Evils of the Continent Week 4 — Nivellen
A Witcher’s Bestiary to Season 2 Monsters
Only ONE WEEK LEFT until we return to the Continent for Season 2 of Netflix’s The Witcher! This weekly blog takes a look at some of the teased and confirmed monsters for Season 2, bringing you quick context, lore, and insight.
During Netflix’s TUDUM event on Sept. 25, fans got an up-close look at a particularly hairy beast who’s kind of a big deal in the first Witcher book, The Last Wish. So without further adieu, meet Nivellen!
Who is Nivellen?
Nivellen appears in Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story A Grain of Truth. While looking for a shortcut along the path, Geralt is charged by a monster, part man, part beast. After a few initial threats and banter, Geralt and the beast become quite friendly, and they dine and dish for a while about truth, happy endings, and the curse that turned Nivellen into the hairy beast we’ll see in Episode 1 of Season 2.
Nivellen was born into a family of violence and thievery. His father ran a successful gang that made a killing (pun intended) by robbing and, well… killing, travelers. But when his father died prematurely (such is the life of a brigand), Nivellan inherited command of the gang and his father’s manor.
A Monster in Human Skin
Nivellen is very young when he assumes control of the thieves and is eager to prove himself a leader. One unfortunate day, the group determines to pillage a temple of worshipers to Coram Agh Tera, a god known for supplying powerful curses. After the robbery’s swift end, the other robbers goad Nivellan into raping a young priestess, during which the priestess invokes a curse, accusing Nivellen of being “a monster in human skin” that shall become “a monster in monster skin.”
Nivellen, the Beast
Several days later, the curse sets in, and Nivellen is left beastly and desperate to find a cure. One day, he catches a merchant stealing a rose from his father’s garden. Nivellen corners the merchant and demands payment for the rose and sparing the man’s life. Thinking that true love could break his affliction, Nivellen requests one year of companionship with the merchant’s daughter in hopes that it could lift the spell if she falls in love with him.
Despite establishing a genuine friendship with the merchant’s daughter, a year ends without improving his condition, and Nivellen sends the girl home packed with riches. When she returns unharmed and wealthy, word spreads of a beast that pays handsomely for one year of companionship. A horde of merchant’s daughters soon flocks to the manor.
Over the next 12 years, Nivellen takes in many visitors, returning each alive, well-fed, and prosperous after their one-year terms. But one day, a girl shows up with no intention to leave — ever.
Her name is Vereena, and she isn’t a girl but a Bruxa manipulating Nivellen into hunting blood on her behalf. And that’s when Geralt shows up.
For more on Vereena, check out Week 1 of Evils of the Continent
Influences: Beauty and the Beast
There is one glaringly obvious influence for A Grain of Truth — the story of Beauty and the Beast. However, Sapkowski published his story in 1990 in Fantastyka Magazine, one year before Disney’s animated film. So while many of the story elements are similar — in true Witcher fashion, A Grain of Truth is influenced by a much darker and grittier telling of the tale from storytellers like Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve or Andrew Lang’s Blue Book of Fairy Tales.
What to Expect in Season 2, Episode 1
Take a cursed man, the search for true love, a propensity for roses, throw in a vampire bride for flavor, and you’ve got a simple but effective twist on a classic tale.
From the trailers we’ve seen so far, Season 2’s A Grain of Truth deviates pretty significantly from the original short story. For starters, Geralt and Nivellen’s relationship seems to be rather established in Season 2, so we’ll likely miss out on their first tense encounter. Second, Geralt already has Ciri under his wing, whereas in the book version, he hadn’t yet made his famous Law of Surprise in Calanthe’s court as portrayed in Season 1, Episode 4. As such, Nivellen’s character will undoubtedly be used as a vehicle to explain more about Geralt’s past, future, and to reiterate some details of the Witcher life that Nightmare of the Wolf already expertly laid out for audiences.
Next Stop — The Woods
Thanks for reading. We’ve one more stop to make on our way to Season 2. Make sure to brew some potions and sharpen your silver because next week, we’re unpacking one of the most iconic monsters promised for Season 2 — The Leshen.
