Who is Avallac'h? The Witcher: Blood Origin character explained

The Witcher: Blood Origin serves as a prequel to the highly successful series The Witcher on Netflix. The miniseries takes place more than a thousand years before The Witcher and explores the very first prototype of the magically enhanced monster hunters along with the events that led to the much-referenced Conjunction of the Spheres.

During the The Witcher: Blood Origin promotional tour, showrunner Declan de Barra confirmed with Screen Rant a few familiar names set to appear in the show including the mysterious sage Avallac'h (Samuel Blenkin) and that we would see a different side of the character where he is in the "baby stages" and hasn't "been corrupted yet."

Avallac'h is featured not only in Andrzej Sapkowski's books but also in the video games from CD Projekt Red. Based off his appearances in the two mediums, we can piece together what we might possibly expect from him in The Witcher season three and beyond. So let's learn more about the elf whose full name is Crevan Espane aep Caomhan Macha.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Witcher Saga novels, and The Witcher video games.

Who is Avallac'h in The Witcher: Blood Origin?

Avallac'h is a young, unassuming sage apprentice who jumps to action and rescues the empress from an assassination attempt. Due to his bravery, he is named her bodyguard, but assumes another role for the figurehead of the Xin'trea Empire. Since the empress doesn't fully trust her collaborators, Avallac'h serves as a spy monitoring both Chief Sage Balor and Captain Eredin, the leader of the military.

Avallac'h's sage training gives him the ability to wield magic as demonstrated during the attempted assassination, however there are limitations to his power. He is easily subdued when confronted by Chief Sage Balor and he is unable to unlock the gateways to other worlds utilizing the monoliths.

Avallac'h does prove to be quite intelligent. While reading Syndril's texts and calculations pertaining to the monoliths, he discovers that they can be used to travel through time. During the credits scene of The Witcher: Blood Origin, we see he eventually masters the skill visiting the present to lurk in the shadows and keep tabs on a young Ciri.

How does Avallac'h fit into The Witcher mythos?

It's peculiar that the television universe introduces the character at this point. Avallac'h doesn't make his first appearance until the second to last novel of The Witcher Saga, while the flagship series' most recent season incorporated elements from the first book, Blood of Elves. Nevertheless, Avallac'h plays a significant role in the story so it might not hurt to introduce him so early. Plus, the TV show deviates from the source material at times, so this could be a similar case.

In the novels, Avallac'h is a member of the Aen Elle, a subset of elves who developed their own society and culture in a separate world to the elves found on the Continent, or Aen Seidhe. Avallac'h crosses paths with Geralt in the novel, The Tower of the Swallow, where he discusses Ithlinne's prophecy that predicted the world would end in an Ice Age, but the elves would be saved by a Child of the Elder Blood.

The sage also shares the story of his betrothed, Lara Dorren, and how they would have produced a powerful heir. Unfortunately for him, Dorren fell in love with a human sorcerer named Cregennan of Lod, which caused even greater strife between the two races. Their descendants, one of whom is Ciri, carry the Lara gene which grants them powerful magical powers. Avallac'h then is unsuccessful in persuading Geralt to end his pursuit of Ciri so she could follow her destiny and fulfill the prophecy.

Avallac'h then shows up in The Lady of the Lake after Ciri is unknowingly transported to the Aen Elle world. He creates a magical barrier that prevents her from escaping. In order to be freed, she must marry the king, Auberon Muircetach, and bear a Child of Elder Blood. Later while preparing for her daily ride, Ciri is approached by General Eredin who tells her she is being deceived and that Avallac'h has no intentions of letting her go. This leads to her planning an escape.

The character also plays a substantial part in the video games. In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the unsavory aspects of Ciri's imprisonment and rape by King Auberon are only briefly mentioned. Avallac'h and Ciri have a less antagonistic relationship with the former serving as a mentor to the latter helping her master her powers. Though it is revealed in Act III that he has an unhealthy obsession with the Lara gene.

How is Avallac'h different from TV to games/novels?

The Witcher: Blood Origin version of Avallac'h is at an earlier stage than the ones found in the source material and video games. He is younger and, through most of the series, is a less powerful magic user. Moreover, he seems less world weary and jaded and initially helps the empress as a natural reaction rather than due to any hidden agendas or motives.

Visually, at least compared to the video games, he has a less intimidating look. His youthful appearance, slender frame, and lightly colored apparel provide an innocence about him. But there is something ominous with him stalking Ciri from an alley. Also, because we meet Avallac'h prior to the Conjunction of the Spheres, he doesn't have the disdain for humans. Of course, he hasn't met one nor has had his future wife wooed away by one yet.

Will Avallac'h appear in The Witcher season three?

There is no official word whether Avallac'h will be a part of the next season of The Witcher. However, one of the bigger storylines of season two involved Ciri's Elder Blood and Ithlinne's prophecy, subjects that the Sage is knowledgeable about. AIf the show's writers follow the source material, which they do to a degree, it wouldn't be a surprise to see more of Avallac'h. Why would you invest in a credits scene featuring the character if you didn't plan on using him more?

In an interview with The Up Coming, de Barra and producer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich were open to bringing Avallac'h and others back to the main series with de Barra stating "It's absolutely a possibility but it's in the hands of Lauren." Hissrich was as optimistic saying, "The writers’ room for The Witcher has also fallen in love with these characters, and definitely ones where we think, 'How do we bring this person back?'" De Barra added, "If you’re not dead on Blood Origin, you can be alive anywhere else."

What is the etymology of Avallac'h?

Sapkowski references another fantasy world through the character. Avallach is a name used for the mythical British Isle of Avalon, known to be home of magical creatures such as fairies, elves, and fae. It is also highly featured in Arthurian legends. Interestingly, the final book The Lady of the Lake includes the characters of Nimue and Sir Galahad.

Want more, here's how to watch the Witcher in chronological and release order.