Geralt's age in light of A Voice of Reason

[Enthusiasm]

Geralt's age in light of A Voice of Reason

In the games Geralt is described as near a century old by the people closest to him.

In A Voice of Reason, taking place at Most 20 years before the games, Nenneke remarks that she knew him when he was only tall enough to reach her waist. She's described as agile enough to move quickly to the side of Iola without hindrance, besides that I can recall no mention of her age.

What gives?

 

[Kallelinski]

Sapkowski isn't really good at numbers apparently.

You could argue that Nenneke, being an expert on curative treatment, is prolonging her life with that knowledge, so she could be older than Geralt with his 100 years.

In the books it is assumed that druids and priests are using the elemental sources just like sorcerers, but they use them differently, for other goals or for the common good or to understand/help nature. So basically Nenneke could be slowing down her own aging process in the same way sorcerers do.

 

[Enthusiasm]

'tis true, I didn't think of Nenneke being beyond human years. She's a head priestess after all.

But Sapkowski is the main reason, I see. Seems to be common with fantasy writers. Thanks friend.

 

[jj284b]

what is more interesting is the fact Vesemir decided to become trainer instead of going on path same time as Geralt was given to him by Vesenna (Geralts mother) So, if Geralt is 100 years old, Vesemir was probably at least 200 years old...

 

[Afromane]

Think I remember somewhere about
Vesemir being older than kaer morhen which is itself about 300 years old.

 

[Darkcloud.282]

Yeah it has at least been mentioned that Vesemir is really old.

 

[SMiki55]

Sapkowski himself never written that Geralt is about hundred years, in one of interviews he even said that Geralt is "a little more than fifties". But how to interpret that "a little more"... well, it's an open question.

 

[ummagoomba]

n the games Geralt is described as near a century old by the people closest to him.

In A Voice of Reason, taking place at Most 20 years before the games, Nenneke remarks that she knew him when he was only tall enough to reach her waist.

Sapkowski isn't really good at numbers apparently.

The game is not Canon (as expressed by Sapkowski himself), so if anything is to be wrong regarding age, then it would be the game information that is wrong. Unless there is also information in the books that contradict this.

http://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-novelist-doesnt-feel-like-a-co-author-of-the-games-says-theyre-not-an-alternative-version-nor-a-sequel/

 

[krakuus]

He must be ~100 ! If he was like 50 and Yen is actually confirmed to be 100 that would be feakin odd ;D

 

[hellcaretaker]

'tis true, I didn't think of Nenneke being beyond human years. She's a head priestess after all.

But Sapkowski is the main reason, I see. Seems to be common with fantasy writers. Thanks friend.

Nenneke may very well be slow aging, just like mages.
She has a tremeandous knowledge about herbs and alchemy, and priestesses can use the Power, just as mages can (albeit in a different way).

But Geralt's age was never clearly stated - he is however quite a bit older than Lambert, and Lambert must have been created before the attack on Kear Morhen occured (after the attack no new Witcher have been made) - and I always thought that Kear Morhen was destroyed at least half a centyry ago, maybe even more than that.

 

[GuyNwah]

Yennefer's age is known, and Geralt is younger than Yennefer, enough to warrant mention; that puts an upper bound on his age.

I favor the higher range of estimates for his age; as hellcaretaker says, he can't have been at Kaer Morhen at the time of the pogrom.

All told, I make him to be in his eighties or maybe ninety at the time of the games, but Sapkowski's comment to the effect that he is much younger should be taken as a caution not to put too much importance on it.

Regardless, Vesemir is older than rocks.

 

[SMiki55]

(after the attack no new Witcher have been made) - and I always thought that Kear Morhen was destroyed at least half a centyry ago, maybe even more than that.

Kaer Morhen was destroyed half century before birth of Triss Merigold. The last witchers in Kaer Morhen were trained, though, about 25 years before events described in "Blood of Elves" according to this novel. So the pogrom has nothing in common with end of trainings.

 

[hellcaretaker]

Kaer Morhen was destroyed half century before birth of Triss Merigold. The last witchers in Kaer Morhen were trained, though, about 25 years before events described in "Blood of Elves" according to this novel. So the pogrom has nothing in common with end of trainings.

How though? All witchers that knew the secrets of mutations have died in the attack.

 

[SMiki55]

How though? All witchers that knew the secrets of mutations have died in the attack.

I don't know, we should ask Andrzej Sapkowski or the Red Ones

 

[TearsOfWar1]

When I've asked about Geralt's age on Youtube I got multiple responses saying he is 93. Can't confirm, though.

 

[ztoka]

In the game, Geralt gives Vesimir some crap about his age. Ves responds to Geralt something on the lines of you are nearly a century yourself....
So It would make sense Geralt is in his 90's. At least at the time of Witcher 3 Wild Hunt.

 

[SMiki55]

When I've asked about Geralt's age on Youtube I got multiple responses saying he is 93. Can't confirm, though.

Probably because authors of Gra Wyobraźni in their timeline decided to define Geralt age one year younger than Yennefer (who is 94 in "The Swallow's Tower"), but Sapkowski's novels do not contain this information.

 

[LazarKG92]

Main reason why Geralt in the books cannot be 100 years old is because Nenneke remembers him when he was a child and Nenneke is described in terms signifying an average old woman. It's one of rare things CDPR botched probably to make Geralt's age closer to Yen's even though her being significantly older than him added a nice dynamic to their relationship. If Sapkowski wanted to make her unnaturaly old he would have added a hint.

Remember Triss says in the Blood of elves while approaching Kaer Morhen that last witchers were trained mere 25 years before so there is absolutely no need for Geralt and co to have been trained before the massacre in distant past, new witchers were created even after the massacre until their last mage died. Geralt being 100 yo is purely CDPR (perhaps based on estimations from Wiedzmin gra wyobrazni which is completely non canon). I think book and game lore should unfortunately be separated (personnaly I don't separate them but if there is contradiction from games and books on certain matters, for me book version takes precedence). My own headcanon year of Geralt's birth is 1212.