Right from the opening scene, Netflix's television adaptation of The Witcher featured strange and fantastical monsters designed to menace Geralt of Rivia and the series' cast.
A new behind-the-scenes featurette from Netflix revealed the real-world inspirations for the show's monsters, from wildlife to medieval folklore from around the world.
For example, the kikimora seen in the series' opening battle was directly inspired by Russian folklore of the mythical creature that rises from those that die in childbirth to menace the living. The Sylvans seen early in the season are a reflection of mythology involving human-animal hybrids that appear all over the world, from Greek mythology involving minotaurs to other civilizations with their own hybridized creatures.
Production on the second season of The Witcher has currently been suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich has since assured fans that production will resume at a later date.
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.