The timelines of Netflixs The Witcher explained (Picture: Netflix)

The Witcher promised to be Netflixs big-budget answer to Game of Thrones when it launched at the end of last year.

But unlike Thrones, the series follows a semi-non-linear pattern as it tracks the stories of its three main characters; Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) and Princess Ciri (Freya Allan).

What isnt made clear to viewers is that, essentially, all three of these storylines all take place in a different period of time until they all more or less merge at the end of the first season.

If youre like us, you probably didnt even realise this was happening until mid-way through the eight episodes, where characters who you saw die in one timeline reappear alive and well in another.

If youre still confused about all this, dont worry. Weve got you covered.

Its easier to map the timelines featured in the show out in order of chronology to make it easier to understand.

So, in the timeline of the show from past to future they go:

Introduced in the second episode of the series, Yennefer transforms (quite literally) from a hunchbacked outcast into a beautiful and powerful sorceress of the highest degree.

Its during Yennefers trials and tribulations when shes educated by Tissaia de Vries (MyAnna Buring) that we realise were actually following Yennefers adventures in the past, as Stegobor (Lars Mikkelsen) is not yet exiled and King Foltest (Shaun Dooley) is just a child.

Since Yennefer is a witch, however, shes blessed with immortality, which means that her story can jump decades at a time. Which brings us nicely to

Geralts day-to-day job of hunting down monsters form the core timeline of the series, one that we can call its present.

As we said earlier, though, Geralt and Yennefers timelines soon meet up, since Yennefer is practically ageless.

In the present, the titular monster hunter has many run-ins with the fearsome Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May), the grandmother of Princess Ciri, who we see meet her untimely doom in the first episodes opening scenes.

Much like Yennefer, Geralt is practically ageless too, so his present spans a good few decades, when he finally catches up to

Ciri is the MacGuffin of The Witcher everyone wants her, or wants to know where she is, without really knowing why.

For Geralt, helping cure Ciris father of her curse allowed him to claim protection over the as-yet-unborn princess thanks to the Law of Surprise.

Ciri is also the first character we meet in the show, which can help explain why the timelines are so confusing from the off. Ciris opening episode sees her kingdom and family wiped out as she goes on the run, pursued by spies of the Nilfgaard empire.

As the series goes on, Yennefer and Geralt meet and fall in love and towards the end of the run, Geralt is finally tasked with helping to save the magical royal from evil forces.

The endgame of The Witchers first season finally made its present catch up with its future which means no more timelines! (For now at least.)

In the closing moments of the finale, Geralt finally meets Ciri, fulfilling his promise to her grandmother to protect her.

The only problem is, however, that Yennefer is nowhere to be found, disappearing after conjuring a massive amount of magic in order to protect Ciri.

Luckily, a second run was confirmed before the first had even aired so theres definitely more to come.

The Witcher season 1 is available to stream now on Netflix.

If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you.

MORE: The Witcher stars bloodcurdling screams are actually her own and were shook

MORE: The Witchers Anya Chalotra reveals hardest part of Yennefers heartbreaking dead baby scene

Link:
The Witcher timelines explained from season 2 to Yennefer - Metro.co.uk