The Witcher: 10 things Most Fans Don’t Know About the Battle of Sodden
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The world of The Witcher is large and expansive, secrets found in every corner. Just what secrets does the Battle of Sodden hold?
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The Battle of Sodden Hill took place in the finale of the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher adapted from the Andrzej Sapkowski novels. It offered fans the closest look any of them had ever gotten at the legendary attack and it was just as dramatic as its description in the novels.
However, there is a lot about the battle that may not be apparent to show watchers from that single episode alone. The battle was a decisive factor in the end of Nilfgaardian aggression and so much more.
10 There Were A Lot of Combatants
While the Battle of Sodden Hill seemed huge on Netflix, its focus on a few characters in particular (Yennefer, Triss, Tisaia, etc.) may not have highlighted the scope of the encounter to its fullest. There were over 100,000 fighters in the Battle of Sodden Hill, made up of both Nilfgaardian soldiers as well as the Northern Kingdoms. That’s a lot of soldiers (and mages) in one place, and it certainly earned its place in the history of the both Nilfgaard and the Cintran Kingdom.
9 There Were A Lot of Casualties
While the Netflix finale left fans in the dark about the fate of a few of the most popular mages, over 30,000 warriors and sorcerers were injured or killed in the battle overall. That’s a whole 30% of all participants in the fight. The victory of the Northern Kingdoms obviously came at great cost. Fourteen of the dead were all sorcerers, which was quite the loss to the magical and ruling class in particular. The battle may have been decisive, but it was also tragic as well.
8 It Was The Second Battle of Sodden Hill
While popularly known as the Battle of Sodden Hill, the encounter was actually, historically, the Second Battle of Sodden Hill. The First Battle of Sodden Hill took place at the beginning (rather than the end) of the First Northern War. The First Battle of Sodden Hill was one the Northern Kingdoms lost to Nilfgaard, leading to their invasion and conquest of Cintra and the major plot points of The Witcher series, both the books and the television show.
7 Sodden Hill Has Many Names
Sodden Hill is well known due to the battles that took place there, but it is not always referred to as Sodden Hill. It is known by many different names including Mage Hill, Kite Hill, and the Hill of the Fourteen.
Mage Hill and the Hill of the Fourteen come from the fourteen mages who were killed during the Second Battle of Sodden Hill as they fought to defend the North against the Nilfgaardian Army. Fourteen graves sit on Sodden Hill in the aftermath of the battle, but their story is also complicated.
6 There Are 14 Graves and Only 13 Bodies
There are fourteen graves on Sodden Hill honoring the (supposed) fourteen mages who died fighting the Nilfgaardian Army. However, there are no more than thirteen bodies buried beneath the fourteen grave markers. Triss Merigold was assumed to be dead and was honored among the fourteen. However, while injured, she did survive the battle. Her name is included despite the fact that she survived. Each year fires are lit to honor those who were lost in the fight.
5 Geralt Doesn’t Know Who Survived
In the novels, Geralt does not know which fourteen mages died at the Battle of Sodden Hill until he visits the hill himself and reads the names on the graves there. He worries that Yennefer is among the dead and is even afraid to read the last name on the grave, fearing that it will be Yennefers. While the battle is very famous, the details are always a little bit hazy due to the chaos. Thus, fourteen are believed to have died when it was really thirteen, and the names of those lost is not circulated.
4 The Bodies Were Hard to Identify
The injuries of the combatants were severe across the board. The reason fourteen sorcerers are believed to be dead (rather than the thirteen who actually perished) is because the bodies of some of the dead are so difficult to identify due to their extensive injuries. Due to the number of injured it was also difficult to find and identify mages who actually survived (Triss Merigold for instance). The Battle of Sodden Hill may have been a victory for the Northern Kingdoms, but it came at quite a cost.
3 Triss Was Disfigured
Beyond not being able to identify the bodies of the dead, some, like Triss Merigold (in the novels) was so disfigured no one recognized her even as she walked around, very much alive.
That’s why her name remains on the graves honoring the lost mages on Sodden Hill. The battle had far-reaching consequences for both sides, both politically and personally. Triss, despite retaining her life, lost quite a bit at the battle.
2 The Battle Is Recounted in the Books
While the finale of the first season of The Witcher offers fans an up-close and personal look at the Battle of Sodden Hill, in the books the battle is only recounted after it is over. Readers, like Geralt, don’t see the fight, they only head about it after the fact. The novels are written largely from Geralt’s perspective and, since he was not at the battle himself, this is the only way to get the information on the page.
1 Yennefer is Blinded for a Bit
In the novels, Yennefer is blinded as part of the injuries after surviving the Battle of Sodden Hill. It remains to be seen if this is included in the series, but, as Triss was still very identifiable at the end of the battle, the injuries on screen may differ slightly from those that are covered in The Witcher’s original novels. Everyone will have to wait for season two to see how much of the aftermath of Sodden Hill is covered.
Jessie Atkin holds an MFA in creative writing. She is a storyteller, writer, and reader. She’s a YA connoisseur, Star Wars enthusiast, Harry Potter fanatic, Mets devotee, and trivia aficionado.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/the-witcher-battle-of-sodden-facts/