening credits of The Witcher mean?

The Witcher Season 1 Symbols

Episode 1: The End’s Beginning

Episode 1 of the first season is entitled The End’s Beginning. The symbol of the episode shows a solar eclipse, which can quickly be understood halfway through the episode, as it is actually a reference to Renfri, who was born during a solar eclipse or the Black Sun. 

Renfri was basically a princess who was prophesied to be born during the Black Sun, and she crosses paths with Geralt in this episode. Due to the very nature of Renfri’s identity, Gerald had no choice but to kill her, but not before she reminded him of his destiny and how his life is ultimately tied with Ciri.

Episode 2: Four Marks

Episode 2, which is entitled Four Marks, is largely focused on Yennefer’s backstory, which showed us back to when she was still a humpback and was discarded by her own family to be sold to Aretuza. The symbol at the opening credits of this episode symbolize Yennefer and the other novitiates, who were taken to Aretuza by Tissaia to study magic under her. 

We get to see Yen’s life before she became a full-fledged mage. Of course, we also get to see the life she led before her transformation and what led her to actually transform. In that sense, this episode is more of a getting-to-know-you phase, and that is evident in the use of the four marks as a symbol.

Episode 3: Betrayer Moon

The Betrayer Moon is the title of the third episode of season 1 of The Witcher. This episode’s symbol is actually a clawed footprint that incorporates the Temerian lily, which you would know is actually a reference to the monstrous striga featured in this episode. 

Episode 3 features Geralt as he goes to Temeria, where King Foltest asks him to get rid of a monstrous striga, which is later revealed to be the king’s daughter by incest. Learning that the striga was the result of a curse, Geralt fights it in the hopes of breaking the curse and returning it back to its original human form.

Episode 4: Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials

Episode 4 of The Witcher is entitled Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials and is one of the most important episodes of the entire season. The reason why this is such an important episode is that it reveals to us who Ciri’s parents are and what led to her being promised to Geralt as a child of destiny. 

The logo of this episode is a broken sword surrounded by a tree, which is said to symbolize Queen Calanthe’s family tree. Of course, as revealed by this episode, you will understand how dysfunctional Calanthe’s family can be, even though she means well for her daughter.

Episode 5: Bottled Appetites

Episode 5 of season 1 of The Witcher is entitled Bottled Appetites, which references the appetites of both Geralt and Yennefer. We are not talking about appetite in the sense of their hunger but in the sense of what they yearn for in life. Somewhere along the way, we get to learn about Yen’s wish of becoming a mother, while we also learn of Geralt’s own wishes and appetites as well.

This is where the two central characters first meet and eventually hook up with one another shortly after Geralt and Jaskier encounter a djinn that nearly killed the bard. The symbol of this episode is a male figure entwined, and that could reference how Geralt and Yennefer were entwined in this episode.

Episode 6: Rare Species

Rare Species is the title of episode 6 of the first season of The Witcher, and this is where we see Geralt and Jaskier in one of their adventures once again. This time, the duo joins a dragon hunt after finding out that Yen herself is also one of the parties hunting for the dragon. We also see Geralt and Yennefer’s relationship progressing at one point in this episode. 

The symbol of the episode is actually a dragon, and the reason why that symbol was chosen is already obvious (the episode was about a hunt for a dragon).

Episode 7: Before A Fall

Episode 7 of season 1 of The Witcher is entitled Before a Fall, which shows us a shattered lion. The reason why this logo was chosen is that this was the episode where everything began to fall for the kingdom of Cintra. If you must know, Cintra’s coat of arms consists of three golden lions, and that Queen Calanthe is also called the Lioness of Cintra. 

This is where we see the Nilfgaardian empire invading Cintra and sacking it. We also see in this episode that Geralt was willing to claim Ciri as his child of destiny, only to fall for a trap set up by Calanthe, who was not willing to give up her own granddaughter. 

Episode 8: Much More

The final episode of The Witcher season 1 is a combination of three symbols: Gwynbleidd (The White Wolf), Zireael (Swallow), and the obsidian star. All of those symbols represent the three central characters of the story, namely Geralt, Ciri, and Yen. 

The reason why this symbol was chosen is that the final episode of the first season was when all three of those main characters saw their paths converging. And that is why the merging of the three symbols represents the merging of the characters’ three stories into one central story.

The Witcher Season 2 Symbols

Episode 1: A Grain of Truth

A Grain of Truth is actually taken from the title of The Witcher short story written by Andrzej Sapkowski. But, even though the story did not make it to season 1, some parts of it were adapted into the first episode of season 2, as we see here Geralt hunting a vampire right to the doorstep of a manor of a man in what seems to be an episode inspired by Beauty and the Beast. The logo featured in this episode is a winged creature with claws, and that is clearly the lower vampire that plays an important role in this episode.

Episode 2: Kaer Morhen

Everyone who has played The Witcher will be familiar with Kaer Morhen, which is the ancient Witcher fortress that has played a huge role in the games and in the books. That is why Episode 2 of the second season is entitled Kaer Morhen, as we finally get to see the true home of the Witchers and almost all of the remaining Witchers left.

Episode 2 of season 2 is where we finally get to see some of the other remaining Witchers, which include the prominent Vesemir (the star of the animated prequel Nightmare of the Wolf), Lambert, and Coen. Ciri is also first introduced to this famous and legendary brotherhood of monster hunters. The logo of this episode shows the medallion of a Witcher, but with a skeletal wolf ingrained and with vines and roots sprouting from its head. This probably references the vine monster that the Witchers will face in this episode.

Episode 3: What is Lost

What is Lost is the title of the third episode of season 2 of The Witcher, and it could refer to a lot of different things, such as the past life that the Witchers led before they lost the ability to conduct the Trial of the Grasses, which is used to create new Witchers (and that is why there are so few Witchers remaining in the world). It could also reference Yennefer’s losses ever since becoming a mage. But it could also be about Ciri losing her family and home in her own story as well.

Whatever the case may be, we do know that the logo of this episode features a swallow with broken wings. This could be a reference to how the episode focuses a lot on Ciri, as the swallow is her symbol.

Episode 4: Redanian Intelligence

In the books, the Redanian Intelligence secret service is one of the most secretive and effective intelligence agencies in the entire world of The Witcher. Of course, because episode 4 of season 2 is named after that group, it could only mean that the episode will focus a lot on the Redanian Intelligence.

This episode, of course, introduces the head of that secretive group of people, Spymaster Sigismund Dijkstra, who acts as a huge presence but behind the shadow of Redania’s king. The title suggests that we are in for an episode that talks about Redanian politics. And the symbol in the opening credit is a cloak and a dagger, which immediately symbolizes the spies that are involved in this episode.

Episode 5: Turn Your Back

Episode 5 of season 2 is entitled Turn Your Back, which can be a reference to a lot of different things as well, as it could mean betrayal (backstabbing) or something similar to that. But it could also mean something similar such as turning your back on a former chapter of your life. The betrayal part could reference how Triss will betray Yen, but it could also be a reference to how Ciri is now turning her back from her former life and is ready to embrace her new life with Geralt.

Meanwhile, the symbol in the opening scene of Turn Your Back shows a sharp-edged object with a weighing scale attached to it. We all know that the scale is the symbol for justice, but it becomes difficult to reference justice to the sharp-edge object that we also see in the symbol.

Episode 6: Dear Friend

Episode 6 of The Witcher’s second season is entitled Dear Friend, which is also the letter that Geralt wrote to Yennefer, who had not seen each other for years. This letter became quite famous because of Geralt’s choice of words, which did not sit kindly with Yennefer, who was quick to reprimand Geralt in the best way she could.

Dear Friend’s logo is actually a hand that blends into flames. It could be a symbol that represents someone conjuring fire, such as when Yen uses her magic devastatingly to conjure flames. Maybe she will once again do the same in season 2.

Episode 7: Voleth Meir

Episode 7 of season 2 of The Witcher is entitled Voleth Meir, who is actually a new character that was introduced in this season. The name Voleth Meir is actually an elven word that means Deathless Mother, and that says much about this character, as we know that she is going to play a crucial role in Ciri’s story. 

The symbol in the opening scene of Episode 7 of season 2 is a skull. The skull could be a reference to Voleth Meir herself, and that is most likely the case because of how the episode is actually named after her.

Episode 8: Family

Family is the finale of the second season of The Witcher, and you will see how the family is represented in this episode using a tree as the symbol for it in the opening credits. We shouldn’t be saying a lot about what happens in this episode because we don’t want to end up spoiling a great season finale. But what we are going to say is that family is well-represented in this episode.