I knew the Witcher 4 had to be about Ciri. I usually play as women in games, though I am a guy 😅 So I cannot understand the negativity from some quarters. I do, however, hope CD Projekt Red doesn’t ultra wokify the game. It is a game set in medieval Poland, not in the modern world. Sadly historical education is so lamentable today that we sugarcoat the past so not to offend certain people. The later Witcher books are very brutal and Sapkowski was very cleverly pointed out that we invent monsters to make us feel better about ourselves. The biggest and most evil monsters in the Witcher novels are people!😊
💜💜 PLEASE continue to cover the rest of the book series! You are providing an insight from a place of fandom, love, and understanding of the native language that many non-Poilsh-speaking readers are missing. I'm looking forward to Sword of Destiny!
Yes please! I have read the books multiple times, but in English translation(the Hungarian is even worse) - unfortunately I only know a couple of words in Polish(yes, one of them is k*)... Also, your telling the story and the cultural context is hella entertaining!
the polish cultural insight is exactly what i've been missing from my many hours interacting with the witcher franchise. thank you for the video i wish you success and health.
Now this is some quality shit. This is the type of videos that should be trending in the Witcher fandom. You're doing a great job providing viewers with first hand insight and explaining it in context of Polish culture. Keep up the good work! Pzdr ze Szczecina
I just saw your Instagram story and I’m really sorry that you’re receiving hate comments- if people have to resort to leaving mean things then they’re simply trying to spread their own pain to minimise the experience of feeling it by themselves and it’s embarrassing of them to do that. It’s okay to be upset by the words but I implore you to not take them to heart. Because you’re brilliant at discussing book topics and especially the Witcher series which is *chef’s kiss* I hope you will continue creating videos whenever you can ✨💛
I can’t echo LEMON_STARFOX’s comments enough. I watch and consume a ton of Witcher media-I love xLetalis, Witcher George, and NeonKnight’s content. That said, I’d put yours up against any of them for your knowledge of the lore and your Polish cultural perspectives. Some people are just going to hate so let them be unhappy in their own lives-keep doing your thing and making content 99% of folks love.
Agreed. I fell in love with the Witcher from The Witcher 3 and ended up buying a few books to fully immerse myself in the world. I love The Last Wish but also did not fully grasp some of the nuance in the dialogue; this super long video put a lot of what confused me into context from a cultural perspective! Need more!
Im so in love with your content! For me as an Ukrainian Witcher universe fan watching plot explained by a Polish fan feels so much deeper. Its so important to see the slavic cultural reference
I am not going to lie, I did not know who the hell that was, but when I googled her she does have an uncanny resemblance to Wera. Wera could dress up like her for Halloween or one of those Comic Conventions
@@biashacker Honestly I was just implied that she is a beautiful lecturer because Rita was known in-universe to be the Most Beautiful Sorceress on the Continent outside of the Aen Seidhe elves.
PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS!!! PLEASE CONTINUE THE SERIES! I’ve been wanting to hear a detailed recap of the books for a long time from someone who has read the Polish version to get more of the meaning from the story! 💜 P.S. The crown looked great!
Watched this in chunks but HOLY SMOKES you outdid yourself here, Wera!! You deserve to be so proud of this video. I looooved hearing all the insights from your Polish perspective, and now I am almost tempted to start learning Polish just so I can experience this series in all its glory as it was intended hahahah 🤣🤩
💜 I think the reason Geralt bites the princess is because, while she is a young woman, she is essentially a wild animal with no concept of what it means to inflict pain on someone. By biting her, he shows her that what she is doing is painful. And he's willing to commit the same painful action. It's the old mutually assured destruction idea. Any pain that she inflicts will be put back on herself. So she stops. She doesn't have any human concepts, but pain is understandable on a primal level. On another level just showing her that her actions are causing pain, might be enough to make her stop. How many 3 year olds would intend to harm someone even out of fear? Sorry, that was long. But I figured I'd tell my perspective as clearly as I can.
that makes so much more sense. thank you for giving me this insight(i was struggling so hard to understand that part when reading the book, cos when the dude(i forgot his name rofl) asked him why he did that, he just gave him a goofy ass smile in my head😭)
I think it's described as the curse didn't fully leave yet, so Geralt was holding her down and biting until demonic screeches turned into a cry of a girl.
I also interpreted is as a harsh way of correcting or dominating an animal-like child, as she practically transformed into a 14 year old baby who never had any upbringing or social interaction. It makes her curse more grounded, not only magical, but also emotional, and him biting her back is his primal method to help her reconnect with humanity. It also establishes Geralt's character: He does what needs to be done, even when it’s unconventional or uncomfortable, to help others.
for me, it made me think of wolves, when a young pup is too aggressive and its hurting its playmates, a bigger wolf would take the responsability to give it a bite to stay down, like what you said, "what youre doing hurts and im showing you that" type action, what i think is more towards what you think, but the image didnt leave my head
This was such a charming video. I love the pride and passion about your Polish heritage. It's so great to learn about a people through a shared interest. Thanks for making this.
I’ve read this series twice and seen many summary videos, but this is my favorite because you do such a great job explaining the cultural influences and the language nuances that are lost in translation. I’m also shook that Roach is named after a fish. Thanks for putting this together and I hope you decide to keep the series going so us non-Polish readers can learn more.💜
Haha yes Roachs name is a funny case. For me when I was younger I thought it was after fences actually bc her name is very similar to the polish word for fence 😂 so finding out it was a fish from my dad was a surprise too
As a Czech, I truly appreaciate the detail that you go into when it comes to the specific words (such as rusalka or krčma). It's so interesting to see the nuances of the different languages. I mean, there's no way I'd try to translate rusalka to mermaid, more like a wood fairy or sth. Enough yapping, loved the video.
@ wasn’t hating Btw, just thinkin out loud 😂 love your channel… It’s cool to follow a Polish creator (since there ain’t a lot of quality channels around here, tbf). Anyway, Lookin forward to the W4 video ❤️
@ Chodziło mi o to że Rusałki przyciągają mężczyzn do wody i potem ich topią I to mi Przypomina jak syreny funkcjonują w starych greckich mitach. Ale zgadzam się że napewno jest element że to też nimfa lasu
i love how this is useful to both newcomers who havent read the books, but even more so to fans who have read the books but not in polish 💜 also, we love your content on other topics so dont feel pressured to upload only Wiedzmin content
I block ads, so I want to support this gem of a video this way. Thank you for making me understand the things that I didn't after having read the books!
I just wanted to thank you so much, because all this time (almost 6 years un the witcher fandom) i was critisising the english translators for replacing the flower in Dandelion's nickname for no reason! And now, knowing that its a play on word with DANDY and all of that stuff, I'm so happy!!!!! I deeply care for Dandelion and I thought that it was unjust, calling him with the different type of flower name, but now i feel so fullfilled with this new understanding! You opened my eyes, thank you so so much!!!!!! 💜
It's an old saying that remains true: translation is like a woman: beatiful is not faithful, faithful is not beautiful. Whenever one translates a work of art into another language one has to be aware of the idiosyncracies of each language and make appropriate changes and alterations.
I just got the Witcher 3 on PS5 and I know absolutely nothing about the series. This video was an enjoyable introduction into the series and even has me wanting to learn even more about Polish culture. I hope to learn more through your channel now that I'm subscribed, and I look forward to more videos when The Witcher 4 is closer to release. Thanks Wera.
As a Brazilian I have to say that I absolutely loved the way you put it into context. If in English it is already difficult to understand all the contexts, you can imagine how challenging it is in Portuguese. I also have a lot to thank for your incredible English. hugs from Brazil!😊
I am barely able to sit through 5 mins of a video, and here I am, having listened to 90 mins in the same setting, focused on every word. You have an insane talent for exposition!
Amazing timing lmao. Honestly this is a great idea to get the context of the books in their original language that is often lost in translation and of course the cultural context we might be unfamiliar with. You have no idea how many times people with Biblical names ask me how they are pronounced in the original Hebrew and are surprised when I tell them that they have an actual meaning, when I tell them it's my native tongue lmao. Thank you for this video!
I'm Croatian and I have read the books in croatian and played the games in english. The books felt so much closer because of translation, polish words and saying translate almost perfectly to croatian because they are both slavic languages and relatively similar cultures. With your indepth explanations, I realized once again how amazing the croatian translation is and how amazing whole of slavic culture is. Thanks for this and all the other amazing videos
Zanimljivo, baš sam bija u dvoumici da li pročitati knjige na hrvatskom ili engleskom. Hrvatski i Poljski su oba slavenska jezika pa je za očekivati da će prijevod biti bolji i bliži autorovoj viziji i da će se manje suštine i "duše" izgubiti na slavenskom jeziku.
please please PLEASEEE continue this series!! I love the way you explain the story and give context and correct some of the translation. I have some of the books but haven’t read them all the way through yet because I’m always so busy but I would love it if you could explain them like you did in this video!!! Thank you so much !!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜
As someone who's never read the books, played the games, or could get into the netflix show, I just watched this whole vid straight in 1 sitting. Awesome job, please continue to do a part 2!
I loved this breakdown with your addition of the cultural and linguistic contexts that we miss in the translated versions. I absolutely would watch a full series covering the rest of the books. 💜
@valliyarnl i haven't done a re read of the witcher in a few years and I definitely forgot some stuff. Having you go over the original publication is cool because some things are changed due to translation
💜 Been a fan of the franchise since playing The Witcher 3 in 2015. But, only decided to delve into the books during the months of quarantine. Hearing your description and insight, along with your full understanding of the language and the mythology really made me notice how much subtext can be either misunderstood, or just missed entirely for us non native speakers. Thank you for putting this together. It must’ve taken soo much time as well as effort, it’s honestly super amazing to see people with such passion.
Can’t wait for the other book breakdowns. This is what I need instead of a re-read. So many details I never thought about on my read. Love it and thank you.
Also I completely love how you use the original names an pronunciation of words first. Makes me want to learn Polish just to read them in it’s original form.
0:14 Fun fact, I did get my first contact with The Witcher series via the Netflix show. I enjoyed first season but season 2 was really dissappointing and I never finished season 3. I was really disappointed about The Witcher because I'd heard The Witcher games are really great. Then I found your video ranking all the books and I got encouraged to start reading them. I'm starting "Something else" at the end of Sword of Destiny and I'm LOVING it. I'm so grateful that I found you because I'm loving this series so much and I can't wait to keep reading and knowing this franchise better
I find it really funny that the only enjoyable parts of the Netflix Witcher show are the Geralt parts of season 1. Or in other words, the bits that actually come from the books.
Have fun! The „Sword of Destiny“ short story from the book of the same name alone is already great. The characters, the storyline, the motive of destiny as a driving force, and so on. People often say that „Harry Potter“ is all about themes and motives, but when you compare it to the Witcher series, one can only pitty the Potterheads.
@@Sobsilus Thanks! I actually just finished Sword of Destiny this morning and am now gonna start Blood of the Elves. I'm loving this series so much so far and can't to see everything yet to come.
💜 Please do more of these!! I love this series and the games. I'm not polish so getting to understand the original intent that got lost in translation is amazing. I haven't seen anyone approach a retrospective on The Witcher like this. Thank you 🐺
I beg you to do every book, i have tried watching this for 4 nights and your voice just lulls me to sleep. i had to watch it on my day off and it was amazing 💜
1:12:58 The wianek is very pretty. Please incorporate as many culturally relevant touchstones as you can. Connecting the Wiedźmin story to its roots is giving it so much more life.
Wpadłem tu przypadkiem i miło zobaczyć, że są jednak też fanki (a nie tylko fani) tej franczyzy :) komentarz dla zasięgów i powodzenia... Potrzebujemy więcej takich materiałów dla kolegów i koleżanek zza granicy :)
Jednak? W polskim fandomie od dekad kobiety stanowiły ważny element. Wera nie jest też bynajmniej pierwszą kobietą nagrywającą wideo na temat Wiedźmina.
The cultural and linguistic context you add to the book synopsis is amazing! This video is exploding in the RUclips algorithm! I’d love to see the series continue, very asmr!
58:00 "Psiakrew" and plural "Psie krwie" is an old slur used by nobility toward commoners in Poland (the Commonwealth times). Literally "dog's blood", but it is bloodline that is meant, not the actual blood of an actual doggy. It meant "dog's descendant/s", i.e., your ancestry is that of dogs, not of men. In singular form, it later became just a swearword, a relatively mild one, but still quite improper to throw around.
Jak Ty mnie w tym momencie zaimponiłeś! Za dzieciaka często starałem się być "klawy" (takie czasy ;d) więc rzucałem tym na lewo i prawo ale w życiu nie przeszedł mi przez głowę ten źródłosłów. Chapeau bas monsiuer Maciej!
Dude You are such a life saver. I'm primarily a movie buff and a gamer but I recently got into fantasy books and this year I finished LOTR, Hobbit and The Simarillion, then I started cosmere and finished it, read Dune, uzumaki and sword of kaigen. Finally started The Last Wish and I can't believe I'm saying this but out of 40ish top rated books I read this year this one became my instant favourite, the only book that I have read 4 times as of now, and something just clicked with me this time. It felt like this world was just made for me, a lot of monsters and politics but humans usually come out to be more monstrous. Each short story was just awesome. And this video helped appreciate it even MORE, one of the best 2.5 hours spent this year. Probably your best video to date. Can't wait for part 2.
Damn this shit is so fire, I read the last wish in Chinese and they got roach’s name right, I think the translation were straight out of polish. But there’s a lot of tone and details that I think translation could not reach, thank you for explaining all of these, this is really a masterpiece, and your additional context about polish culture is super interesting too.
@@marcinmaj848 yo fr Poland is so mysterious for people from Asia, but when I steal the Witcher book from my friend and read it through, I got hooked on so badly, the fairytales, folklores and culture were so refreshing too a younger me, hope I could learn more about Poland.
💜I had to pause a couple of times, but I finally made it all the way. And I gotta say, watching you go through the final short story was a real treat. You're such a fangirl, it's adorable.
I have been searching for a comprehensive breakdown of The Witcher storyline for sooooo loooong. THANK YOU!!! You've brought so much context to a game series I absolutely love, and piqued my interest in reading the books. Much appreciated!
💜 I absolutely loved your cultural insights and translations, and your passion and love for this series! Thank you so much for the video. 2.5hrs flew by in a fraction! I'd love to see this as a series for the entire Witcher universe (including the comics and games if possible).
Noooo Im too early to see this not as a full series yet! I found the books very confusing with the sheer number of characters to remember struggling to focus on which may be "important". Your retelling is so compelling and the faces make it much easier to follow! And the translation clarifications are so interesting. I hope this series continues so I can be inspired to pickup and finish the last book!💜
This is amazing timing, I’m going through the books for the very first time, and this is seriously helping me with character names and making my read way more fun. Having a blast going through the last wish and can’t wait to read more today.
@valliyarnl💜finished the video and completed the last wish!! Such a excellent book and the short stories where so much fun to slowly read through, your vid helped a ton with keeping track of all the character names and how to say them. Thank you for all the hard work, really hope you continue the series with sword of destiny ⚔️
I watched this after finishing The Last Wish and really appreciate your Polish interpretations. I'd watch a summary of every book. Little details being lost in translation makes me want to learn Polish. It's such a gorgeous language. Thanks for your efforts 💜
Thank you genuninely for making this! I dont know Polish, but i know very well from the languages i do speak that a lot can be lost in translation so it is really precious to be able to get these insights! I also love how you get so excited about the topic, especially the Geralt and Yen stuff! 🎼These scars long have yearned for your tender caress... 💜
As a Czech fan, I love that you make all the references to the Slavic folklore which was only too familiar to me while reading through the books. And I also love that you start at the beginning, with the Striga story. 💜💜💜
💜 Wow, awesome video! It's really great to get the perspective of a Pole for the lore and folklore. Thank you and I hope you do all of the books like this!
Hails from Bulgaria 💜💜 I'm so glad I read this book in Bulgarian instead of English when I found it, since Polish and English are both slavic languages, a lot of the meaning, the characters, the scenes were never lost in translation and even some words mean the exactly same things, which allowed me to properly fall in love with the series. Your video kind of rekindled my excitement for the story in the same way when I read it the first time, so I'm definitely looking forward for more like this! Thank you!
💜Excellent masterpiece. Thanks for the Polish explanations, really loved them and understood 99% of them since Im from Slovakia. The Witcher was my first fantasy series ever to read since I loved the W3 game and put a few hundred hours into it, so please please please!! keep on making these Plot explanations, as not only myself, but many of us love to immerse into this beautiful world. Thank You so much!! 💜
Given the recent reactions to Witcher 4’s reveal, I think it’s high time to refresh people - or tell them for the first time - about the books. Great vid Also Mother Nenneke needs more love💜
Thank you so much for doing this is what I needed to learn more about the novel I tried reading the books but didn't really stick with it due to the way the book is writtenI keep getting lost and being busy with college but this video is a gold mine of information and the pictures with strings and connections also makes easier to understand and when you explain Polish things and legends it makes much more easier to understand certain things thank you for your amazing work
Awwwhhh this comment makes me feel like achieving exactly what I set out to do! Hopefully you’ll be able to experience the story through my retelling of it :)
I love seeing your passion for the franchise and the way you get excited and love the witcher so much !! I hope you plan to do this for all the books !!!
I'd kill for a new English translation of these books. I always hear from readers in the original Polish or even other non-English languages that one of the best things about the series is Sapkowski's lively use of language. But that rarely comes through in the English version, where I often find the prose to be a bit clumsy and odd. I'm always surprised that given the massive popularity of The Witcher III and then the franchise getting a fairly popular (if ambivalently received) Netflix show that there hasn't been some kind of push for a new translation. I'd imagine the feeling is if the existing translation will sell why bother paying for a new one, but I know I'm missing out on part of the joy of these books.
Good point. As a Polish native speaker, I'd love to read a proper English translation. It is beyond my comprehension how it could be done. I'd like to learn "Żarłoczka."
By the way...the german translation isn't also really great. (Or maybe I should check it again if they were several attempts to make better translations because the first books came out in the 90s in German if I remember correctly. When the games start to appear they did a reprint and I am not sure if the translation was still the same.)
Oh and fun fact: You can check out when the english translations came out and then compare it to how many other languages the books were translated into before the english versions and when they were published... That is really crazy because that is quite uncommon in the (fantasy) book market. And actually the first English translations very different version made by fans!
u see the problem is that english is very primitive language thats why it is so easy to learn english simply doesnt have enuff words for decent translation
This was actually awesome i love all the different context between the english translation and the original from a native speaker! Makes the story that much better! Keep going with this one!
I want to learn polish so i can read the books in Polish, this video really motivates me to keep going with it, nice to get a better insight into the translation of the books to english
Wonderful breakdown of one of my all time favorite books, your passion is infectious! A full series of breakdowns for the Witcher would have my heart 💜
amazing! you can see how much work you put in this video. I have personnaly read the books but the insight you brought about the concepts that were lost in translation are just astounding.
I came across this video as something I was planning on just listening to while I did something else. Two hours pass and I've only just wanted to stop listening only to go to bed! I loved YOUR love for the book and stories, and really enjoyed how you talked about the more difficult parts and how the whole book is as a whole. I really hope this is continued! As many others have said, it's saddening that you've gotten hate at all. Unfortunately there will always be people trying to bring you down, and after watching this vid, I'm reminded of the quote about men making up monsters to make it easier to live the the monsters in themselves. They'll attempt to take you down not because you've done anything wrong, but only because they can't bear seeing the happiness and joy they see in others that they themselves lack. I wish you well in the new year, and will definitely be listening in again!
Thank you for creating this video and hope you proceed with the others. Explanation of so many nuances and references to our culture, stories and other things in such clear way might really help plenty of foreign fans 💜 1:54:39 For some reason I felt a little reference to Koziołek Matołek, but indeed troublesome one 2:22:50 answering what the last wish might be with big SPOILER ALERT for the saga just in case. In my opinion, the final wish was " I want to be a father of Yennefer's child". In my eyes it makes too much sense - the wish protects them both from being killed by the Djinn as they both have to be alive. They have to have a kid, but both of them can't - Djinn could just make them fertile, but Djinn would try to make the wish in an unpredictable way. So instead he just makes them to fall in love and ties a kid into their fate. And it creates a good path for the whole destiny with Ciri and their little family.
💜💜💜I loved your summary a lot! It's just really fun and endearing to see someone tell the story who loves this saga a lot especially with extra informations. I would love more parts of this!!
Dziękuję, że to robisz ❤. Z przyjemnością wysłuchałem, jak interpretujesz te opowiadania. Dla mnie takim momentem emocji były schody w twierdzy Stygga, gdy tam siedzą w trójkę.
I love all the insight into the Polish cluture you're giving us. And how the orginal text intended the interactions between characters to play out,l. Keep up the good work 💜💜💜
I'm just going to say that I wish Netflix had hired you to oversee the series, your love for Sapkowski's work is really contagious...thanks! I'd love for you to do the other books! I like how you tell all the details that have been lost in translation, they are really important. I thought the same about the series, they didn't introduce Geralt much, they focused too much on Yen. But anyway, thanks again! Great video 💜
Absolutely love your passion in describing this series 💜. Netflix kind of killed it for me as I tend to go full nerd on something once I find a good storyline. To try and resurrection my interest i planned on playing the games but know they can never do the original work justice. Then i bought the audiobooks but wasnt sure where to start with proper book order. This was the missing piece thats helping me organize this otherwise chaotic list. Please do a part 2 and keep up the education on polish customs and showcasing the beauty of your language. 💜
This was amazing 💜 And when it comes to Geralt biting the princess, I have always understood it as the continuation of the technique Geralt used during the fight which was intimidating the striga by reflecting her own fury. I doubt that he put much thought into biting her, but since she still acted on her striga instincts he reacted in a way he would with the striga, and reflected her fury once more. This time by biting her neck.
yeah we should keep in mind that she was like that her whole life living like animals do she dont know no better so Geralt showed dominance exactly how it would be shown by one of her kind what makes it really cool is that it works in real life actually i thought this is basic knowladge and everybody understood it the same way i did lmao
I love listening to the audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny, he puts alot of emotion into the performance, I'd highly recommended. Also, fantastic video, gotta love a video essay
Just watched this video in full. Girl, you made a banger, and being a translator myself, I love all the references you made to the cultural and contextual translations and how they do or do not make sense when passed from Polish to English. Gonna see if you have moar for me to indulge in.
I read the books some 6 years ago, after which I watched the cutscenes for the games 1 and 2. Then I played the third game. The entire experience was and still is the most enjoyment I ever got from a book/movie/show/whatever. Thank you for this video, I'll have to re-read the books now (I read them in Czech, it's way better than the English translation). Your hard work paid off, the video is amazing 🫡
Not done this video yet but knowing from a polish speakers perspective, the books are written from the voice of someone who's trying to be clever and witty or sarcastic rather then taking the words totally straight is SO relieving! I've heard from other English speaking fans that the books are sometimes a hard or awkward read because of weird misogynistic/bigoted writing in parts of the series; and while I'm sure that's true in some parts, it makes me a lot more excited to try reading them myself actually? Maybe going to see if there's alternate translations from translators more familiar with both polish and English slang and terminology ...(unfortunately I don't speak polish or else I'd just read the original
I really appreciated hearing the Polish elements that get lost in translation. There's a lot of Gaelic influence I caught throughout. Skellige appears to come from 'Sceilg,' an area of steep rock, usually applied to the islands off the coast of south-west Irland. Crach an Craite looks Gaelic but I can't think of a meaning for crach (maybe Crág an Chráite, 'Large-Hand/Paw of Destruction'). The elf endonym, Aen Seidhe, looks like Old Gaelic, 'Áes Síde' (modern: Aos Sí/Sidhe). Aos is cognate with Old Norse, 'Æsir,' and means race/people. Sidhe is usually translated to English as fairy but is used for anything pertaining to the pagan supernatural of ancient Gaelic culture. With the Elf location, Dol Blathanna, blathanna means flowers, dol is the Scottish Gaelic verbal noun of 'go' (Irish Gaelic: dul). Tir ná Lia of the Aen Elle, if written Tír na Lia of the Aos Eile, would mean 'The Land of the Stones' of the 'Other Race.' Another point, of the many, for Francesca Findabair, Findabair is the Old Gaelic spelling of Fionnabhair, the Gaelic cognate of the Brythonic Gwenhwyfar. She's also called Enid an Gleanna: Enid, as far as I know, is Old Cumbric for 'soul' (modern: Enaid). 'An Ghleanna' means 'of the valley.' Last obvious point, Kaer comes from Caer, the Cumbric word for 'fort.'
Couple of others, Belleteyn/Beltane comes from Beltaine (meaning 'Fires of Belenos'- Belenos was a Celtic God). Eist Tuirseach would translate as Listen (from imperative Éist) Tired. His brother's name, Bran, means 'raven' (likely GRRM's reason for using the name in ASoIaF). Ciri's full name includes Fiona (an awkwardly feminised version of Fionn (meaning 'fair')), and Riannon (from Cumbric Rhiannon, meaning 'maiden' or 'queen,' cognate with Gaelic Ríghean (meaning 'queen'))
Yes, Sapkowski (in his other, "non-Witcher" books) plays a lot with the cultural context of various types. For example, magical Jewish Golem and angelic characters mixed with 15th-century history, and some artifacts you can actually visit and see in Poland and the Czech Republic.
This is so beautifully in-depth, and more than that, entertaining and funny 🙏 I love your perspective on the Witcher’s storytelling and cultural identity! This will bring so many people together. There is a lot to look forward to. I am also grateful that this video exists because now we all have something to link people to when they ask for a recap of the books ❤😂 I’m going to bookmark this link for future recommendation.
Great video as always, never been much of a reader but I am a big fan of the Witcher games. Your videos has convinced me to start reading the Witcher books. Greetings from Sweden
30 minutes in and this is the video I didn't know I needed! I have read The Witcher books about 3 times and I could tell the translation didn't quite hit! As Romanian, we have quite a few similar words, first that struck me was the "carciuma" aka the inn. Having the inshight of a Polish person about Polish author and his books is just amazing! I'm so glad youtube showed me this video❤
💜 the explaining of language and what master Sapkowski said in his native tongue vs the translation, what was lost and what it meant gave a whole lot more meaning to these stories. thank you for the video
💜I really, really appreciate the Polish vs. English translation comparison and the cultural context!! Interesting to see how some of the mythology is lost in translation. Also really enjoyed the note and comparison in regards the games and Netflix too. Really looking forward to more. Also, are you going to be reviewing Wind and Truth? Really want to know how you felt about it :)
it works perfectly with the word question too. it's just not as commonly used in that context. one of the definitions of the word question is: a matter requiring resolution or discussion
@@waltdistel716 I agree, word "question" is a good tranlation. Just I think that Polish word "kwestia" in this context fits better with words "matter", "Issue", "point", in fact I would choose "question" as the last possibility. Why like this? The meaning of "Kwestia" connects with the priamry meaning of "matter", but only with one of secondary meanings of "question", so makes translation more accurate, less loose.
Girl saw Witcher 4 get announced and said “yeah, that’s me, now you might be wondering how I ended up in this situation”
😂😂😂
I loooove this comment
@I’m just like Dandelion fr
Top comment 🏆
@ that was my nickname in high school
I knew the Witcher 4 had to be about Ciri. I usually play as women in games, though I am a guy 😅 So I cannot understand the negativity from some quarters. I do, however, hope CD Projekt Red doesn’t ultra wokify the game. It is a game set in medieval Poland, not in the modern world. Sadly historical education is so lamentable today that we sugarcoat the past so not to offend certain people. The later Witcher books are very brutal and Sapkowski was very cleverly pointed out that we invent monsters to make us feel better about ourselves. The biggest and most evil monsters in the Witcher novels are people!😊
The fandom needs a part 2, this is the best witcher content on youtube 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💓💓💓💓💓💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
Completely agree. Well versed in the lore and the Polish cultural perspective makes her witcher videos top notch.
Hear hear! Please! I am praying for this insight for all of the books!
💜💜 PLEASE continue to cover the rest of the book series! You are providing an insight from a place of fandom, love, and understanding of the native language that many non-Poilsh-speaking readers are missing. I'm looking forward to Sword of Destiny!
Yes please! I have read the books multiple times, but in English translation(the Hungarian is even worse) - unfortunately I only know a couple of words in Polish(yes, one of them is k*)...
Also, your telling the story and the cultural context is hella entertaining!
the polish cultural insight is exactly what i've been missing from my many hours interacting with the witcher franchise. thank you for the video i wish you success and health.
Now this is some quality shit. This is the type of videos that should be trending in the Witcher fandom. You're doing a great job providing viewers with first hand insight and explaining it in context of Polish culture. Keep up the good work!
Pzdr ze Szczecina
Pozdrawiam z Warszawy!!
I just saw your Instagram story and I’m really sorry that you’re receiving hate comments- if people have to resort to leaving mean things then they’re simply trying to spread their own pain to minimise the experience of feeling it by themselves and it’s embarrassing of them to do that. It’s okay to be upset by the words but I implore you to not take them to heart. Because you’re brilliant at discussing book topics and especially the Witcher series which is *chef’s kiss* I hope you will continue creating videos whenever you can ✨💛
Thank you ❤️
I can’t echo LEMON_STARFOX’s comments enough. I watch and consume a ton of Witcher media-I love xLetalis, Witcher George, and NeonKnight’s content. That said, I’d put yours up against any of them for your knowledge of the lore and your Polish cultural perspectives. Some people are just going to hate so let them be unhappy in their own lives-keep doing your thing and making content 99% of folks love.
There is no way this series doesn't blow up big time!
Awww 🥰
Here before 500k views
@valliyarnlDon't rush. Take your time. It will be fine!
Do it step by step!
I really really hope you continue this series. I’m loving the video!!
Thank you 🤩
Agreed. I fell in love with the Witcher from The Witcher 3 and ended up buying a few books to fully immerse myself in the world. I love The Last Wish but also did not fully grasp some of the nuance in the dialogue; this super long video put a lot of what confused me into context from a cultural perspective!
Need more!
Im so in love with your content! For me as an Ukrainian Witcher universe fan watching plot explained by a Polish fan feels so much deeper. Its so important to see the slavic cultural reference
This is the fandom and knowledge this franchise deserves! Great work!
Thanks for the donation ❤
Thank you for the donation 💞💞 I really really appreciate it!
@@Jerald_radanian Why are you thanking him? It's not for you, is it?
This is just Margarita Laux-Antille lecturing her students ❤
BEST COMMENT SO FAR
@valliyarnl especially the part where you fangirling over Yenna-Geralt interaction are just like Rita teasing her in front of the novices 😂
I am not going to lie, I did not know who the hell that was, but when I googled her she does have an uncanny resemblance to Wera. Wera could dress up like her for Halloween or one of those Comic Conventions
@@biashacker Honestly I was just implied that she is a beautiful lecturer because Rita was known in-universe to be the Most Beautiful Sorceress on the Continent outside of the Aen Seidhe elves.
haha, love that! :D
PLEASE DO MORE OF THIS!!! PLEASE CONTINUE THE SERIES! I’ve been wanting to hear a detailed recap of the books for a long time from someone who has read the Polish version to get more of the meaning from the story! 💜 P.S. The crown looked great!
Watched this in chunks but HOLY SMOKES you outdid yourself here, Wera!! You deserve to be so proud of this video. I looooved hearing all the insights from your Polish perspective, and now I am almost tempted to start learning Polish just so I can experience this series in all its glory as it was intended hahahah 🤣🤩
oh my gosh Esmay youre a TROOPER!!! thank you for watching hahaha
💜 I think the reason Geralt bites the princess is because, while she is a young woman, she is essentially a wild animal with no concept of what it means to inflict pain on someone.
By biting her, he shows her that what she is doing is painful. And he's willing to commit the same painful action. It's the old mutually assured destruction idea. Any pain that she inflicts will be put back on herself. So she stops. She doesn't have any human concepts, but pain is understandable on a primal level.
On another level just showing her that her actions are causing pain, might be enough to make her stop.
How many 3 year olds would intend to harm someone even out of fear?
Sorry, that was long. But I figured I'd tell my perspective as clearly as I can.
that makes so much more sense. thank you for giving me this insight(i was struggling so hard to understand that part when reading the book, cos when the dude(i forgot his name rofl) asked him why he did that, he just gave him a goofy ass smile in my head😭)
Nah, if you know about the animal world... He was just asserting dominance
I think it's described as the curse didn't fully leave yet, so Geralt was holding her down and biting until demonic screeches turned into a cry of a girl.
I also interpreted is as a harsh way of correcting or dominating an animal-like child, as she practically transformed into a 14 year old baby who never had any upbringing or social interaction. It makes her curse more grounded, not only magical, but also emotional, and him biting her back is his primal method to help her reconnect with humanity. It also establishes Geralt's character: He does what needs to be done, even when it’s unconventional or uncomfortable, to help others.
for me, it made me think of wolves, when a young pup is too aggressive and its hurting its playmates, a bigger wolf would take the responsability to give it a bite to stay down, like what you said, "what youre doing hurts and im showing you that" type action, what i think is more towards what you think, but the image didnt leave my head
This was such a charming video. I love the pride and passion about your Polish heritage. It's so great to learn about a people through a shared interest. Thanks for making this.
I’ve read this series twice and seen many summary videos, but this is my favorite because you do such a great job explaining the cultural influences and the language nuances that are lost in translation. I’m also shook that Roach is named after a fish. Thanks for putting this together and I hope you decide to keep the series going so us non-Polish readers can learn more.💜
Haha yes Roachs name is a funny case. For me when I was younger I thought it was after fences actually bc her name is very similar to the polish word for fence 😂 so finding out it was a fish from my dad was a surprise too
You took the words out of my mouth, I really am looking forward for part 2 and see what I've missed due to translations
@valliyarnl haha, same.
I was always like: did she get her name because she keept on jumping over fences?
😅😅😢😊😅😂😂😂😅😅😢😅😊😅😅🎉😢🎉😢🎉 21:51 🎉 21:51 21:51 🎉 21:51 😢
I thought that she was named after Vernon Roche
As a Czech, I truly appreaciate the detail that you go into when it comes to the specific words (such as rusalka or krčma). It's so interesting to see the nuances of the different languages. I mean, there's no way I'd try to translate rusalka to mermaid, more like a wood fairy or sth. Enough yapping, loved the video.
Thank you 💜 yeahhhh wood fairy I see kind of but I think a mix of that and siren (probably should’ve said that instead of mermaid)
@ wasn’t hating Btw, just thinkin out loud 😂 love your channel… It’s cool to follow a Polish creator (since there ain’t a lot of quality channels around here, tbf). Anyway, Lookin forward to the W4 video ❤️
@ no no I know you weren’t hating !! Glad to have ur perspective
Im polish and rusałka also has more forest vibe for me
@ Chodziło mi o to że Rusałki przyciągają mężczyzn do wody i potem ich topią I to mi Przypomina jak syreny funkcjonują w starych greckich mitach. Ale zgadzam się że napewno jest element że to też nimfa lasu
i love how this is useful to both newcomers who havent read the books, but even more so to fans who have read the books but not in polish 💜
also, we love your content on other topics so dont feel pressured to upload only Wiedzmin content
I block ads, so I want to support this gem of a video this way. Thank you for making me understand the things that I didn't after having read the books!
Thank you so much for the donation 💞💞 I’m glad you liked the video!
I just wanted to thank you so much, because all this time (almost 6 years un the witcher fandom) i was critisising the english translators for replacing the flower in Dandelion's nickname for no reason! And now, knowing that its a play on word with DANDY and all of that stuff, I'm so happy!!!!! I deeply care for Dandelion and I thought that it was unjust, calling him with the different type of flower name, but now i feel so fullfilled with this new understanding! You opened my eyes, thank you so so much!!!!!! 💜
It's an old saying that remains true: translation is like a woman: beatiful is not faithful, faithful is not beautiful. Whenever one translates a work of art into another language one has to be aware of the idiosyncracies of each language and make appropriate changes and alterations.
I just got the Witcher 3 on PS5 and I know absolutely nothing about the series. This video was an enjoyable introduction into the series and even has me wanting to learn even more about Polish culture. I hope to learn more through your channel now that I'm subscribed, and I look forward to more videos when The Witcher 4 is closer to release. Thanks Wera.
Thank you so much for the donation! I hope you fall in love with the series like I did :)
As a Brazilian I have to say that I absolutely loved the way you put it into context. If in English it is already difficult to understand all the contexts, you can imagine how challenging it is in Portuguese. I also have a lot to thank for your incredible English. hugs from Brazil!😊
I am barely able to sit through 5 mins of a video, and here I am, having listened to 90 mins in the same setting, focused on every word.
You have an insane talent for exposition!
Wow that’s a huge compliment! Thank you ☺️
9:05 “Unfortunately, the Witcher show…” should just be a blanket statement for that entire show. 😂😭
I really like how enthusiastic you go into the last wish story. I never realized how much context was lost in translation. 💜
I LOOOOOOOVE IT SO MUCH !!!
Thank you for watching till the end 💜
@ it was hard not to watch because your love of the story and characters is infectious.
@@blacklabelz9 awwhhh thank you ☺️
Short stories are definitely the best part of Spakowski Witcher writings.
Amazing timing lmao. Honestly this is a great idea to get the context of the books in their original language that is often lost in translation and of course the cultural context we might be unfamiliar with. You have no idea how many times people with Biblical names ask me how they are pronounced in the original Hebrew and are surprised when I tell them that they have an actual meaning, when I tell them it's my native tongue lmao. Thank you for this video!
Oh interesting! Thank u for watching :)
I'm Croatian and I have read the books in croatian and played the games in english. The books felt so much closer because of translation, polish words and saying translate almost perfectly to croatian because they are both slavic languages and relatively similar cultures. With your indepth explanations, I realized once again how amazing the croatian translation is and how amazing whole of slavic culture is. Thanks for this and all the other amazing videos
Zanimljivo, baš sam bija u dvoumici da li pročitati knjige na hrvatskom ili engleskom. Hrvatski i Poljski su oba slavenska jezika pa je za očekivati da će prijevod biti bolji i bliži autorovoj viziji i da će se manje suštine i "duše" izgubiti na slavenskom jeziku.
please please PLEASEEE continue this series!! I love the way you explain the story and give context and correct some of the translation. I have some of the books but haven’t read them all the way through yet because I’m always so busy but I would love it if you could explain them like you did in this video!!! Thank you so much !!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜
As someone who's never read the books, played the games, or could get into the netflix show, I just watched this whole vid straight in 1 sitting. Awesome job, please continue to do a part 2!
I loved this breakdown with your addition of the cultural and linguistic contexts that we miss in the translated versions. I absolutely would watch a full series covering the rest of the books. 💜
I have wanted someone to do a mega explanation video on the witcher series for years now. Great video, can't wait for part 2
Thank you! Hopefully it is helpful and engaging!
@valliyarnl i haven't done a re read of the witcher in a few years and I definitely forgot some stuff. Having you go over the original publication is cool because some things are changed due to translation
@ well. It is the only order to read the books in :)
💜 Been a fan of the franchise since playing The Witcher 3 in 2015. But, only decided to delve into the books during the months of quarantine. Hearing your description and insight, along with your full understanding of the language and the mythology really made me notice how much subtext can be either misunderstood, or just missed entirely for us non native speakers.
Thank you for putting this together. It must’ve taken soo much time as well as effort, it’s honestly super amazing to see people with such passion.
Can’t wait for the other book breakdowns. This is what I need instead of a re-read. So many details I never thought about on my read. Love it and thank you.
Also I completely love how you use the original names an pronunciation of words first. Makes me want to learn Polish just to read them in it’s original form.
Thank you so much for the donation 💞💞
0:14 Fun fact, I did get my first contact with The Witcher series via the Netflix show. I enjoyed first season but season 2 was really dissappointing and I never finished season 3. I was really disappointed about The Witcher because I'd heard The Witcher games are really great. Then I found your video ranking all the books and I got encouraged to start reading them. I'm starting "Something else" at the end of Sword of Destiny and I'm LOVING it. I'm so grateful that I found you because I'm loving this series so much and I can't wait to keep reading and knowing this franchise better
I find it really funny that the only enjoyable parts of the Netflix Witcher show are the Geralt parts of season 1. Or in other words, the bits that actually come from the books.
Have fun! The „Sword of Destiny“ short story from the book of the same name alone is already great. The characters, the storyline, the motive of destiny as a driving force, and so on. People often say that „Harry Potter“ is all about themes and motives, but when you compare it to the Witcher series, one can only pitty the Potterheads.
Even though I liked the first book a lot, I didn’t expect Sword of Destiny to be as good as it was. It absolutely floored me
@Ozzieapologist Same, dear gods
@@Sobsilus Thanks! I actually just finished Sword of Destiny this morning and am now gonna start Blood of the Elves. I'm loving this series so much so far and can't to see everything yet to come.
rlly need a pt2! you bring so much necessary context packaged w real passion for the series. some of the best Witcher content on yt
Perfect timing Wera, and a 2 hours plot explanation by you it feel like Christmas already thank you so much for your work.
Thank you Ramsey 💞
💜 Please do more of these!! I love this series and the games. I'm not polish so getting to understand the original intent that got lost in translation is amazing. I haven't seen anyone approach a retrospective on The Witcher like this. Thank you 🐺
I beg you to do every book, i have tried watching this for 4 nights and your voice just lulls me to sleep. i had to watch it on my day off and it was amazing 💜
1:12:58 The wianek is very pretty. Please incorporate as many culturally relevant touchstones as you can. Connecting the Wiedźmin story to its roots is giving it so much more life.
Wpadłem tu przypadkiem i miło zobaczyć, że są jednak też fanki (a nie tylko fani) tej franczyzy :) komentarz dla zasięgów i powodzenia... Potrzebujemy więcej takich materiałów dla kolegów i koleżanek zza granicy :)
Jednak? W polskim fandomie od dekad kobiety stanowiły ważny element. Wera nie jest też bynajmniej pierwszą kobietą nagrywającą wideo na temat Wiedźmina.
The cultural and linguistic context you add to the book synopsis is amazing! This video is exploding in the RUclips algorithm! I’d love to see the series continue, very asmr!
58:00 "Psiakrew" and plural "Psie krwie" is an old slur used by nobility toward commoners in Poland (the Commonwealth times). Literally "dog's blood", but it is bloodline that is meant, not the actual blood of an actual doggy. It meant "dog's descendant/s", i.e., your ancestry is that of dogs, not of men. In singular form, it later became just a swearword, a relatively mild one, but still quite improper to throw around.
Oooo nie wiedziałam!
Great Insight, thank you
Jak Ty mnie w tym momencie zaimponiłeś! Za dzieciaka często starałem się być "klawy" (takie czasy ;d) więc rzucałem tym na lewo i prawo ale w życiu nie przeszedł mi przez głowę ten źródłosłów. Chapeau bas monsiuer Maciej!
Excellent work! Your Polish interpretations of the translation were the highlight. I look forward to the next part! 💜
💜💜
Thank you for your engaging summary of these Witcher books and the complementary Polish explanations. 💜
Thank you for the donation 💞💞
Dude You are such a life saver. I'm primarily a movie buff and a gamer but I recently got into fantasy books and this year I finished LOTR, Hobbit and The Simarillion, then I started cosmere and finished it, read Dune, uzumaki and sword of kaigen. Finally started The Last Wish and I can't believe I'm saying this but out of 40ish top rated books I read this year this one became my instant favourite, the only book that I have read 4 times as of now, and something just clicked with me this time. It felt like this world was just made for me, a lot of monsters and politics but humans usually come out to be more monstrous. Each short story was just awesome. And this video helped appreciate it even MORE, one of the best 2.5 hours spent this year. Probably your best video to date. Can't wait for part 2.
revived my witcher obsession with one video now i have to pick up the books and cry all over again
Dude I am Polish, read books and played series twice, and this video did this to me as well
Being a big fan of the games but not much of a "book guy", I enjoyed that very much, thank you 🙂
Subscribed and looking forward to the next one.
💜
thank you for watching and thank you for the donation!
Damn this shit is so fire, I read the last wish in Chinese and they got roach’s name right, I think the translation were straight out of polish.
But there’s a lot of tone and details that I think translation could not reach, thank you for explaining all of these, this is really a masterpiece, and your additional context about polish culture is super interesting too.
Yes on all mentioned. Greetings from Poland.
@@marcinmaj848 yo fr Poland is so mysterious for people from Asia, but when I steal the Witcher book from my friend and read it through, I got hooked on so badly, the fairytales, folklores and culture were so refreshing too a younger me, hope I could learn more about Poland.
💜I had to pause a couple of times, but I finally made it all the way. And I gotta say, watching you go through the final short story was a real treat. You're such a fangirl, it's adorable.
🥹🥹 thank you!
And thank you for watching all the way thru. Means a lot 💜
The fandom needs a part 2, this is the best witcher content on youtube 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
I have been searching for a comprehensive breakdown of The Witcher storyline for sooooo loooong. THANK YOU!!! You've brought so much context to a game series I absolutely love, and piqued my interest in reading the books. Much appreciated!
💜 I absolutely loved your cultural insights and translations, and your passion and love for this series! Thank you so much for the video. 2.5hrs flew by in a fraction! I'd love to see this as a series for the entire Witcher universe (including the comics and games if possible).
Noooo Im too early to see this not as a full series yet! I found the books very confusing with the sheer number of characters to remember struggling to focus on which may be "important". Your retelling is so compelling and the faces make it much easier to follow! And the translation clarifications are so interesting. I hope this series continues so I can be inspired to pickup and finish the last book!💜
And the Witcher 4 just got announced. What a perfect time to be a Witcher fan!!
Gosh I was so lucky haha hopefully it boosts it a bit!
Why, you wanna play as ugly Ciri?
@@mbii7667 Scared of women in your closet much
All i want is new Gwent cards fam 😭😭😭
@@mbii7667sigh these lot
This is amazing timing, I’m going through the books for the very first time, and this is seriously helping me with character names and making my read way more fun. Having a blast going through the last wish and can’t wait to read more today.
Hope you love the books! And I print out all the main relevant characters so if u get lost be sure to refer back to the images!
@valliyarnl💜finished the video and completed the last wish!! Such a excellent book and the short stories where so much fun to slowly read through, your vid helped a ton with keeping track of all the character names and how to say them. Thank you for all the hard work, really hope you continue the series with sword of destiny ⚔️
@@finalkaisen1242 wow! Thank you for finishing ☺️ and yes! I will!
I watched this after finishing The Last Wish and really appreciate your Polish interpretations. I'd watch a summary of every book. Little details being lost in translation makes me want to learn Polish. It's such a gorgeous language. Thanks for your efforts 💜
Thank you genuninely for making this! I dont know Polish, but i know very well from the languages i do speak that a lot can be lost in translation so it is really precious to be able to get these insights! I also love how you get so excited about the topic, especially the Geralt and Yen stuff! 🎼These scars long have yearned for your tender caress... 💜
To biiiind our fortuuunes damn what the stars own 🎶🎶🎶
As a Czech fan, I love that you make all the references to the Slavic folklore which was only too familiar to me while reading through the books. And I also love that you start at the beginning, with the Striga story. 💜💜💜
💜
Wow, awesome video! It's really great to get the perspective of a Pole for the lore and folklore. Thank you and I hope you do all of the books like this!
Hails from Bulgaria 💜💜
I'm so glad I read this book in Bulgarian instead of English when I found it, since Polish and English are both slavic languages, a lot of the meaning, the characters, the scenes were never lost in translation and even some words mean the exactly same things, which allowed me to properly fall in love with the series. Your video kind of rekindled my excitement for the story in the same way when I read it the first time, so I'm definitely looking forward for more like this! Thank you!
💜Excellent masterpiece. Thanks for the Polish explanations, really loved them and understood 99% of them since Im from Slovakia. The Witcher was my first fantasy series ever to read since I loved the W3 game and put a few hundred hours into it, so please please please!! keep on making these Plot explanations, as not only myself, but many of us love to immerse into this beautiful world. Thank You so much!! 💜
Given the recent reactions to Witcher 4’s reveal, I think it’s high time to refresh people - or tell them for the first time - about the books. Great vid
Also Mother Nenneke needs more love💜
Loved having a curated explanation of the nuance lost in translation, and your fondness for the books was delightfully evident 💜
Thank you so much for doing this is what I needed to learn more about the novel I tried reading the books but didn't really stick with it due to the way the book is writtenI keep getting lost and being busy with college but this video is a gold mine of information and the pictures with strings and connections also makes easier to understand and when you explain Polish things and legends it makes much more easier to understand certain things thank you for your amazing work
Awwwhhh this comment makes me feel like achieving exactly what I set out to do! Hopefully you’ll be able to experience the story through my retelling of it :)
I love seeing your passion for the franchise and the way you get excited and love the witcher so much !!
I hope you plan to do this for all the books !!!
Love this video Wera! What a great in depth production. Congratulations on this achievement.
Kiszone Ogórki for Life!!!! ❤
Ogórki kiszone babci are the best. Have a lovely Wigilia Bart!
@ yes! Wesołych Świąt 🎄
I'd kill for a new English translation of these books. I always hear from readers in the original Polish or even other non-English languages that one of the best things about the series is Sapkowski's lively use of language. But that rarely comes through in the English version, where I often find the prose to be a bit clumsy and odd. I'm always surprised that given the massive popularity of The Witcher III and then the franchise getting a fairly popular (if ambivalently received) Netflix show that there hasn't been some kind of push for a new translation. I'd imagine the feeling is if the existing translation will sell why bother paying for a new one, but I know I'm missing out on part of the joy of these books.
If kill for a new translation too. Like if they do nice special editions I wish they also do a new translation
Good point. As a Polish native speaker, I'd love to read a proper English translation. It is beyond my comprehension how it could be done. I'd like to learn "Żarłoczka."
By the way...the german translation isn't also really great. (Or maybe I should check it again if they were several attempts to make better translations because the first books came out in the 90s in German if I remember correctly. When the games start to appear they did a reprint and I am not sure if the translation was still the same.)
Oh and fun fact:
You can check out when the english translations came out and then compare it to how many other languages the books were translated into before the english versions and when they were published...
That is really crazy because that is quite uncommon in the (fantasy) book market.
And actually the first English translations very different version made by fans!
u see the problem is that english is very primitive language thats why it is so easy to learn
english simply doesnt have enuff words for decent translation
This was actually awesome i love all the different context between the english translation and the original from a native speaker! Makes the story that much better! Keep going with this one!
I want to learn polish so i can read the books in Polish, this video really motivates me to keep going with it, nice to get a better insight into the translation of the books to english
Grats on your bravery. It's a tall order as a lot of Spakowski's writing style is based on old Polish language and culture.
Wonderful breakdown of one of my all time favorite books, your passion is infectious! A full series of breakdowns for the Witcher would have my heart 💜
That’s my plan if this video is successful! So glad you liked it 🥰
💜 would love a part 2. greatly enjoy the polish perspective of one of my favorite book/game series
MORE PLEASE!!!! 💜 Absolutely love these books, and your cultural insight is such a breath of fresh air!
amazing! you can see how much work you put in this video. I have personnaly read the books but the insight you brought about the concepts that were lost in translation are just astounding.
Thank u 🥺
I came across this video as something I was planning on just listening to while I did something else. Two hours pass and I've only just wanted to stop listening only to go to bed! I loved YOUR love for the book and stories, and really enjoyed how you talked about the more difficult parts and how the whole book is as a whole. I really hope this is continued! As many others have said, it's saddening that you've gotten hate at all. Unfortunately there will always be people trying to bring you down, and after watching this vid, I'm reminded of the quote about men making up monsters to make it easier to live the the monsters in themselves. They'll attempt to take you down not because you've done anything wrong, but only because they can't bear seeing the happiness and joy they see in others that they themselves lack.
I wish you well in the new year, and will definitely be listening in again!
Thank you for creating this video and hope you proceed with the others. Explanation of so many nuances and references to our culture, stories and other things in such clear way might really help plenty of foreign fans 💜
1:54:39 For some reason I felt a little reference to Koziołek Matołek, but indeed troublesome one
2:22:50 answering what the last wish might be with big SPOILER ALERT for the saga just in case.
In my opinion, the final wish was " I want to be a father of Yennefer's child". In my eyes it makes too much sense - the wish protects them both from being killed by the Djinn as they both have to be alive. They have to have a kid, but both of them can't - Djinn could just make them fertile, but Djinn would try to make the wish in an unpredictable way. So instead he just makes them to fall in love and ties a kid into their fate. And it creates a good path for the whole destiny with Ciri and their little family.
Loved getting to know more about the translation Polish culture 💜 Keep them coming!
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💜💜💜I loved your summary a lot! It's just really fun and endearing to see someone tell the story who loves this saga a lot especially with extra informations.
I would love more parts of this!!
Dziękuję, że to robisz ❤. Z przyjemnością wysłuchałem, jak interpretujesz te opowiadania. Dla mnie takim momentem emocji były schody w twierdzy Stygga, gdy tam siedzą w trójkę.
I love all the insight into the Polish cluture you're giving us. And how the orginal text intended the interactions between characters to play out,l. Keep up the good work 💜💜💜
I'm just going to say that I wish Netflix had hired you to oversee the series, your love for Sapkowski's work is really contagious...thanks! I'd love for you to do the other books!
I like how you tell all the details that have been lost in translation, they are really important. I thought the same about the series, they didn't introduce Geralt much, they focused too much on Yen. But anyway, thanks again! Great video 💜
Absolutely love your passion in describing this series 💜. Netflix kind of killed it for me as I tend to go full nerd on something once I find a good storyline. To try and resurrection my interest i planned on playing the games but know they can never do the original work justice. Then i bought the audiobooks but wasnt sure where to start with proper book order. This was the missing piece thats helping me organize this otherwise chaotic list. Please do a part 2 and keep up the education on polish customs and showcasing the beauty of your language. 💜
Your Polish culture insight provides so much more to the stories, eagerly awaiting the next part 💪🏼
This is AWESOME! I am looking forward to more! Thanks for taking the time to do this!
This was amazing 💜 And when it comes to Geralt biting the princess, I have always understood it as the continuation of the technique Geralt used during the fight which was intimidating the striga by reflecting her own fury. I doubt that he put much thought into biting her, but since she still acted on her striga instincts he reacted in a way he would with the striga, and reflected her fury once more. This time by biting her neck.
Oh my gosh I love this interpretation too! Thank u for watching till the end 💜
yeah we should keep in mind that she was like that her whole life living like animals do
she dont know no better
so Geralt showed dominance exactly how it would be shown by one of her kind
what makes it really cool is that it works in real life
actually i thought this is basic knowladge and everybody understood it the same way i did lmao
I love listening to the audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny, he puts alot of emotion into the performance, I'd highly recommended. Also, fantastic video, gotta love a video essay
Thank you! ☺️
Just watched this video in full. Girl, you made a banger, and being a translator myself, I love all the references you made to the cultural and contextual translations and how they do or do not make sense when passed from Polish to English. Gonna see if you have moar for me to indulge in.
Jesus, that video is such a gem! You describe each story with depth and passion. Cannot wait to watch next parts!
I read the books some 6 years ago, after which I watched the cutscenes for the games 1 and 2. Then I played the third game. The entire experience was and still is the most enjoyment I ever got from a book/movie/show/whatever.
Thank you for this video, I'll have to re-read the books now (I read them in Czech, it's way better than the English translation).
Your hard work paid off, the video is amazing 🫡
Im so glad to hear that all 💞
Not done this video yet but knowing from a polish speakers perspective, the books are written from the voice of someone who's trying to be clever and witty or sarcastic rather then taking the words totally straight is SO relieving! I've heard from other English speaking fans that the books are sometimes a hard or awkward read because of weird misogynistic/bigoted writing in parts of the series; and while I'm sure that's true in some parts, it makes me a lot more excited to try reading them myself actually? Maybe going to see if there's alternate translations from translators more familiar with both polish and English slang and terminology ...(unfortunately I don't speak polish or else I'd just read the original
I really appreciated hearing the Polish elements that get lost in translation.
There's a lot of Gaelic influence I caught throughout.
Skellige appears to come from 'Sceilg,' an area of steep rock, usually applied to the islands off the coast of south-west Irland. Crach an Craite looks Gaelic but I can't think of a meaning for crach (maybe Crág an Chráite, 'Large-Hand/Paw of Destruction').
The elf endonym, Aen Seidhe, looks like Old Gaelic, 'Áes Síde' (modern: Aos Sí/Sidhe). Aos is cognate with Old Norse, 'Æsir,' and means race/people. Sidhe is usually translated to English as fairy but is used for anything pertaining to the pagan supernatural of ancient Gaelic culture.
With the Elf location, Dol Blathanna, blathanna means flowers, dol is the Scottish Gaelic verbal noun of 'go' (Irish Gaelic: dul).
Tir ná Lia of the Aen Elle, if written Tír na Lia of the Aos Eile, would mean 'The Land of the Stones' of the 'Other Race.'
Another point, of the many, for Francesca Findabair, Findabair is the Old Gaelic spelling of Fionnabhair, the Gaelic cognate of the Brythonic Gwenhwyfar. She's also called Enid an Gleanna: Enid, as far as I know, is Old Cumbric for 'soul' (modern: Enaid). 'An Ghleanna' means 'of the valley.'
Last obvious point, Kaer comes from Caer, the Cumbric word for 'fort.'
Couple of others, Belleteyn/Beltane comes from Beltaine (meaning 'Fires of Belenos'- Belenos was a Celtic God). Eist Tuirseach would translate as Listen (from imperative Éist) Tired. His brother's name, Bran, means 'raven' (likely GRRM's reason for using the name in ASoIaF). Ciri's full name includes Fiona (an awkwardly feminised version of Fionn (meaning 'fair')), and Riannon (from Cumbric Rhiannon, meaning 'maiden' or 'queen,' cognate with Gaelic Ríghean (meaning 'queen'))
Yes, Sapkowski (in his other, "non-Witcher" books) plays a lot with the cultural context of various types. For example, magical Jewish Golem and angelic characters mixed with 15th-century history, and some artifacts you can actually visit and see in Poland and the Czech Republic.
💜💜💜 Plllllss continue the series, u made me want to read the books again!!
Your excitement is contagious, really loved it. It was like seeing the same universe in a whole different vibe 💜
This is so beautifully in-depth, and more than that, entertaining and funny 🙏 I love your perspective on the Witcher’s storytelling and cultural identity! This will bring so many people together. There is a lot to look forward to.
I am also grateful that this video exists because now we all have something to link people to when they ask for a recap of the books ❤😂 I’m going to bookmark this link for future recommendation.
Thank you so much!! And thank you for the title cards 💞💞
Great video as always, never been much of a reader but I am a big fan of the Witcher games. Your videos has convinced me to start reading the Witcher books. Greetings from Sweden
Awww I’m glad you liked the video and that I convinced u to try the books! Hope you’re having a great day 💞
PLEASE keep doing this series 💜💜💜 the information about polish culture and language is SO cool and adds so much!!!!
30 minutes in and this is the video I didn't know I needed! I have read The Witcher books about 3 times and I could tell the translation didn't quite hit! As Romanian, we have quite a few similar words, first that struck me was the "carciuma" aka the inn. Having the inshight of a Polish person about Polish author and his books is just amazing! I'm so glad youtube showed me this video❤
Exactly what we all needed before Witcher 4. Dekuji moc (from Praha)!
💜 the explaining of language and what master Sapkowski said in his native tongue vs the translation, what was lost and what it meant gave a whole lot more meaning to these stories. thank you for the video
💜I really, really appreciate the Polish vs. English translation comparison and the cultural context!! Interesting to see how some of the mythology is lost in translation.
Also really enjoyed the note and comparison in regards the games and Netflix too. Really looking forward to more.
Also, are you going to be reviewing Wind and Truth? Really want to know how you felt about it :)
Yes but I’m just 43o pages in! Aiming for next weeks video!
@valliyarnl Ohhh you got a long way to go, no rush lol.
I agree "The matter of price" fits better than "question"
it works perfectly with the word question too. it's just not as commonly used in that context. one of the definitions of the word question is: a matter requiring resolution or discussion
@@waltdistel716 I agree, word "question" is a good tranlation. Just I think that Polish word "kwestia" in this context fits better with words "matter", "Issue", "point", in fact I would choose "question" as the last possibility. Why like this? The meaning of "Kwestia" connects with the priamry meaning of "matter", but only with one of secondary meanings of "question", so makes translation more accurate, less loose.