He only takes crap from Geralt because he needs him
Emhyr: You are insolent because you believe I can not touch you. And you are right... For the moment. But the day will come when your usefulness to me has run it's course.
Emhyr: You are insolent because you believe I can not touch you. And you are right... For the moment. But the day will come when your usefulness to me has run it's course.
@CostinRaz
Where are you getting the idea Emhyr is a man of his word? He breaks every agreement he makes in the books except one. With the exception of his agreement with Yennefer to never make Ciri cry, he is constantly betraying his allies, treaties, and minions.
While we could argue specifics, there's one example from your post that proves he's a liar and an oathbreaker.
He promised Geralt Ciri under the law of Surprise and then tried to sneak her out with Pavetta to Nilfgaard!
That is a SACRED oath that he is violating.
The Law of Surprise is what he tried to claim Pavetta under and he promised Ciri to Geralt.
It is why Geralt is Ciri's father not Emhyr.
Where are you getting the idea Emhyr is a man of his word? He breaks every agreement he makes in the books except one. With the exception of his agreement with Yennefer to never make Ciri cry, he is constantly betraying his allies, treaties, and minions.
While we could argue specifics, there's one example from your post that proves he's a liar and an oathbreaker.
He promised Geralt Ciri under the law of Surprise and then tried to sneak her out with Pavetta to Nilfgaard!
That is a SACRED oath that he is violating.
The Law of Surprise is what he tried to claim Pavetta under and he promised Ciri to Geralt.
It is why Geralt is Ciri's father not Emhyr.
Last edited:
He promised Geralt that he would give him the child if it was a boy, that's actually what Geralt asked for.
Ciri was not a boy. Besides Calathne had no intention of ever allowing Geralt to gain the child and in Cintra Calanthe ruled.
The problem with Ciri actually was to keep her happy, the wiki as always is a mess.
The Scoia'Tael are the sole exception, and even then he still kept his promise of making Dol Blathana. As for the treaties. You mean the treaty the North was getting ready to broke in order to invade and retake Cintra? Lovely stuff.
Last edited:
You know I would violate every fucking law and oath if it means to save my daughter from being mutilated in the Trail of the Grasses. Emhyr is Ciri's father, there is simply no way around it. But I consider Geralt being Ciri's foster parent/mentor/guardian not because he taught her witchering, but exactly because he realized that it was not a good life for her (with all these dress masquerades and inevitable changes), and sent her and Yen to Ellander. All the time he tried to save her from danger, and I would imagine he shouldn't be really thrilled if Ciri chooses to fight manticoras, wraiths, and all, for the rest of her life. I know I wouldn't.
“I still say I am in your debt, witcher. It is my life that Rainfarn's dagger endangered. I would have been beaten to death by the guards without you. If there's talk of a price, then I should be the one to pay. I assure you I can afford it. What do you ask, Geralt?”
“Duny,” said Geralt slowly, “a witcher who is asked such a question has to ask to have it repeated.”
“I repeat, therefore. Because, you see, I am in your debt for still another reason. When I found out who you were, there in the hall, I hated you and thought very badly of you. I took you for a blind, bloodthirsty tool, for someone who kills coldly and without question, who wipes his blade clean of blood and counts the cash. But I’ve become convinced that the witcher's profession is worthy of respect. You protect us not only from the evil lurking in the darkness, but also from that which lies within ourselves. It's a shame there are so few of you.”
Calanthe smiled. For the first time that night, Geralt was inclined to believe it was genuine.
“My son-in-law has spoken well. I have to add two words to what he said. Precisely two. Forgive, Geralt.”
“And I,” said Duny, “ask again. What do you ask for?”
“Duny,” said Geralt seriously, “Calanthe, Pavetta. And you, righteous knight Tuirseach, future king of Cintra. In order to become a witcher, you have to be born in the shadow of destiny, and very few are born like that. That's why there are so few of us. We're growing old, dying, without anyone to pass our knowledge, our gifts, on to. We lack successors. And this world is full of Evil which waits for the day none of us are left.”
“Geralt,” whispered Calanthe.
"Yes, you're not wrong, queen. Duny! You will give me that which you already have but do not know. I’ll return to Cintra in six years to see if destiny has been kind to me.”
No mention of a son or specifics. Duny said he could give Geralt what he wanted and Geralt asked him to repeat it. Calanthe's opinion is irrelevant under the Law of Surprise.
We know Emhyr is a scumbag because of his desire to save the world by incest against an unwilling kidnapped girl.
What we argue is whether he is a man of his word.
And he's not.
Letho's betrayal is perfectly in character.
Except, of course, he intended to marry his child from the very beginning.
On a basic level, I don't think Emhyr not being a man of his word changes anything. Lots of Northerner kings are liars.
I'm just surprised fans try to portray Emhyr as having any big sense of honor.
He's NEVER been honorable.
He's been EFFICIENT and RUTHLESS and POWERFUL and INTELLIGENT.
Why can't we respect him for that?
Last edited:
I always were under the impression that Emhyr is something like a psychopath or sociopath or borderline (don't nail me on the specifics). Why I got that impression is, that he feels like at most points he's totally driven by a cold hearted need to obtain and secure power or control. He does and says the most extreme and sometimes even antisocial or at least unempathetic things. And then again he get's so impulsive. Doing things that seem to come out of the way he is picturing his own nobility. Almost like he wants to hold this picture up, so it doesn't break, because that would be his end. But maybe I just read this into it.
Anyways, if you have that complex impression of a character and then you get that Tywin Lennister Emhyr. That feels strange... No, that is unfair. That was just the Voice making me say Tywin. Tywin is also a complex character, just not as much as Emhyr.
Anyways, if you have that complex impression of a character and then you get that Tywin Lennister Emhyr. That feels strange... No, that is unfair. That was just the Voice making me say Tywin. Tywin is also a complex character, just not as much as Emhyr.
Last edited:
Which, I think why the whole business with the White Frost is about. Why Geralt has to choose to step back and let Ciri do her own thing.
IDEALLY, I think Geralt would prefer Ciri to join Dudu's acting troupe.
Find some man or woman or both and live a life of peace.
But, as Magneto would say:
Not anymore.
Can someone explain to me why he wanted to impregnate his daughter? I know that the prophecy says that Ciri's child will rule half the world and then her grandchild will rule all of it, in addition to saving the world blahblahblah. So I understand that he would want to have that child near him and under his tutelage.
But why marry and impregnate her? Couldn't he have arranged for a marriage between her and some noble born, make her his heir, afterwhich her child, his own grand child, can be the prophecized kid and rule over Nilfgaard?
I don't understand his logic. Even in terms of efficiency and intelligence, that whole plan was not making much sense.
Calanthe was the one who almost ordered Mousesack to try and kill Geralt in order to prevent him from gaining Ciri, also it is mentioned elsewhere outside of that short story that he wanted a boy to train, since only boys can become witchers by going through the mutations.
So that the child would take direct control of throne after he died.
Last edited:
Yeah, this a big question, and it is completely on Sapkowski to explain. Why a hell would it matter if it is his son, and not his grandson?
May be this prophecy really makes people crazy, you know.
Whether the child is his own or his grandson, it doesn't matter, they would be of the same age.
It's not like the child would necessarily be able to take direct control if Emhyr is the father, in case he dies early. The chances of the child living long enough to immediately take over after Emhyr are the same if it's his son or grandson.
Because the World doesn't and can't know that he is her Father. For the World Dunny and not Emhyr was her Father. But obsessed with power as he his, he wanted to secure this legacy of the Worlds ruler for the Niflgaardian Empire. Thus forever making him the founder of the worlds ruling empire.
Well then the game contradicts all that, as now apparently Emhyr wants Ciri to take over, as his official daughter?
But even if he didn't want everyone to know that Ciri is his daughter, he can still adopt the grandson and make him his official heir. Or is adoption unfeasible in Nilfgaard?
I doubt the nilfgaardian nobles would go with the adopted son. But you're right. The game goes a bit against his book motives.
Why not? He planned to take them to Nilfgaard, when Pavetta figured this out. Unless I forgot something, he was not about to hide his family. In any case Ciri is his daughter, and any child of hers would be his grandson/granddaughter. Even if he wants in the best Tywin Lannister's fashion for his family name to live on, he could just adopt her, or her children, not just arrange their marriages.
Again, I doubt the nilfgaardian nobles would go with the adopted son.
Hm, maybe I have to read the books again, but from the way I understood it, he always wanted to make her his wife as the righteous heir of Cintra, not his daughter. And thereby securing him Cintra and laying the grounds for the empire that will rule all of the world. Maybe his plans were different when she was a child, but then fate (or something like it) took her away from him.
In many empires, including the Roman Empire, adoption was a perfectly legitimate and extremely common system of succession.
Is it mentioned explicitly that Nilfgaard doesn't accept adoption as legitimate (which is perfectly possible of course)?
The Roman Empire is the roman empire. Then again in all of the books it gets clear that a lot of the nobles are just waiting to get rid of Emhyr to found something like a democracy.
Maybe he is just crazy and hungry for power, he read in prophecy that Ciri child will rule half of the world and wanted to make that child as quickly as possible.