‘The Witcher’: Is Ciri Gay, Straight or Bi? (Books, Games & Show)

When it comes to romance in ‘The Witcher‘ franchise, in the books, games, and even Netflix’s TV show, many posts have already been written about Geralt’s and Yennefer’s love story, which is probably among the most impactful in the genre. However, Ciri is also one major and central character in the series, and we know that plenty of men sought out her hand, mostly to gain more power and influence. But what about her genuine love life & sexual orientation? We’re going to explore this today and see whether Ciri was a gay, straight, or bisexual in both books, games, and the show. 

Ciri is bisexual in the books. She had a romantic relationship with a girl named Mistle, showed romantic interest in the legendary warrior from Skellige called Olaf Stigvason, and then, in the last book, she showed interest in Ser Galahad of Caer Benic. In the games, Ciri’s love life was never discussed in much detail, but it can be assumed that she is straight since the only romantic interest she ever showed was toward a man called Skjall, who unfortunately died before the interest could progress further. In the TV show, due to her age, she is yet to start showing interest in other men ( or women), so we can only speculate on her sexuality based on what we know from the primary source material. 

Now that we’ve given you a brief answer to the original question, it’s time to explore it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Ciri’s most impactful romance in the books was with a girl, making her bisexual 

Ciri’s journey in the books was never about romance. It was always about discovering her place in the world in the context of her powers and her father-daughter relationship with Geralt. And even though Ciri’s love interests are not abundant, she does have intimate relationships with other minor characters, the most important being with a girl named Mistle. 

Mistle, a member of the Rats, was a girl from a wealthy noble family in Thurn who had to flee after being attacked by the Gemmerian Pacifiers during a rebellion. Kidnapped and assaulted by bandits, she was the sole survivor when Asse (future leader of the Rats) found her in a ditch. They later formed a gang with Reef, Kayleigh, Iskra, and Giselher after meeting them in a village during the holiday of Lammas. Mistle’s and Ciri’s relationship was toxic and not at all sweet, as most people would assume.

Kayleigh eventually captured Ciri and attempted to rape her, which is something that Mistle managed to stop on time, but she did have some ulterior motives herself, as moments after Kayleigh left, Mistle took advantage of Ciri and developed an unhealthy sexual fixation on her.

Ciri was too traumatized to protest Mistle’s advances, and their relationship was, at the time, purely physical. Ciri maintained emotional distance at all times. 

Ciri, before leaving the Rats, gets a tattoo of a rose on her inner thigh, similar to Mistle’s. After a night together, Mistle finds Ciri trying to leave the next morning. Although Mistle lets her go, she believes that Ciri will eventually forget her. Ciri promises to return for her someday. The two profess love for each other, solidifying their emotional and physical connection. However, the relationship never progressed further since Bonhart killed Mistle, and Ciri witnessed it. 

Ciri’s remaining “love interests” were men. As a girl, she was in love with Olaf Stigvanson, a married man much much older than her, so it doesn’t surprise that this love went unreciprocated. Later, in the last book titled ‘Lady of the Lake’ following Geralt’s and Yennefer’s alleged and unconfirmed demise, a knight named Ser Galahad of Caer Benic swore himself to Ciri’s service, and the two have somewhat flirtatious exchanges with Ciri clearly showing an interest in him. 

So based on everything, there is evidence of Ciri being attracted to both males and to females, so we can conclude that she is bisexual in the books, which makes it canon since the books are the source material for all derivative media. 

Is Ciri bisexual in the game as well? 

In the games, even less attention was put on Ciri’s love life, and this aspect of her character was never focused on in the slightest. Still, she did have one interaction with another man that can be classified as being romantic in nature. 

Ciri’s run from the Wild Hunt eventually led her to Skellige. She and Avallac’h landed in the waters near the small settlement of Lofoten, where local warrior Skjall found her. Skjall decided to save Ciri’s life and took her to his home, where she was left to recuperate. Skjall was enchanted by Ciri’s looks, and she likewise flirted with him, considering him to be “cute” and brave. 

Unfortunately, this relationship could never progress since the Wild Hunt attacked Lofoten. Skjall gave his best to save Ciri. He managed to secure the horses and transport Ciri to the meeting place where Avallac’h awaited her. After delivering Ciri to Avallac’h, Skjall returned to Lofoten, but the elders and survivors accused him of being a Craven since he was nowhere to be seen while the Wild Hunt was massacring his kin and friends. 

Skjall never had a chance to prove that he was innocent. He was sent to kill the legendary monster Morkvarg but sadly failed due to injuries sustained during his brief fight with the monster. 

Skjall was later resurrected briefly by Yennefer’s necromancy, and after Ciri returned to Skellige once again, she was heartbroken to learn about Skjall’s fate and insisted on giving Skjall the proper burial he deserves since his own people refused to do this and left him to rot without dignity. 

Avallac’h was also, in some instances, considered by the fans to be the love interest of Ciri’s; however, this is not true. Ciri never had romantic feelings toward the Elf, and he was never romantically interested in her as well. 

Avallac’h was once engaged to Ciri’s famous ancestor, Lara Dorren, and he was obsessed with her genealogy and her descendants so she could keep the line as pure as possible. Avallac’h’s partner, in one instance, admitted that Avallac’h is actually disgusted by the human side of Ciri. So, no love was lost there. 

Based on everything we’ve seen, we can assume at most that Ciri is straight in the games. 

In Netflix’s ‘The Witcher’ Ciri’s love life hasn’t been explored as of yet 

In the ‘The Witcher’ series, plenty of characters want to marry Ciri and use her to create powerful offspring. However, her legitimate sexuality and romantic life haven’t been explored as of yet, and the most important people in her life are currently Yennefer and Geralt. We don’t want to assume anything, but because the Netflix series is based on the books and not on the games, we can assume that Ciri will be (if it ever comes to that) portrayed as bisexual.