Elder Blood

Elder blood, also known as Hen Ichaer or Lara gene, is considered to be the blood/genes in Lara Dorren's descendants who carry powerful magic.
== History ==
While there were those who extensively studied and even went so far as to control who did and didn't have children to continue the line, it turned out they had made several flaws in their research. For one, they hadn't realized they'd only been tracking one type of the gene, the main elder blood, when there was a latent gene and a "pseudo-gene" called an activator (meaning the person had no magical power from the elder blood but was a carrier of the gene). While the latent gene and activator could die out in 2-3 generations, particularly if they were all male descendants, if it met up again with another carrier, a resulting child could end up with the main gene, like Calanthe.
Furthermore, the researchers had only kept track of "official" or well-known children of carriers. For example, they were able to keep track of Amavet's two known illegitimate children, Muriel and Crispin, but might have missed other possible premarital or extramarital children. Thus, they assumed only Ciri was the sole inheritor of the elder blood when there could actually be others out there with the same trait.
Interestingly, it was revealed that the main elder blood gene only appeared in the female line while the male line could only be activators and latent.
== Known carriers ==
== ==
=== Glossary entry ===
:Elder Blood
:A genetic program initiated by elven mages (known as sages) for the purpose of creating an extraordinarily gifted child whose power would exceed their own. According to the prophecy of the elven diviner Ithlinne, the Child of Elder Blood will one day save the elves from annihilation. However, the last carrier of Aen Hen Ichaer, Lara Dorren aep Shiadhal, bonded with a human instead of an elf, thus shattering all plans regarding her offspring.
== ==
=== Elder Blood book entry ===
:According to some, it is a powerful elven curse passed from generation to generation. Those in whose veins the infamous Hen Ichaer flows are said to carry death and destruction within them, to sow hatred and disdain in the hearts of men. It was from this contaminated blood that Ithlinne prophesied an avenger would be born, a destroyer of nations and worlds.
:Others claim the Elder Blood is an extremely rare inherited talent, granting control over time and space to a degree unattainable even to elven Sages. Sadly, few bearers of this gift have been able to control it in full. This merely partial mastery inevitably leads to sudden outbursts of the Power that take the form of unpredictable, uncontrollable, and thus extremely dangerous explosions. Behind the dark legends about the Curse of the Elder Blood lies the truth of these tragic cases.
:For obvious reasons the bearers of the Elder Blood were always subjects of great interest to the world's mighty and to mages alike. The former counted on the truth of Ithlinne's prophecy, on an avenger being born who could destroy worlds, and who they could thus use for their purposes. As for the latter, they hoped to harness the magic of Hen Ichaer to broaden their own knowledge and powers. Ultimately, however, all these plans were for naught - the Elder Blood line broke off with the disappearance of the heiress to the Nilfgaardian crown, Cirilla Fiona Ellen Riannon...
== Genealogy ==
The gray boxes indicate known carriers of the blood.
== See also ==
* Elder Blood, in-game book
== Notes ==
* Three others (Ercila, Orphelius, and Theodor although these are probably referring to traveler's in our literature Alice, Dorothy and Orpheus ) are mentioned in passing in the in-game book, Travel Between Worlds. However, there's no other mention of them anywhere else nor if they actually possessed the Elder blood.
== References ==
ar:سلالة القدماء
cs:Starší krev
de:Älteren-Blut
es:Vieja sangre
fr:Sang Ancien
hu:Ősi Vér
tr:Kadim Kan
it:Sangue Ancestrale
pl:Starsza Krew
pt-br:Sangue Antigo
ru:Старшая Кровь
uk:Старша Кров
Category:Culture
Category:History