The Law of Surprise is a mystical concept that is often mentioned in The Witcher books. Even though it isn’t as prevalent in the game series, its presence is crucial to the fantasy world, and especially to Witchers.
The Law of Surprise is also an important aspect of the overall story in The Witcher series. It is what pushes Geralt and Ciri together in old Witcher’s travels. It is also the Law of Surprise (among other things) that binds Geralt and Ciri together.
The Law of Surprise in the World of The Witcher
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The Law of Surprise is a custom that is familiar to all of humanity in the world of The Witcher. It is often invoked when a person comes to another’s aid, but the latter has nothing to give their savior in return. Thus, the savior can then call on the Law of Surprise.
There are plenty of ways one can invoke the Law of Surprise, with the main differences being in the wording. Some request “the first thing that comes to greet you,” while others ask for “what one finds at home that one does not yet expect.” Whatever the case, the Law of Surprise is essentially a gamble. The savior never knows what they might acquire from invoking it. A reward could be something as simple as an eager dog, and other times it might turn out to be an unborn child.
In The Witcher book series it was often Witchers who made use of the Law of Surprise, as it was one method of recruiting new students to their Witcher schools. Granted, this didn’t always result in a “Child Surprise,” as the books referred to them. Geralt’s story, however, introduces readers to two different Child Surprises.
How Ciri Became Geralt’s Child Surprise
The short story “A Question of Price” in The Witcher book The Last Wish is when Geralt first binds himself to Ciri through the Law of Surprise. The story takes place in the castle of Cintra, one of the Northern Kingdoms. Queen Calanthe is hosting a banquet to celebrate her daughter Pavetta’s 15th birthday. According to custom, potential suitors are then allowed to vie for the princess’ hand. Geralt is also present at the banquet, having been invited by the queen herself to ensure that her desired outcome came to be.
After some time, an uninvited guest barges into the banquet hall and introduces himself as Urcheon of Erlenwal. He is wearing a full suit of Witcher armor that obscured his face and refuses to take it off until midnight. Urcheon then explains that Pavetta belonged to him as he had saved the life of Queen Calanthe’s husband, King Roegner of Ebbing. Because the late king had nothing to give Urcheon in return, he invoked the Law of Surprise. Thus, Pavetta was his long before she was born.
Later, it is revealed that Urcheon is a hedgehog-like creature with spines and fangs. Having uncovered this, Calanthe was confident that her daughter would never willingly give herself to Urcheon. But to her surprise, Pavetta agrees. As a result, the princess’ other suitors begin to fight Urcheon, with Geralt coming to his aid. When Urcheon was close to defeat, Pavetta unleashed a strong magical blast in The Witcher that disrupted the entire banquet.
Once everything had calmed down, Pavetta confesses that she and Urcheon had been meeting in secret, and that the two were in love. Only then does Queen Calanthe agree to let them stay together. Urcheon then turns to Geralt, saying that he was in the Witcher’s debt. With some coaxing, Geralt invokes the Law of Surprise, revealing that Pavetta was pregnant with a daughter — Ciri of The Witcher books.
The Power of Destiny (and Something More)
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Though Geralt of The Witcher books doesn’t believe in the Law of Surprise and its connection to destiny, both concepts are very much intertwined in the world of The Witcher. This is seen in how often Geralt bumps into Ciri despite actively trying to avoid her.
He first meets her by chance in the forests of Brokilon. This occurs in Sword of Destiny, specifically in the short story of the same name. Geralt successfully gets the young Ciri out of the dryads’ territory but, soon after, leaves her in the care of the druid Mousesack (who is Ermion in The Witcher 3). Much to Ciri’s dismay, the old Witcher is actively running away from her, his destiny.
Much later, Geralt finally decides to embrace his Child Surprise and starts traveling back to Cintra to take her with him. On the way, however, he learns from Dandelion that Cintra had been overrun by The Witcher’s Nilfgaardian forces. Queen Calanthe was dead. Pavetta and Urcheon had reportedly been dead for some time as well. Ciri was probably dead as well. With this knowledge, Geralt gives up on his quest and turns around.
As destiny would have it, however, Ciri was still very much alive. The young girl managed to escape Cintra and ended up in the care of a kind woman with two other children. Of course, Geralt was wholly unaware of this, but destiny, once again, pushed the two together.
In The Witcher short story “Something More” from Sword of Destiny, Geralt saves a struggling merchant from a horde of monsters so that he can repair his cart and continue down the road. In doing so, he invokes the Law of Surprise as the merchant has nothing to give Geralt in return. The Witcher succeeds in fighting off the beasts but is heavily wounded. The merchant then brings him along on his journey, promising to get him some medical help.
At the end of the story, Geralt is fully healed and finds himself in the merchant’s home. Though he tells the merchant that he no longer wants the payment invoked by the Law of Surprise, Ciri suddenly bursts out through the doors and runs to Geralt. It seems the mystical force of destiny is at play here, and it’s intent on bringing the Witcher and his Child Surprise together. Thus, the Law of Surprise is not just a simple exchange, but an agreement that binds the fates of two individuals.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
