When Does Sirens of the Deep Take Place on the Witcher Timeline?

Geralt of Rivia is back in a new animated adventure, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. According to Netflix, Sirens of the Deep is part of the live-action franchise’s canon, which begs the question: when does it take place on the wider Witcher timeline?

Sirens of the Deep’s Position on the Witcher Franchise Timeline, Explained

According to Netflix’s Tudum website, Sirens of the Deep is set between The Witcher Season 1, Episode 5, “Bottled Appetites,” and Episode 6, “Rare Species.” This gives us a six-year window to work with, as those episodes (primarily) go down in 1256 and 1262, respectively, on the in-universe calendar. But from here, we have to engage in a bit of guesswork, since Sirens of the Deep doesn’t time-stamp proceedings.

Given that Sirens of the Deep wraps up with – spoiler warning – Geralt and Jaskier heading towards Caingorn, the movie probably takes place closer to Episode 6 than Episode 5. “Rare Species” is set in this region, and Geralt and Jaskier’s journey likely didn’t last more than a year. Therefore, Sirens of the Deep is probably set in 1261, or even early 1262.

That’s the canon of the show covered – what about Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novels? Well, Sirens of the Deep adapts a short story from 1992 tome Sword of Destiny. That book – together with 1993’s The Last Wish – serves as the basis for The Witcher Season 1, so the timelines are basically the same.

Related: The Witcher Season 4’s Problem Was Never Liam Hemsworth

Is The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep Based on a Book?

Yep, as mentioned above, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep takes its cues from Andrzej Sapkowski’s second short story collection, Sword of Destiny. Specifically, Sirens of the Deep is based on Sword of Destiny‘s third tale, “A Little Sacrifice.” It’s a broadly faithful adaptation too, with one key exception.

Related: What Books Is The Witcher Season 4 Based On?

Unlike Sapkowski’s original story, Sirens of the Deep includes a prominent role for Yennefer. Presumably, director Kang Hei Chul and screenwriters Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin added her into the mix to boost the animated movie’s connections to the live-action Witcher series.

The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is currently streaming on Netflix.