‘The Witcher:’ How This ‘Game Of Thrones’ Language Guru Perfected The Netflix Series

Only a few days remain before the anticipated release of “The Witcher” and more behind-the-scenes facts are coming out. The Netflix series, adapted from Andrzej Sapkowski’s Polish novels, will not only feature new monsters and magical abilities never seen in “The Witcher” books or video games, but will also follow more closely the three characters of Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan).

According to IGN, “The Witcher” language called “Elder Speech” will also be showcased in the Netflix original series. Helmed by David J. Peterson, the creator of the Dothraki language in “Game of Thrones,” Elder Speech remains one of the most important aspects in breathing life into the on-screen world of “The Witcher.”

“When you’re working with an established property like ‘The Witcher,’ the fans have collected some of the stuff online, but I found the best place to go is the original books themselves to see all the words that are there, and specifically, what kind of translations they’ve been given to figure out not only what the words are, but also how you think they might be pronounced, and what grammar can be gleaned from the sentences,” Peterson explained.

There are a variety of languages and dialects in “The Witcher” lore, from Elder Speech to Zerrikanian. Though not all may be represented in Season 1, there are a plethora of other languages to explore well into the future seasons of “The Witcher.”

“There are entire scenes that are done in Elder Speech,” said showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. “We’re relying on it that much.”

Not only does “The Witcher” share dialect gurus with HBO’s fantasy series, but the show also has the same VFX team. Cinesite worked on both “Game of Thrones” and “Avengers: Endgame,” adding fuel to the fire of anticipation for “The Witcher,” as the monsters and fight scenes may feel as lifelike as ever before.

Coupled with the dialect work done by Peterson, who has also worked on “Penny Dreadful,” “The 100” and the upcoming “Dune,” Netflix’s “The Witcher” is seemingly shaping up to be one realistic yet fantastical adventure through the beast-strewn world of the Continent.

This Friday marks the monstrous debut of Netflix’s “The Witcher.”