The Witcher S3: What Is An Aeschna & What Can They Do?

Contains spoilers for "The Witcher" Season 3, Episode 4

Enemies and threats converge in "The Witcher" Season 3 Episode 4, "The Invitation." Still, the most immediate danger in the episode comes courtesy of Valdo Marx (Nathan Armakwei Laryea), Jaskier's (Joey Batey) eternal nemesis in the bard circles. While Valdo himself isn't technically a threat to anything except possibly Jaskier's self-esteem, his tendency to show off his musical skills creates a dangerous scenario.

As Geralt (Henry Cavill), Ciri (Freya Allan), and Jaskier board the same raft as Valdo, the latter's crew decides to play some tunes during the trip. This turns out to be a massive mistake, as it attracts a dangerous local creature. A large water monster known as an Aeschna boards the vessel, triggering a life-or-death situation that Ciri ultimately ends with a clever attack. 

Like other creatures in "The Witcher," the Aeschna comes from the source material, though it has been somewhat redesigned for the purposes of the show. Instead of the powerfully-built terror depicted in the Netflix series, the original version of the monster is a stocky, horrible creature that resembles a monstrous crustacean. Apart from its dangerous mouth, it has ten thin, sharp-clawed limbs and a powerful tail, all of which pose a serious danger considering the monster's penchant for attacking in the cover of darkness and mist.

In the book "Blood of Elves," Geralt encounters an Aeschna in the year 1266, meaning Ciri isn't quite old enough to help him. Just like in the show, the Witcher is traveling on a barge — but unlike the show, he's specifically on a paid mission to protect said barge from Aeschna attacks. Instead of bards, the vessel's other passengers are a laundry list of colorful characters that range from fraudulent guards to annoying children, so Geralt has his hands full even without the inevitable Aechna attack ... especially since an academically-minded passenger keeps insisting that such monsters don't actually exist.

The book's monster is a handful and appropriately enough, the Netflix version poses quite a challenge for the heroes. The show's pivotal battle against the Aeschna has been a big beat in "The Witcher" Season 3 trailers, and the full sequence doesn't disappoint.