We Didn’t See This ‘Witcher’ Backstory Coming
A bard by any other name would still sing as sweet.
Since season 1 of The Witcher, Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Jaskier (Joey Batey) have been best friends. Even if Geralt won’t admit to it, it’s the truth. The two met in a tavern where Jaskier was playing and Geralt was trying to find work. Geralt (begrudgingly) allowed the bard to tag along on one of his adventures. Afterward, Jaskier wrote “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” and had everyone celebrating Geralt instead of shunning him. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
Jaskier is a talented bard and has become a rockstar on the Continent. He wears fashionable clothes and has a taste for the finer things in life. He’s obviously talented and can draw in a crowd. Like many real-life musicians, he also knows how to charm the pants off of anyone he wants. Online fans theorize he may also be a fae, as he never seems to age during his adventures with Geralt. As much as fans adore Jaskier, other than his time with Geralt, we don’t know much about his past. Season 3 of The Witcher changes that with an unexpected backstory about our favorite lutanist.
Why was Dandelion renamed Jaskier?
Geralt, Yennefer, and Cirilla are all characters from The Witcher novels and the video game series on which the Netflix show is based. Jaskier is also an original character. However, in the other English forms of The Witcher, he is called Dandelion. “Jaskier” is the Polish word for the flower “buttercup.” But when translators worked on the English translation of the texts, they opted for a different yellow flower, the dandelion. Instead of going with an English translation, Netflix opted for the original Polish word for his name.
What is Jaskier’s real name?
Now that we got that sorted out, Jaskier isn’t actually the character’s real name. It’s his stage name. I told you he was a rockstar. In season 3, we finally find out what Jaskier’s given name is. During a conversation with the wonderfully gruff Yarpen (Jeremy Crawford), Jaskier casually drops that his name is Julian Alfred Pankratz. I can see why he would want to change it to something fun like Jaskier. Plus “Julian Alfred Pankratz” doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it?
During the same episode, we also find out that Julian Alfred Pankratz is the Viscount of Lettenhove. That means that the traveling minstrel is actually a child of nobility. Sure, it could be a tall tale spun by Jaskier himself to seduce or impress someone, but I think it rings true. The bard is well-educated and has a penchant for fine clothes, food, and wine. Anytime he is at court, Jaskier fits right in, but he doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long. He also says in season 3 that life at court is too dull to want. If it were something he was trying to impress others with, he wouldn’t have changed his name and committed to a life on the road. Whether you call him Jaskier, Dandelion, or Julian Alfred Pankratz the Viscount of Lettenhove, you have to admit he can shred on a lute.
(featured image: Netflix)
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