Sword of Destiny

## Basic Info

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Published:

* 1992 (Polish)
* 2015 (English)

Publisher: SuperNowa

## Short Stories

* The Bounds of Reason
* A Shard of Ice
* Eternal Flame
* A Little Sacrifice
* Sword of Destiny
* Something More

## Characters

* Borch/Three Jackdaws
	+ Villentretenmerth - Golden dragon
* Tea and Vea - Zerrikanian warrior women
* Eyck of Denesle - pious, monster-slaying knight
* The Crinfrid Reavers - Dragon-slaying trio
	+ Boholt - leader
	+ Gar
	+ Beanpole
* Yarpen Zigrin - dwarf renowned for killing dragons
* Niedamir of Caingorn - King
* Dorregaray - sorcerer
* Gyllenstiern - councilor to King Niedamir
* Sheepbagger
* Istredd - sorcerer with an interest in archeology
* Cicada - Bodyguard of the mayor in Aedd Gynvael, challenged Geralt to a duel and got his facer smashed in.
* Dainty Biberveldt - halfling horse merchant
* Dudu - doppler
* Teleri Drouhard - spice merchant who holds a betrothal banquet in A Little Sacrifice
* Essi Daven/Little Eye - Female troubadour. Has "eyes like stars.
* Agloval - Duke who was infatuated with a mermaid
* Sh'eenaz - mermaid with whom Agloval was infatuated with
* Ciri - adopted daughter of Geralt
* Frexinet - baron who was sent after Ciri when she ran away

## Important Terms and Info

* Zerrikania - human realm to the North of the Nilfgaardian Empire and the Northern Kingdoms. It's an exotic land with warrior women, strange religions, and monsters.
* Dragons
	+ Green
	+ Black
	+ Red
	+ White
	+ Golden
* Forktails
* Dracolizards - same thing as a Slyzard
* Drakes
* Caingorn - part of the Hengfors League, has an emblem of a silver griffon on a purple background
* Hengfors League - Minor Northern Kingdom
* Wererats
* Hirikka - powerful creature that is generally a peaceful herbivore, but nonetheless kills many people each year
* Manticore
* Amphisbaena - large water serpent with a head at each end
* Zeugl - tentacled monster that resides in areas littered with waste and rubbish.
* Aedd Gynvael - Town where Istredd resides and translates to "shard of ice"
* The Wild Hunt`- first mentioned in "Shard of Ice"
* Yennefer's stuffed unicorn
* Novigrad is stated to have a population around 30,000 in Eternal Flame
* Spear Blade - Novigrad inn
* Pasiflora - brothel in Novigrad
* Doppler - shapeshifting creature, also known as a mimic or vexling. Silver prevents transformations but does not cause pain like it does to other monsters.
* Lamia - monster that is half woman, half snake, and sucks the blood of humnas
* Lamia/Mayhenian Scourge - Spiked whip weapon used by the Novigrad secret police
* Eternal Flame - forever burning flame in Novigrad, also the name of the religion
* Vimme Vivoldi - Dwarven banker in Novigrad
* Gnome - oldest of the 3 older races
* Mermaid
* Guardians of the Forest/Rangers - volunteer group that exterminates non-humans. Use harpoon-like barbed arrow heads
* Mermaids speak a variant of Elder Tongue
* Dragon Fangs - jagged rocks off the coast of Agloval's realm that hides an underwater civilization in it's vicinity.
* Drowners
* Brokilon - sole non-human state in the North
* Duen Conell- Capital of Brokilon
* Dryad - female nature spirits who inhabit Brokilon and other forests
* Gwynbleidd - White Wolf (Welsh)
* Vatt’ghern - Witcher (Elvish)
* Lady Eithné - Queen of Brokilon
* Giant Centipede - highly venomous monster
* Eerie Wives - term humans use Tom refer to dryads
* Verden - Northern kingdom that borders Brokilon

## Vocab

* Biretta - square hat with a tuft at the top, commonly worn by catholic clergymen
* Garrulous - excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
* Reputedly - Supposedly
* Decurion - Roman cavalry officer
* Veritable - used as an intensifier, often to qualify a metaphor.
* Bordello - brother
* Cavalcade - formal procession, especially one with individuals on horseback
* Tripe - cow stomach, rubbish
* Fecundity - the ability to reproduce
* Umbrage - offense or annoyance.
* Demarcate - to set boundaries
* Surmise - to deduce without clear evidence
* Midden - Refuse pile or dung heap
* Foible - minor weakness or eccentricity in somebody's character
* Vociferous - vehement or clamorous
* hermaphroditic - has female and male organs, to be a hermaphrodite
* Candor - the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness
* Sloven - messy and gross person
* Sundry - of various kinds; several
* Overstepped the mark
* Cochineal - insect used in the production of red/crimson dye that feeds on cacti. The dye made from the insect used the same name.
* Abacus - ancient/medieval mathematics device
* Onager - Asiatic wild ass, has never been domesticated and is among the fastest mammals
* *jus primae noctis* (jusz primaj naktesz) - the right of medieval lords to sleep with any female subject, especially on their wedding night
* Poppet - British term for a young girl
* Laxity - lack of care strictness
* Dewlap - flap of skin hanging from the neck of an animal
* Muff - british slang for vagina, also sub of fur used for warming hands

## Quotes

* "If there were, it met the fate of all mutants. It differed too much to endure."
* "Not for the first time, the criteria by which women judged the attractiveness of men remained a mystery to him."
* "Retarded"
* "What is it distilled from, scorpions!?"
* "Contradicting Yennefer, as he knew, inevitably led to a fight. and a fight with Yennefer was not the safest thing."
* "Truth is a shard of ice"
* "He's trying to mask his sorrow, dejection, and disgrace by being witty."
* "Now I know a little sacrifice is a hell of a lot"
* "What the . . . ? Am I to be . . . a stud?
* "The sword of destiny has two blades . . . You are one of them."