In the third episode of The Witcher Season 2, “What Is Lost”, Stregobor tries to justify his crusade against Yennefer and her quarter-elf heritage by telling the story of Falka, an important figure from history who led an uprising against Redania’s King Vridank. While she died many years before the story depicted in the show, she remains important as more than just a historical figure. But who is Falka, and is she related, distantly, to Ciri? Read on to find out.
Who is Falka?
The child of Redania’s King Vridank and his first wife, Beatrix of Kovir, Falka was said to have been dark-haired and very Elven-looking, which in Witcher parlance tends to mean beautiful. When her father met Cerro, he quickly divorced her mother and sent both her and one-year-old Falka packing. 25 years later, believing she was the heir to Redania by birthright, she began a rebellion.
During the rebellion, Falka killed her father, his wife, and her two step-brothers, Heltmult and Denhard, allegedly with her own hands. Her rebels also accidentally imprisoned Riannon, the pregnant wife of King Goidemar of Temeria, also the adopted daughter of Cerro and the real daughter of Lara Dorren, making her an ancestor of Ciri, and while in prison, Riannon gave birth to twins, Fiona and Amavet. This sent her mad, and when Falka also gave birth, she left her child, Adela, in Riannon’s care. Nobody, including Riannon, knew which of the children was Falka’s, and all three were raised together.
Eventually, Falka’s rebellion was quelled and she was executed by being burned at the stake. She cursed all those present, promising that they and their descendants would suffer at the hands of a child bearing her bloodline.
Is Falka related to Ciri?
Sources differ a little in this regard, so buckle up. The official answer seems to be no — she’s related to Riannon, the daughter of Lara Dorren. The general idea is that there are two conflicting prophecies at play here. One, Ithlinne’s prophecy, suggests a child with Elder Blood will save the world, and the other, Falka’s “curse”, suggests that a child with Elder Blood will destroy it. So, this positions Lara Dorren and Falka as, in very simplistic terms, avatars of good and evil, salvation and destruction, with Lara Dorren’s descendants being thought of as the saviors and Falka’s as the destroyers.
The reason it gets complicated is because of the kids. The generally accepted history is that Fiona was Riannon’s child, and Adela was Falka’s, but because of Riannon’s madness, she couldn’t tell the difference. If it was the other way around, which is certainly possible, then Ciri could be a direct descendent of Falka, who supposedly also had Elder Blood through her half-elf mother, Queen Beatrix, and her elf grandmother.
You can find out who Falka is by streaming The Witcher Season 2 exclusively on Netlix.
