The Witcher: Why Does The White Flame Want Ciri?

Throughout Season 1 and Season 2 of "The Witcher," we hear continual references to a mysterious figure called "The White Flame," the revered leader of the Nilfgaardian Empire. The White Flame is whispered about frequently in Season 1, and it becomes clear early on that he has a vested interest in capturing Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) of Cintra. We know as much because of a scene in the episode "Rare Species," when the Nilfgaardian knight Cahir (Eamon Farren) explains that he is hunting Ciri on the White Flame's orders, hoping to help her "fulfill her destiny."

In the finale of "The Witcher" Season 2, we learn that the White Flame's true identity is that of Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, who also happens to be Ciri's father, Lord Duny (Bart Edwards) of Erlenwald. Although Emhyr asserts that he wants Ciri to rule over Nilfgaard alongside him, fans of the "Witcher" book series will know that his intentions are far more sinister than they seem. In the original "Witcher" book series, the ambitious sorcerer Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) tells Emhyr about the ancient elven prophecy of Ithlinne shortly after Ciri's birth. The prophecy concerns an apocalyptic ice age that will destroy the world, and a child of "elder blood" through whom the world will be reborn.

Ever the ruthless expansionist, Emhyr interprets this prophecy as proof that a child of elder blood will one day rule the entire world, and learns that Ciri herself actually inherited elder blood from her mother Pavetta (Gaia Mondadori). Thus, Emhyr decides to produce an heir that can fulfill Ithlinne's prophecy, and begins hunting down his daughter in order to marry her and force her to bear him a son.

Though it's currently unclear whether or not the White Flame in "The Witcher" is hunting down Ciri for the same monstrous reasons as his book counterpart, it's worth noting that there are plenty of other groups who are after Ciri and her rare elder blood.

In Season 3 alone, there are at least three other groups searching for Ciri alongside the White Flame, each of them hoping to use her elder blood in a unique way to gain power. Most prominent of these hunters is the Redanian Chancellor and spy Dijkstra (Graham McTavish), who seeks to capture Ciri and marry her to King Vizimir of Redania (Ed Birch ) — thereby uniting Redania and Cintra under one ruler. Another conspirator hunting down Ciri is the elven ruler Francesca Findabair (Mecia Simson), who wants Ciri because she believes that her elder blood will usher in a new age of elven prosperity and power.

Finally, Ciri is consistently being tracked by an otherworldly group of Aen Elle elves known as The Wild Hunt; inhabitants of another realm who believe that they can use Ciri's powers to wreak chaos across multiple different worlds. Although the White Flame might have the most twisted plans in mind for his daughter, it's clear that Ciri's elder blood has made her a prime target for the Continent's most important figures.