Who Is Meldof in The Witcher: Blood Origin? Meet Francesca Mills’s Character

Witcher: Blood Origin is soon to be released on Netflix. While not that much is known about the prequel series, we know that it will be set 1200 years prior to the events of the main Witcher series. Since the events covered by Blood Origin happened in the past, it’s no wonder that we’re going to be introduced to a completely new set of characters traveling through a different world than what we’re used to seeing in the Witcher series. We’ve covered some characters like Éile and Scían extensively in the past, and now it’s time to focus on one dwarven character with a unique backstory. Let’s take a look at the character of Meldof, played by Francesca Mills, and what her role is in Witcher: Blood Origin.

Meldof also known as Meldof the Mad, is a dwarven assassin wielding a unique warhammer she named Gwen. Meldof is a part of the seven outcasts, and this alone indicates that she will have some sort of elaborate and partly tragic backstory that will lead her to join Fjall, Éile, and Scían, but so far, the character is a mystery. Meldof is played by Francesca Mills, best known for her roles in the television series Harlots and as Earthy Mangold in Worzel Gummidge.

Now that we’ve given you a brief insight into the character of Meldof it’s time to analyze it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested, stay with us and keep reading!

Who Is Meldof in the Witcher: Blood Origin

We’re aware by now that the Witcher: Blood Origin will be taking place 1200 years before the arrival of humans and will lead to the event called “Conjunction of Spheres.” We’re also aware that the world prior to the arrival of humans looked drastically different than we’re used to seeing in the Witcher series. 

The world before humans was populated by the so-called “elder races,” elves, gnomes, and dwarves. The focus of the series will primarily be on the elven society as it was during its golden age. Elven society was divided into clans and ruling castes of royal elves. There were many city-states in the elven society that fought for supremacy. In fact, we’re going to have the pleasure of seeing the royal family of Xin’trea, one of the biggest eleven cities during that time, through the character of Princess Merwyn. 

The biggest focus will hence be on the elves and their story, but we’ve already mentioned that they weren’t the only race on the Continent at that time. The Continent was inhabited by two other races that arrived earlier than humans, even earlier than elves, and those are gnomes and dwarves. Gnomes are by far the older race on the Continent. As far as we know, they were the first to inhabit the plane. Three to four thousand years after the gnomes, the dwarves followed and settled territories.

Their relationship with the neighboring gnomes was amicable, as dwarves had no wish to expand their territories. And then came the elves, although they, too, like humans that will follow after them, will take over territories they eventually settled into a relatively peaceful co-existence with other elder races. 

This, of course, leads us Meldof. Meldof is a dwarf female assassin that is set to join the “seven outcasts” in the series. It is unclear what her origin story is, but we can see from the promo images and the trailer that she wields a mighty warhammer. This plays into dwarven stereotypes, as they are always presented as proficient with two-handed weapons. 

Where elves are proficient in special forms of magic, as can be seen with the characters Zacaré and Syndril, dwarves are talented stone smiths and are primarily oriented toward mining, crafting, and designing technological marvels. It is possible that Meldof story will include some elements of her dwarven culture, that she prefers a two-handed weapon is evident from the promo images as she is rarely separated from Gwen – her warhammer. 

It is not clear exactly why and how she will join the seven outcasts and what her purpose and role in the group will be. The only certain thing so far is that she is a formidable dwarven woman with a penchant for chaos and unpredictability. She will be a supporting character throughout the series. 

Who is Francesca Mills the character behind Meldof? 

Francesca Mills is a 26-year-old British actress. Francesca Mills was born with Achondroplasia, a typical form of dwarfism that restricted her growth. She didn’t, however, allow that to affect her future career prospects. In 2014 she joined Warwick Davis’s Reduced Height Theatre Company. This is an organization that selects the best talent among the people with restricted growth.

Francesca Mills was perfect for the role in See How They Run at the Richmond Theatre. This was her first major break in the industry, and her theater career extended from 2014 to 2022, during which she was nominated for several awards. Her most notable tv series roles are in Harlots, Worzel Gummidge, and Pistol (miniseries). Her biggest role so far is in the Witcher: Blood Origin, as she fits the role of Meldof perfectly. 

Summary 

Meldof is a dwarven assassin who, during the course of the series, joins the seven outcasts. She is always keeping her warhammer Gwen by her side, which is a somewhat odd choice of a weapon for an assassin. However, the weapon might be a perfect fit as Meldof’s character has been described as “chaotic” and “wild card.” It is unclear what her motivations are, only that she is a supporting character in the overall story. For a greater insight into Francesca Mills’s character, we’re going to have to wait for December 25th when the Witcher: Blood Origin starts streaming on Netflix.