The Witcher: Why Geralt Didn't Kill Nivellen (But Did Vereena)
In The Witcher season 2, episode 1 “A Grain of Truth,” Geralt (Henry Cavill) kills Vereena (Agnes Born) without hesitation, but does not offer the same fate to Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju). The action, or rather, lack thereof, seems a little odd given the crimes of his old friend, but the scene was updated from its original depiction in Andrzej Sapkowski’s book, The Last Wish, quite significantly. His books tell fairy tales within the Witcher’s world and the changes made to this one for the television adaptation have given it a more modern sensitivity.
Nivellen, The Witcher season 2’s version of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, is found at his large estate and is quickly revealed to be a friend of Geralt’s. Nivellen says he had been cursed by a priestess whose temple he destroyed, but in actuality, she cursed him into becoming the beast that he now is because he had raped her. The story goes that Nivellen thought perhaps by getting a woman to truly fall in love with him, he would be transformed back into his human form. He ends up taking Vereena into his home, falling in love with her. However, Geralt kills her when it is revealed that she is a Bruxa, a type of vampire inspired by Portuguese folklore. At this point, Nivellen is transformed back into a human, and when he asks for Geralt to kill him, the white-haired Witcher refuses.
Related: Why The Witcher Season 2 Killed Off Eskel
It seems a contradictory decision; Nivellen is Geralt's friend but his actions were monstrous and Geralt has never let sentimentality stop him from killing a monster in the past. However, Nivellen is spared because he poses no current threat. After they find out that Nivellen had been cursed due to his heinous actions against the priestess,
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