The Witcher is one of today’s beloved RPG franchises. The franchise is such a big deal that Poland’s Prime Minister gave The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings as a present. The third and most popular game in the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt involves the titular Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, seeking his daughter figure, Ciri, who is being pursued by a supernatural army called the Wild Hunt. Geralt is accompanied by various companions in his quest to find her, though they have their own wants and agendas.
One of the best characters on Geralt’s side is Dandelion. He is a wily bard with roguish looks and a silver tongue that often gets him into trouble; and half the time, he drags Geralt into that trouble. Dandelion has picked fights with the wrong people, romanced the wrong ladies, but he still remains a lovable—if slightly frustrating—character. But we don’t know everything about him. So, here are some things about Dandelion that we bet most fans didn’t know.
10 His Polish Name Means Buttercup
Quite a few fans complained when the name was changed from Jaskier to Dandelion. After all, in Polish, the name means Buttercup—why wasn't that translation kept?
The developers decided to stick with the floral name, but change it to something they felt was more fitting for the character. Thus, in the game, Dandelion was born! The Witcher TV show, however, decided to stick with Jaskier—'Dandelion' is purely a CD Projekt Red decision.
9 He is Geralt’s Biographer
Geralt is a witcher who doesn’t like drawing attention to himself. In fact, he often goes out of his way to avoid conflicts—even though he somehow gets sucked into them anyway. So, he’s not one to boast about his achievements.
That’s where Dandelion comes in. As one of Geralt’s best friends—or at least acquaintances—Dandelion pays very close attention to Geralt’s quests. In fact, he has composed numerous songs about Geralt’s exploits. Eventually, Dandelion writes most of Geralt’s story, immortalizing him more than the other witchers in their world.
8 He Is A Noble
Dandelion was born a noble. Even though his lineage remains a mystery in the games, we do learn that he was a cousin to Ferrant de Lettenhive, who was the royal instigator of Kerack. When he was young, he studied in a temple school, where literacy was apparently beaten into him.
Dandelion rarely talks about his family, but it’s known that he abandoned his position so he could become a bard. This probably explains how he can converse so well with other nobles and how he mastered etiquette. Dandelion also sometimes relies on his family money.
7 He Is Reliable
Reliable is not a word most would associate with Dandelion when they first think of him. But he actually is. Dandelion wants people to rely on him, and thanks to his massive connections with all kinds of people, he usually tries to be dependable.
This doesn’t always work the way he expects it to, though, and sometimes he has to rely on his charm, acting skill and other tricks of his to get what he wants. And if things get really dicey, Geralt usually helps to sort everything out. But however he does it, Dandelion is generally someone to depend on.
6 He’s a Great Friend
Dandelion is a bit of a narcissist; he loves talking about himself and his own exploits most of the time. For many people, this is unbearable. However, when he’s with Geralt, he usually tries his best to be a good friend.
This means learning as much about the witcher’s own adventures instead of his own, and he usually tries his best to help Geralt on his quests. This can involve connecting Geralt to his many companions and associates, or sometimes just accompanying the witcher. Dandelion is also the narrator in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and he considers Geralt a great friend.
5 He Makes Questionable Acquaintances
Dandelion has a wide reach of friends and acquaintances. However, not all of them are people with good intentions. Dandelion has sometimes made poor choices when it comes to the people he befriends, even if his intentions are good.
One glaring example is Whoreson Junior. To help Ciri fix a phylactery that could either remove curses on people or place them, he enlisted the help of a crimelord called Whoreson Junior. The crimelord’s price was stealing a certain treasure that just happened to be the property of a rival crimelord. Dandelion ended up getting captured.
4 He Became a Bard Early
Dandelion is generally considered one of the best bards in the world. People both far and wide recognize him, and he even gets hired by royalty to perform for them. Thanks to this, he has a wide variety of acquaintances in numerous places that he and Geralt go to.
However, Dandelion did not become seriously interested in poetry until he was 19. The cause was his love for Countess de Stael. After that, he went to Oxenfurt University to study liberal arts for several years before later becoming a professor. After teaching for one year, he decided to travel the world.
3 He Has History with Anna Henrietta
When Geralt goes to Toussaint—in the Witcher 3 expansion, Blood and Wine—he encounters the Duchess throws him into prison after he gets her sister killed. Dandelion comes and convinces the Duchess, Anna Henrietta, to let him go.
It turns out that Dandelion and Henrietta have history. He had a fling with her while her husband was still alive. The Duke discovered this and searched in vain for the bard. Then, years after the Duke passed on, Dandelion and Henrietta met again and rekindled their romance. However, the bard was never faithful to her, and when she found out, she almost had him executed.
2 Ciri Almost Died Because of Him
Dandelion always has the best intentions when doing something—almost always, anyway. But his intentions sometimes get him into trouble; him and the person he’s trying to help, no less.
When Ciri needed his help, he went to one of Novigrad’s Big Four crime lords for help, called Whoreson Junior. The crime lord wanted him to steal another Big Four’s treasure in payment. Dandelion succeeded, but the commander of the Temple Guard took it for himself. Whoreson Junior believed Dandelion had betrayed him, and he chased the bard and Ciri. Dandelion was captured, and Ciri narrowly escaped being killed by teleporting away.
1 He Met Geralt at Gulet
Dandelion met Geralt for the first time at a fête taking place in Aedirn’s town of Gulet. Dandelion had knocked up a girl, right under the musicians’ podium, and her brothers were out for blood. They looked for the poet all over town, and were going to cover him in sawdust; they even threatened to geld him. Dandelion needed to flee, and he found in Geralt someone who could help him.
Dandelion persuaded Geralt to leave the fête—and, in fact, to leave town with him—and he hung on to the witcher until they had made their escape.