The Witcher is easily one of the biggest video game franchises around, in no small part due to the runaway success of the third game in the series. In fact, the franchise has become so popular that the books have also shot up in terms of both sales and popularity, with the Witcher books achieving worldwide fame, as a result.
The people who've read the books would've definitely noticed one thing about a fairly major character in the second game who takes on more of a minor role in the third — Philippa Eilhart. There are several things about her that have been either briefly touched upon or just completely skipped in the games.
So, for people who want to know more about Philippa's character without having to read the novels, here are ten things about her that only book readers have any knowledge of.
10 Her Name Is Spelt "Filippa" In The Novels
The first minor change that needs to be discussed is the fact that the spelling of Philippa's name itself is changed in the games!
As per the novels, the head of the Lodge of Sorceresses is actually named "Filippa." It's a minor change, but something that is definitely quite interesting regardless.
9 She's Not That Bad Of A Person In The Books... Although She Is Pretty Wily Regardless
While the games have made Philippa out to be a completely selfish, power-hungry, and narcissistic individual who only looks out for opportunities that could benefit herself — at the cost of others — the book version of Philippa is a bit more... human, in this regard.
There's no denying the fact that she's still pretty wily in the books, but there's at least some sort of a moral compass attached to her character — something that is evidently missing in the games.
8 Her Schemes Fail Way More Often In The Books
In fact, Philippa isn't just more selfish and conniving in the games — she's also smarter, with the only reason for her plans failing due to the immaculate work of Geralt and Triss.
In the books, her plans are way more hare-brained in comparison and end up being both poorly thought-out and dreadfully executed as well.
7 She Tried To Use A Young Radovid As A Pawn In Her Plan To Kill King Vizimir
A great way to illustrate the point mentioned above is the fact that Philippa even went so far as to use a young and impressionable Radovid in a completely ill-judged plan to take out King Vizimir.
This plan didn't make sense for two reasons — the first one being that Vizimir was already old and ailing as is. Killing him off served no purpose other than to accelerate the king's decay.
The second reason why this plan was doomed to fail from the start was that...
6 Radovid Hated Her Because Of The Way She Treated Him
From the moment he was a child, Radovid was constantly coddled and demeaned by Philippa, with the latter going so far as to say that she held more power over the dominion than the young prince.
This ultimately led to Radovid harboring feelings of hatred towards Philippa and all witches in general, leading to him becoming such a huge tyrant as a ruler who kickstarted the infamous Witch Hunt.
5 Ciri Gave Her The Nickname "Miss Owl"
This part is rather simple to describe — both book readers and fans of the Witcher games will be well aware of the fact that Philippa could transform into an owl at will.
So, after a young Ciri witnessed this transformation in front of her eyes, she decided to given the sorceress the nickname "Miss Owl".
While this might hint towards the idea that Ciri and Philippa had a cordial relationship, the truth is anything but...
4 She Tried To Manipulate Ciri As A Tool
While there's no denying the fact that Philippa did have a small soft spot for Ciri — in the books, she voted in favor of Ciri meeting Geralt one last time when the Lodge was asked this question — that's no excuse for the devious manner in which she tried to turn Ciri into a tool for the Lodge.
In fact, she even went so far as to try to get Ciri pregnant so that the child could be raised under the Lodge's guidance — a plan that sounds even horrible once people realize that Ciri was only 15 at the time!
3 Triss Is Quite Subservient To Philippa In The Books
A surprising fact that most people might not be aware of is the fact that there was actually one particular sorceress that actually supported Philippa's plan to use Ciri... and that was none other than the beloved Triss Merigold.
In fact, Triss is pretty meek when it comes to interacting with Philippa in the books, which is rather odd since she doesn't shy away from being defiant against the leader of the Lodge in the games.
2 She Was Tortured And Killed By The Church Of The Eternal Fire
Unfortunately, like most of the characters in the Witcher series — books or otherwise — Philippa's fate in the novels is anything but pleasant.
In Lady of the Lake, Philippa is captured by the Church of the Eternal Fire, where she is doomed to a lifetime of torture before eventually succumbing to her wounds.
Regardless of how vile Philippa might've been as a character, no one would wish this fate, not even on their worse enemies.
1 Philippa Is Worshipped As A Martyr Further Down The Line
Thankfully, there's a silver lining for this story — years down the line, Philippa is actually revered as a Martyr Saint. Most of the heinous crimes that she committed are unbeknownst to the public due to her crafty political connections and manipulations.
Meanwhile, the person who was responsible for capturing, torturing, and killing her — Archpriest Willemer — was reviled by the public as a heretic, which is quite an ironic turn of events.