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Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for The Witcher season 3 and references to suicide
Between Vilgefortz’s powerful staff during his battle with Geralt and Tissaia’s exertion in order to save Aretuza during the coup,Netflix’s The Witcherhas successfully conveyed the might behind the magic alongside its consequences.
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Season 3 took Ciri on a new path that promises to be a dark turn, and she even tapped into the taboo fire magic as her new weapon, even though it’s severely frowned upon. Here’s why fire magic is forbidden in The Witcher.
The Witcher Season 3 Recap
During the Thanedd coup, several displays of powerful magic are in tow during the battle between Nilfgaard and Redania, including a scene-stealing display of fire magic from Stregobor (Lars Mikkelsen). The political man and member of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers unleashed his fire magic during season 3’s conclusion in order to let his fellow mages escape the Scoia’tael warriors. Despite Stregobor being a small character in the source material—appearing only in book one, titled Blood of Elves—the Netflix adaptation decided to expand the character’s relevance, and this is considered to be one of the better changes made in the adaptation.
In addition to Stregobor’s display of fire magic, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring) also unleashed a powerful lightning spell through Alzur’s Thunder in order to bring an end to the battle with the hopes of saving what was left of Aretuza. Both Tissaia and Stregobor utilized their overpowered attacks for the greater good of their people, but there’s a reason why these spells are not used often, which we will explain.
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Season 3’s conclusion also saw Ciri (Freya Allan) dabbling with fire magic, which teases a troubling path for her going forward into season 4. After arriving in the Korath desert via the portal at Tor Lara, Ciri is met with visions ofher mother, Pavetta(Gaia Mondadori), andher grandmother Calanthe(Jodhi May), which are all being orchestrated by Falka (Hiftu Quasem), Ciri’s deceased descendent. Falka convinces Ciri to use fire magic on the unicorn in order to heal it, but the princess rejects Falka’s goading to use her power to seek revenge on the Continent. After being tempted, Ciri relinquishes her magic at the end of season 3 in order to stop her visions of Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) dying.
Why Is Fire Magic Forbidden?
Fire magic is forbidden in The Witcher lore because it is considered to be the “most unpredictable and chaotic element,”with the ability to consume the wielder and demand a price for its usage. The Witcher compendium, The World of the Witcher, describes the dangers of fire magic as “Fire—Many a young adept has met a tragic end when trying to prematurely harness this most unpredictable and chaotic element………Sources, in particular, must exercise extreme caution, as coming into contact with the Power drawn from the fire may suddenly activate their peculiar abilities, usually in a destructive manner.”
Joining water, air, and earth as one of the four elements of chaos—the source of magic—fire magic is considered to be extremely dangerous and commonly banned among mages for its destructive nature that often carries damaging consequences for the user’s psyche. to channel fire magic, it is necessary for the wielder to tap into their darker side and give in to sinister impulses, which makes the force behind this attack particularly nasty.
During the Battle of Sodden Hill back in season 1, Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni) ignores Triss’ (Anna Shaffer) warning, who mentions that fire magic, demonology, and necromancy are forbidden, and proceeds to use fire magic which results in herself and the Nilfgaardian army becoming consumed by it. The consequence of using fire magic is demonstrated when Yennefer survives the flames but loses her connection to chaos and, therefore, her powers in season 2. A similar sacrifice is demonstrated by Rience (Sam Woolf), a frequent user of fire magic, who pays the price of using the forbidden element by sacrificing his soul.
The price of using any powerful spell was also demonstrated in Tissaia’s case when she unleashed Alzur’s Thunder during the coup and was significantly drained after using it. In addition to turning her hair white, Tissaia was not the same powerful sorceress she once was after using that spell—her sacrifice—which later led her to end her tenure and the guilt she felt from Vilgefortz’s (Mahesh Jadu) betrayal bytaking her own life.
