AL AZIF NECRONOMICON PART V: THE WITCHER

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Long before Christianity made its empire-building way into central and Eastern Europe, many of the ancient Pagan peoples practiced what can be construed as shamanism, others call witchcraft or sorcery.

Shamanic practices were practiced in central and Eastern European lands, which are now called Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Transylvania, etc.

For example, archaeologists have discovered traces of mysterious rituals performed by (Witcher) Shamans about 9,000 years ago in Poland.

The archaeological site is located near today’s lake Swidwie (West Pomeranian) in North-Western Poland, which has been studied since 2012.

One of the most interesting discoveries is an area of a circle, where scientists discovered mysterious structures.

The main feature of the site turned out to be a trapezoidal building having poles, surrounded by an arch of stones placed at equal distances from each other, which has lain buried down the ages, while numerous wars have been fought above its bones.

There are also ritualistic sharpened yew sticks driven into the surface in the shape of a horizontal figure similar to the Big Dipper, a fragment of the constellation of Ursa Major.

However, many researchers have noted that the shamanic worldview of the pre-Christian European peoples have survived in their colourful myths.

It is upon these ancient myths The Witcher (Polish: Wiedzmin), fantasy series of novels and short stories have derived much of their inspiration, that were written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher books led to the development of a 2007 action role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red, called The Witcher.

The Witcher game was duly followed by The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015.

As in the books, upon which the video games are based, the story takes place in an alternate medieval fantasy world.

The story follows Geralt of Rivia, one of a few traveling monster hunters who have shamanic powers, known as Witchers.

The Witchers are masters of the martial arts, who can be seen as warrior Shamans; their female counterparts are Sorceresses.

The Witchers also have control over the elements, who use five elemental hand-signs to do so, which are similar to Mudras used in the meditation practice of Yoga.

In Yoga practice a Mudra means ‘sign,’ seal, gesture, or mark. Yoga Mudras are symbolic meditation gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers.

They facilitate the flow of energy within the dream (subtle) body, when utilised when (sexagram/sixth-sense) lucid dreaming.

The ‘meditation tool of a Witcher video game’ has a system of moral choices, which are part of its adult story-line.

It has been noted for its time-delayed consequences and lack of black-and-white morality.

There are also numerous references to the works of the author H.P. Lovecraft in the highly successful Witcher video games.

For example, one of the enemies Geralt fights against in the first game is Dagon, as described by Lovecraft. In the Wild Hunt, Geralt can also get hold of the Necronomicon.