Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, known by most fans and in-game characters as Ciri, is a prominent character in The Witcher series. She claims a pivotal role in the game’s story and missions, both as Geralt’s adopted daughter and a prophesied being of power and legend.
Her spitfire personality combined with her potential destinies swiftly invests players in her well-being and ultimate fate.
However, many aspects of characters in the Witcher (the games, novel, and television series) can be difficult to uncover. In Ciri’s case, it can be difficult to know exactly how old she is during the events of The Witcher 3.
As a fantasy world, the Witcher series is filled with characters that do not age the same as humans in the real world. Magic users, elves, dwarves, and Witchers are all beings that do not succumb to the passage of time as easily. With the lines between mortality blurred by so many of the main characters, it can be difficult to uncover just how old Ciri is during The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s campaign.
The answer is more complicated than one might believe, as players will technically encounter Ciri at two different ages.
When players first encounter Ciri in The Witcher 3, she is present in Geralt’s flashback to Kaer Morhen. During this sequence (which introduces players to the basics of combat), Ciri is ten years old. Together with Lambert, Eskel, Vesemir, and Geralt, Cirilla undergoes training to become a fully-fledged Witcher. Her childish nature is apparent in her consistent attempts to escape the boring parts of her education, most notably Vesemir’s lectures on history. This sequence reveals Geralt’s softness toward the young girl, who takes pleasure in the physically active parts of her training like sparring and the obstacle course. Despite the immaturity of Ciri, her childish innocence can be a breath of fresh air in a world wracked by war and death.
Witcher 3’S Ciri Grows Into A Powerful & Mature Warrior
The Witcher 3 Geralt Ciri WitcherCon 2021
Of course, Ciri is not a child for all of Witcher 3 and reunites with Geralt when she is fully grown. Perceptive players that keep up with the in-game journal will be able to discover her age relatively quickly, as it reveals significant portions of personal information about Ciri and other characters. According to the journal entry supplied for her in-game, Ciri was born in 1251, and the events of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt take place in 1272. This means that Ciri is 21 during the course of most of the game.
Compared to 21-year-olds that might be encountered in the real world, Ciri’s demeanor, bravery, and strength are quite far removed from how most would expect a woman of her age to behave. The level of maturity that Ciri displays is suited to a woman of a greater age with more experience in a dangerous world. The challenges presented to her in childhood, as well as her strict tutelage by Geralt, Yennefer, Lambert, Vesemir, and Eskel at Kaer Morhen, have honed her into a warrior wise beyond her years. It is her strength and determination against any threat she faces which makes Ciri such a fascinating and intriguing character. Players are able to witness her continued growth throughout The Witcher 3 and be able to contribute to it through Geralt’s choices.
Ciri and Geralt are characters whose stories are at the heart of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and present a riveting tale of monsters and monster hunters combined with all the best found-family tropes. The growth and character progression of both (potential) Witchers invests players in the game’s stakes quite early on and develops a strong connection to their motivations and happiness. Next-gen fans of The Witcher franchise can expect a re-release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S at some point during the remainder of 2021.