WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Season 1 of The Witcher on Netflix and Andrzej Sapkowski's novel saga.

With just eight episodes and three major characters to introduce, Season 1 of Netflix's The Witcher leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to explaining some of its crucial elements, like the show's main antagonist, Nilfgaard.

Thanks to the sorceress Fringilla Vigo and the menacing Cahir -- who serve as the faces of Nilfgaard this season -- the show is able to drop hints here and there about what the empire wants and who is leading them, however, those who are unfamiliar with either the novels or video games are unlikely to pick up on them. To newcomers, Fringilla, Cahir and all of their underlings might appear as a group akin to religious fanatics, with their tendency to remind themselves or each other about their complete devotion to the mysterious "White Flame" or throw out ominous references to obscure prophecies like, "The time of the sword and axe is nigh." This despite showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich's best efforts to depict them as something more.

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If the show is going to adhere to Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, then this is not the impression of Nilfgaard that audiences should be getting. So if Nilfgaard isn't an expanding nation of religious zealots, then what exactly is its army fighting for and why do they do it in the name of the White Flame? To answer that (without having to wait another year), we have to turn to the books.

In Blood of Elves, we find the first crucial piece of evidence that Netflix's Nilfgaardians aren't completely insane. Translated from Elder Speech is Ithlinne's Prophecy, an ancient foretelling of events leading up to a cataclysmic event called the White Frost. Cahir's ominous line about the "Time of sword and axe" was taken directly from this prophecy and reveals why he and the rest of Nilfgaard are so desperate to find Ciri for the White Flame. In fact, it's worth mentioning that Ciri herself recited the prophecy in her trance-like state at the end of "Before a Fall." But before we get into that, it's important to understand the civilization that this soldier and his sorceress compatriot are fighting for.

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On the surface, Nilfgaard might appear to be just another state trying to expand its control over the Continent for territory, wealth, stability or any of the other hundred reasons that a quasi-medieval state would go to war, and there is some truth to that. It's part of the reason why the Empire is painted as somewhat of an antagonistic force, as it is in the live-action adaptation.

The novels depict Nilfgaard as an economically powerful empire with dozens of provinces under its command, so it's safe to assume that the emperor -- who we'll get to -- would need to keep playing at war to maintain his power. If the empire loses wealth or stability, the peasantry, or more likely the nobility, would act to remove the monarch to blame. That means more than just demanding his abdication. The fictional empire draws inspiration heavily from the Roman Empire.

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Just like that empire, Nilfgaard is described as being quite modern and progressive. Where the people of the Northern Realms despise elves, dwarves and other non-humans, Nilfgaard welcomes them. Though that shouldn't be surprising, as the people and culture of oft-called Eternal Empire have been shaped by non-human influences. Elven blood runs through the veins of many Nilfgaardians, they even speak a dialect of Elder Speech-- the language of the Aen Seidhe elves.

So far, there's nothing fanatical about Nifgaardian society. The one facet that even comes close is the Church of the Great Sun, whose leader may actually be the emperor himself. Even then, his motives for conquest are not exactly rooted in faith. That emperor, the mysterious figure that raised the Eternal Empire from the dirt and led it into greatness, is Emhyr var Emreis, who video game fans will be familiar with.

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In order to discourage conspiracy against the throne, Emperor Emhyr exhumed his fallen enemies and used their gravestones to embellish the floor of his ballroom, an act that earned him the nickname, "The White Flame Dancing on the Graves of His Foes," often shortened to "The White Flame." This is likely who Fringilla and Cahir are referring to in the Netflix series. It's not a deity nor a cult leader, but an emperor.

It's revealed in The Lady of the Lake that Emhyr is desperate to find Ciri because he needed her to bear his child, all because of his belief in Ithlinne's Prophecy -- a tale that claims his son would inherit the Elder Blood and rule the Continent. If the show remains faithful to the novels, this prophecy -- hinted at by Cahir -- and the White Flame himself are the reasons why the Lion Cub of Cintra is so important to Nilfgaard.

The Witcher stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, Freya Allan as Ciri and Joey Batey as Jaskier. Season 1 is now available on Netflix.

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