Tom Phillips
Guest
Andrezj Sapkowski, the creator of The Witcher, has said he regrets including a throwaway reference to "Witcher schools" in one of his books, which CD Projekt's The Witcher video games have since massively expanded on.
Writing in a Q&A on reddit, Sapkowski said his single mention of a "School of the Wolf" in The Last Wish, a short story collection, had been an "unworthy" inclusion that he was now considering deleting from the book's future print runs.
But for many fans of The Witcher, who know the franchise from its existing trilogy of video games, Witcher schools are now an important part of the franchise — and something that CD Projekt has developed into a key part of its lore.
CD Projekt has established that there are at least seven guild-like Schools: the Wolf (to which hero Geralt belongs), the Cat, Griffin, Bear, Viper, Manticore and Crane. Those within each school wear a medallion showing them as such — and indeed, the studio's first teaser for The Witcher 4 sparked huge speculation among fans with its focus on a new school medallion, which CD Projekt later confirmed was for a previously-unknown School of the Lynx.
But while video game fans have enjoyed the series sorting Witchers into Hogwarts-like houses, it's safe to say that Sapkowski isn't on board.
“A single sentence about some 'School of the Wolf' mysteriously made its way into The Last Wish," Sapkowski wrote. "I later deemed it unworthy of development and narratively incorrect, even detrimental to the plot. Therefore, later I never included or referenced any Witcher Gryffindors or Slytherins again. Never.
"However, that one sentence was enough. Adaptors, particularly video game people, have clung to the idea with remarkable tenacity and have wonderfully multiplied these 'witcher schools'. Completely unnecessary."
Sapkowski continued to say he was tempted to simply delete the reference to the School of the Wolf, removing it from his own book canon, even if the lore invented by CD Projekt would still remain. Alternatively, the author suggested he could expand on the matter in a future work — something fans have suggested he might do to deliberately rein in the concept closer to his own personal vision.
"I'm still uncertain about what to do with this situation," Sapkowski concluded. "Perhaps, taking the path of least resistance, I’ll erase the sentence about the ‘school’ from future editions of The Last Wish.
"Or maybe I’ll want to expand and clarify the matter somehow in subsequent books? Perhaps I’ll shed some light on the issue of Witcher medallions, their significance, and their connection to specific individuals? There are many possibilities, and the sky is the limit."
Sapkowski's comments come alongside the arrival of his latest Witcher novel, Crossroads of Ravens, in English nearly a year after its debut in Poland. Crossroads of Ravens is a new standalone prequel novel in The Witcher saga that takes place decades before both the games and the main novel saga. It follows a teenage Geralt of Rivia fresh from Kaer Morhen, and his early steps as a Witcher.
The Witcher Season 4, meanwhile, premieres on Netflix on October 30. Liam Hemsworth recently spoke about the recasting of Henry Cavill as Geralt, admitting reaction online forced him off social media and the internet.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social