In a recent tweet, Haily Hall, a writer for Netflix's upcoming fantasy series The Witcher, expressed her excitement for the completion of the writing stage of her first episode of a television series.

In what is obviously a joke (we think), Hall claimed "there will be demon deer and an evil palace goose and a country western ballad." It may have just been a joke aimed at those who have expressed irrational fears that the writers would spill their own views and fantasies on the series but many fans are taking it as a hint of which monsters they can expect from the series.

The world created by Andrzej Sapkowski is full of many different monsters, some born from nightmares, some inspired by classic fairytales and others drawing from classic fantasy. Here, we take a look the monsters fans wish to see adapted from Sapkowski's novels, The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, on which the first season of the Netflix series is likely to be based. Each one plays a role of some importance in the story of Geralt of Rivia, either because it changed him or helped to define who he is and what he does.

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Since showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has stated in the past that the series will also adapt elements of the popular video games, we'll also be throwing in a couple of the popular creatures from the series as well. So let's take a look at the nightmares Geralt of Rivia might encounter in the upcoming series. For those who are just getting into these novels, be warned, this article contains spoilers.

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Striga

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The beast's hair is long and red, its jaws are unnaturally wide and filled with sharp teeth. These creatures emerge under a full moon to devour any and all who encounter it. As told in "The Voice of Reason" in The Last Wish, Geralt encounters a striga and is given the near impossible task of finding a way to lift its curse without killing it. The reason being that the striga was actually King Foltest's cursed daughter, Adda the White, the offspring of Foltest and his own sister.

Not only is the striga a perfect example of the myths that inspired the novels, the story of Geralt and the striga is a perfect example of what a witcher does. For many fans this story was an introduction into Sapkowski's world of monsters and complexity. Sapkowski's monsters can't always be defeated with the swing of a sword. Oftentimes they need to be understood, and that goes for monsters of all kinds, be they magical or human.

Nivellen

Nivellen-The-Witcher

Deep in the woods of Redania, there lived a man cursed to live out his days alone in his enchanted castle after having been transmogrified into a hideous beast by a priestess he and his gang assaulted many years ago. The curse would only be broken when he found true love, which is something neither Nivellen or even Geralt understood about the curse until the very end.

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Nivellen, from "A Grain of Truth" in The Last Wish, was very clearly inspired by the beast from the classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve. The short story exhibits Sapkowski's ability to take creatures of fairytale and folklore and put his own unique twist on them to reflect on human nature and understanding, which is why the Netflix series would do well to adapt or mention Nivellen in some way.

Vereena

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At the end of "A Grain of Truth," it's discovered that the woman who chose to stay with Nivellen out of love is in fact a creature herself. She's a bruxa -- a type of vampire -- and reveals herself to Geralt when the witcher's intentions for the curse become clear. Bruxae are pale women who have the ability to tamper with the minds of their victims and destroy with a powerful shriek.

These creatures also appear in CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, so it would be recognized by more than just the fans of the novels. However adapting a monster like Vereena would not just provide the show with a great fight sequence; like the novel, it would also showcase the tendency of Sapkowski's novels to blur the line between monster and man. Vereena was very much a magical monster, but she felt love and hate and fought to protect her idyllic life just as any human would.

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Renfri

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The world of The Witcher is complex. Monsters are not always evil just as people are not always good. In fact the lines between good and evil are often blurred, just as they are in the real world and a perfect example of that is Renfri, who is not technically a monster but was thought to have borne the Curse of the Black Sun, meaning, she was born during a full eclipse and because of that, was thought to have been possessed by a demon from birth.

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The world treated her like a great evil and so she inevitably turned into a great evil. Geralt understood that and did his best to save her and the village of Blaviken. Renfri cannot change and the world around her cannot change, which eventually compels Geralt to make a choice and slaughter Renfri and her gang of bandits. The village folk could not understand and saw only a murderer, condemning Geralt as the Butcher of Blaviken. It's a name that followed Geralt throughout his journeys, highlighting the often misunderstood nature of a witcher. It's likely that the show will adapt this story and Renfri, as it helped to shape Geralt's views of the world around him and is an important part of his character.

Djinn

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In the world of The Witcher there are four types of genie. Djinn are genies of air and just as the genies you're probably used to hearing about, once captured, djinn are compelled to grant their captors three wishes before they are freed once again. The bard Dandelion unintentionally unleashed a djinn in The Last Wish and Geralt unintentionally bound himself to it, forcing it to grant him three wishes, though he was unaware.

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The story of Geralt and the djinn is important because of how it binds Geralt forever to the sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerberg, who defined Geralt's journey somewhat in the stories that followed. Given the list of important book characters Hissrich tweeted about, it's likely Yennefer will play an important role in the upcoming series, which means it's also likely that her relationship with Geralt will begin much in the same way as it does in The Last Wish: with the djinn.

Dragon

The-Witcher-3-Gwent-Villentretenmerth

Knights, princesses and dragons. These are the basics of any fairytale and The Witcher has them all, just not in the way you'd expect it and a great example of that is the golden dragon of "The Bounds of Reasons" from The Sword of Destiny. Monsters in Sapkowski's world are quite rare and dragons are rarer still. The reason for that being that they are incredibly intelligent and possess a variety of mystical powers.

In the short story, dragon slayers, sorcerers and nobles from far and wide journeyed to slay a green dragon. Geralt was invited to join the hunt by Three Jackdaws, who, in the end, revealed himself to be a dragon, Villentretenmerth, who joined the hunt to protect his mate, the green dragon, Myrgtabrakke. The story expanded on the relationship between Geralt and Yennefer and showcased just how powerful the sorceress is, which is why the story and Villentretenmerth should be included in the upcoming series. Hopefully the show's budget will allow for such a beast.

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Emiel Regis

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Unlike the other creatures in this list, Regis appeared in the third novel in the series, Baptism of Fire. However Hissrich listed the character in her tweets which means it's likely he will appear. Regis may appear to be a simple human but is in fact a higher vampire. Unlike other creatures, higher vampires possess a wide variety of abilities and are nearly impossible to kill or detect. Even Geralt's medallion will not pick up on the presence of a higher vampire.

Even professional monster killers such as witchers would run from higher vampires and yet Regis proved himself to be a kind soul and a loyal friend. He aided Geralt in his search for Ciri and saved the lives of others more than once. Regis is a great example of the mystery behind every face. Geralt had no idea what Regis was when the two first met and the revelation that he was a higher vampire shaped Geralt's views on monsters, contributing to the witcher's reluctance to slay sentient beasts. It's no wonder that Hissrich included him as an important character. Fans can only hope that Regis makes the cut and appears as a higher vampire in the series.

Leshen

The-Witcher-3-Leshen

Much like many of the monsters in Sapkowski's novel, the Leshen, created for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is based on a creature from slavic folklore. They protect ancient forests, using magic to control the wildlife and plant life in order to defend their territory. The reason why we're mentioning them is because, as they are depicted in the video game, Leshy bear deer skull atop their shoulders of bark. Could this monster be the "demon deer" Hall was tweeting about?

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A fight with a Leshen also has potential when it comes to showcasing the world of The Witcher. These mystical creatures highlight the conflict between humankind and nature, while capturing the spirit of slavic folklore and myth. It may not be somewhat strange to book fans but it would be an interesting addition nonetheless.

Fiend

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If Hall was serious about the demonic deer, then perhaps fans can expect to see something akin to a fiend from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If anything fits that description, it's the fiend, which possesses a giant, monstrous body covered with tufts of dark reddish-brown hair and the head of a deer with a third eye capable of hypnotizing prey.

In terms of depth to an episode, it's difficult for someone on the outside to see how the fiend would work beyond action sequences, but maybe it wouldn't have to. If the point is to showcase Geralt's profession and treat fans of the video games with something familiar, fiends, which were prominent in the game's marketing, would be the creature to do it. The chances of it appearing are quite slim, mostly because Hall's tweet is for the most part, a joke, but video game fans can always hope.