Old Sage's "prophecy"

[PolyaSchoenfeld]

Old Sage's "prophecy"

I see a white wolf, he enters an endless cavern. He sings a hymn of madness and despair, summoning that which is not dead, for it cannot die.

Here's the dialogue
https://youtu.be/8v7WlxEue-w?t=80


What does this refer to ? I remembered Geralt entered some cave to meet Avallach, but the cavern is not endless and there was no singing or summoning..
There's also the cave before the final fight of TW1, but I don't recall any summoning either..

so Geralt lived through this, what is this event ?

 

[Draconifors]

What does this refer to ? I remembered Geralt entered some cave to meet Avallach, but the cavern is not endless and there was no singing or summoning..
There's also the cave before the final fight of TW1, but I don't recall any summoning either..

so Geralt lived through this, what is this event ?

The "Cave of Dreams" quest. At least that's what I thought it referred to.

 

[PolyaSchoenfeld]

The "Cave of Dreams" quest. At least that's what I thought it referred to.

No way I havent left Velen yet, how can Geralt live through that ? it seems the old Sage is referring to an event in the previous games or in the novels.

 

[aozgolo]

No way I havent left Velen yet, how can Geralt live through that ? it seems the old Sage is referring to an event in the previous games or in the novels.

I took it to mean the Cave of Dreams as well, the Sage is giving a premonition of things to come, not events that have already passed.

 

[PolyaSchoenfeld]

I took it to mean the Cave of Dreams as well, the Sage is giving a premonition of things to come, not events that have already passed.

...But Geralt specifically said he lived through that event, and was skeptical that this old dude just heard of it in Dandelion's ballad. And then the old sage told him he needs dragon root to enhance his ability (lol)
Here is the dialogue, I should've included in my first post
[video]https://youtu.be/8v7WlxEue-w?t=80[/video]

Good to know that this isn't as clear as it seems and I didn't miss something obvious in the story

 

[Trireme]

The first thing that comes to mind is Geralt's time spent as a rider of the Wild Hunt, as described in the flashbacks of Witcher 2. The endless cavern might be the portals between worlds used by Hunt navigators. Madness and despair would seem obvious for his situation there, since Geralt has just traded his soul to the Hunt.

A possible episode from the books that springs to mind is when Geralt visits the monument at Sodden Hill (in "Sword of Destiny"). He sees Triss's name on the list of those killed, and fears Yennefer may be dead as well. At that point he has a vision of a woman who incarnates Death, and asks her if she has come to take him away. That would seem to cover the madness, despair, and summoning that which cannot die.

---------- Updated at 04:37 PM ----------

I remembered a prophetic trance from Baptism of Fire that has some similar language:

Geralt, who could recognize a hypnotic trance, said nothing and did not move.
"He who has spilt blood," the girl said, her head still lowered, "shall pay in blood. Within three days one shall die in the other, and something shall die in each. They shall die inch by inch, piece by piece... And when finally the iron-shod clogs wear out and the tears dry, then the last shreds will pass. Even that which never dies shall die."
"Speak on," Regis said softly and gently. "What can you see?"
"Fog. A tower in the fog. It is the Tower of Swallows... on a lake bound by ice."
"What else do you see?"
"Fog."
"What do you feel?"
"Pain..."

 

[lucasra]

I was very curious about that as well.

 

[theslowarrow]

the first thing pops out in my head is Death Symbolized quest in TW2. but geralt didn't sing a hymn in that quest, and the dwarven catatomb is hardly endless.
I don't think there's anything matches that description in novels/comic books either as I've read'em all but nothing rings a bell.(but I could be wrong as I read those books years ago)
I haven't played TW1, perhaps it's a reference to some quest in it?

 

[Draconifors]

Considering the alternate "prophecy" the soothsayer can tell is from TW2, one would think this one is from one of the earlier games as well.

How about the epilogue of TW1; the ice plains? Definitely summoning there, although I'm pretty sure not by Geralt. And it's not exactly a cavern either. But since the alternate "prophecy" uses symbolism maybe this one does as well.

:hmm:

 

[Rawls]

Moved to the spoilers sub-forum.

 

[sv3672]

How about

Spoiler

the epilogue of TW1; the ice plains?

Definitely summoning there, although I'm pretty sure not by Geralt. And it's not exactly a cavern either. But since the alternate "prophecy" uses symbolism maybe this one does as well.

It may make sense if the "he" in the second sentence ("He sings a hymn of madness and despair, summoning that which is not dead, for it cannot die.") actually referred to Jacques de Aldersberg, but it could also be a reference to something else. It is not easy to find out, there are a few possible quests in the first two games that match the "prophecy" to some extent, but only partly. The other one about Foltest's assassination is quite obvious, perhaps this one would be as well after knowing the solution.

 

[gwendeith]

Don't know about the endless cavern, but I'm pretty sure the second sentence is about Dagon from TW1. Take a look at the journal entry here:
http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Dagon
"Hymns of Madness and Despair" is mentioned. And there's the Lovecraft quote about being "not dead".

 

[Gwydden]

Don't know about the endless cavern, but I'm pretty sure the second sentence is about Dagon from TW1. Take a look at the journal entry here:
http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Dagon
"Hymns of Madness and Despair" is mentioned. And there's the Lovecraft quote about being "not dead".

Sounds plausible, but what about the cavern? The only significant one I remember before that is the one with the kikimore queen at the end of Chapter III.

 

[gwendeith]

All right, I found the Polish version. Somehow, "eternal depths" became "an endless cavern".

I see a white wolf, he enters an endless cavern. He sings a hymn of madness and despair, summoning that which is not dead, for it cannot die.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hCm3VnE67I&t=28m45s

Widzę białego wilka, który wchodzi w wieczyste głębiny. Śpiewa hymn szaleństwa i rozpaczy, wzywa tego, który nie jest umarłym, gdyż umrzeć nie może.

 

[Lytha]

So there is a translation issue, and in truth it should be:

I see a white wolf, he enters an eternal depth. He sings a hymn of madness and despair, summoning that which is not dead, for it cannot die.

?


Now the question would be if that is physical depth or an emotional low point - extreme depression, fitting the "madness and despair" theme.

That would quite sound like Geralt in the books, though we often only see him from others' points of view when he's depressed.

In the games, this could fit what probably his emotional state was in the flashback cutscenes of TW2, the path that led to him to trade his soul to the white hunt in exchange for Yen's freedom - coincidentally, maybe "that which is not dead, for it cannot die" would've fit the Wild Hunt of the previous two games somewhat. Not at all the wild hunt travesty of TW3 though.

 

[gwendeith]

I don't know how I missed this before, but the second sentence seems to be less ambiguous in Polish as well.

(...) wzywa tego, który nie jest umarłym, gdyż umrzeć nie może.

became

(...) summoning that which is not dead, for it cannot die.

whereas it should have been

(...) summoning him (i.e. Dagon), who is not dead, for he cannot die.

So, to sum up:

I see a white wolf, he enters the eternal depths. He sings a hymn of madness and despair, summoning him, who is not dead, for he cannot die.

I believe the Sage was supposed to have seen an actual white wolf entering the depths of a lake, which would be a metaphor for Geralt waking and facing Dagon.

 

[Lytha]

Thank you!

Yep, that is clearly Dagon in TW1.