Netflix’s The Witcher franchise is going to have a very big 2023, with Season 3 of its flagship show releasing in two parts in June and July, as well as the potential for its next anime movie to release later this year. It’s also a big year for The Witcher franchise because it will see Henry Cavill wearing the white wig of Geralt of Rivia for the last time, as the actor previously announced that Season 3 would be his last due to creative differences, with Liam Hemsworth stepping in for Seasons 4 and 5.
Following on from the success of its premiere anime feature film, Nightmare of the Wolf, which was released in 2021, Sirens of the Deep has no official release date yet but is expected to air sometime between late 2023 and early 2024. Many Witcher fans are expecting Sirens of the Deep to center around (or at least include) the short story “A Little Sacrifice,” from the book Sword of Destiny, which had many of its elements adapted in The Witcher Season 2. This is because a fan-favorite character who heavily features in “A Little Sacrifice” has been confirmed to play a major role in Sirens of the Deep: Essi Daven.
The Witcher’s Essi Daven Is a Bard Like Jaskier
Like Jaskier (played by Joey Batey), Essi Daven is a bard — a traveling musician and poet who frequently performs at taverns, ceremonies and palaces across The Continent. In the books, Essi and Jaskier have a long and undisclosed history, with the reader being introduced to Essi for the first time along with Geralt. Essi is written as being generally unremarkable in appearance, with curly blonde hair, aside from dark blue eyes so beautiful that they leave the unemotional Geralt beginning to understand the poetry of the words “eyes like stars.” When Geralt meets Essi, she is performing at the wedding banquet for two local townspeople in the city of Bremervoord, to which Jaskier is invited as an esteemed guest. Much like Jaskier, Essi is able to use her wit and advanced understanding of poetry and emotions to see past Geralt’s gruff exterior, quickly becoming close with the white-haired witcher.
However, unlike her male counterpart, who frequently hides behind Geralt at the slightest sense of danger, Essi is not afraid to rush in head-first when her friends need help. In “A Little Sacrifice,” Geralt desperately searches for a sailor to take him out to sea so that he can speak to a mermaid. When no townsfolk are brave enough to travel with him, labeling his journey as one of “certain doom,” Essi immediately steps up, claiming that she knows how to sail. Essi’s bravery also shines further on in the story as Geralt and Jaskier are ambushed in an underwater cave by a mysterious race of amphibious humanoids. When a villager hears Geralt crying in pain, Essi immediately runs to the rescue, pulling Geralt and Jaskier to safety and stitching up their wounds.
Geralt and Jaskier Have a Tragic Relationship With Essi
Essi’s relationship with Jaskier in the books is unique, given she is one of the very few women he has not tried to seduce or sleep with. Jaskier explicitly says to Geralt that he sees Essi as a “little sister.” As previously mentioned, Essi also has the ability to read and understand Geralt’s emotions. This leads to Essi and Geralt quickly growing fond of each other, as they spend the night together after the incident in the cave. However, Geralt and Essi both know this won’t be a long-term commitment, as Geralt still has strong feelings for Yennefer. Jaskier and Geralt part ways with Essi after the job in Bremervoord, with this being the last time Geralt sees her. Jaskier sees Essi once more four years later, when he carries her body to a peaceful spot in the woods to give her a proper burial after she catches smallpox. He composes a new ballad about her, although he never plays it to anyone.
Netflix’s adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s books have infamously altered numerous details, from the smallest of character traits to entire plot lines. Therefore, there is a chance that Essi’s story in Sirens of the Deep may differ from that found in the short story of the source material. Nonetheless, despite all the changes that Netflix has made to The Witcher’s lore, its focus on character tragedy remains, meaning Essi’s story in Sirens of the Deep is almost guaranteed to remain a heartbreaker one way or another.
