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Nivellen was a cursed man who lived in Redania, in the woods near Murivel, in a secluded manor. He was called "Fanger" or "Degen" by the locals and stories of his "monstrous" nature were used to scare children. He was not considered a monster, due to being able touch to silver tableware and a witcher medallion without ill effects.[2]
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What is the significance of Nivellen being able to touch silver in The Witcher?
Why is Nivellen called 'Fanger' or 'Degen' by the locals in The Witcher?
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What is the nature of Nivellen's curse in The Witcher?
Biography[]
Early life[]
When he was a boy, Nivellen was quite sickly. His father and grandfather before him had made a fortune by leading a gang of highwaymen and cutthroats in order to steal from the local people, causing his father to be killed in an unfortunate encounter with a two-handed sword. Nivellen inherited command of the gang; initially, the enthusiasm and naïveté of youth banished any feelings of remorse and he participated willingly in the gang's misdeeds.
One day, the gang robbed a temple in Gelibol and coerced Nivellen into raping the young priestess there. Before killing herself, she spat in his face and cursed him, telling him that he was a "monster in a man's skin" and that he would become a "monster in a monster's skin". She also mentioned a way to lift the curse, but Nivellen didn't quite understand that part; only recalling her saying something about blood and a loved one. Unbeknownst to Nivellen and the gang, the woman was a priestess of Coram Agh Tera, the Lionhead Spider cult, meaning her curse was not an idle one.
Attacking his household staff
A couple of days later, Nivellen's form changed, though his mind and personality remained untouched. The household staff fled while Nivellen raged, confused and in a panic. The manor itself reflected his mood, with doors banging shut and furniture flying about everywhere. Quite a few people died as a result and even his cat, Glutton ran away in fear.[2]
Cursed life[]
Left alone in the manor, he resigned himself until one day he saw a man trying to steal roses from his aunt's garden. Enraged, he rushed outside to deal with the merchant, when he started to recall childhood fairy tales about princesses turning frogs into princes through true love, and so desperately lonely Nivellen demanded that the trader give him his daughter in exchange for his life, only to learn that she was too young as she was only 8 years old. However, feeling sorry for the state of the trader, Nivellen invited him inside his house and gifted him a small fortune as he had large reserves of money in his manor.
Word of this quickly spread and within 2 weeks, another trader came to his manor with his daughter, coming to an agreement with Nivellen, which involved the girl keeping Nivellen company for a year in return for a tidy sum. Initially terrified, she grew accustomed to living with him after a month, however, Nivellen was very awkward around her and couldn't bring himself to talk to her as he had no experience with women, thus, he decided to resign himself to his own means once this period came to an end, refusing to entertain people who came to his manor with similar propositions. However, he later caved in due to loneliness and decided to take in females to keep him company.
The first concubine was a girl called Fenne, the first to have an intimate relationship with Nivellen. Another of these girls was Primula, the daughter of an impoverished knight. Nivellen, having gained some self-confidence due to his relationship with Fenne, was able to develop a close relationship with Primula. This was quickly followed by a series of such relationships with two other girls, Ilka and Venimira.
At some point during Primula's stay at his manor, he became more accepting of his own state and longed less and less to return to his original form, having grown accustomed to the benefits of having a monstrous body, such as an inhuman constitution, as well as having access to the magic that was granted along with the curse, all in comparison to his sickly and homely feel his human form. To Nivellen, another far more important advantage was that his reputation of being a monster proved to be a deterrent to familial enemies and robbers. Lastly, he felt his body proved to be an aphrodisiac, allowing him to capture the interest of girls who would not have paid him attention otherwise.[2]
Meeting Geralt[]
Twelve years into the curse, he met Geralt of Rivia, who was investigating the deaths of a merchant and a female companion near the manor, and after a confrontational first encounter with Geralt, with the latter masqueraded as being a traveler who lost his way, Nivellen, surprised that the witcher was apathetic to his appearance, decided to invite him into to his house. He opened up to Geralt after the witcher inquired about his situation and deduced Geralt wasn't a normal human. Upon learning this fact, he assumed that the witcher had been sent to kill him on somebody's orders, but quickly deduced that this was not true and that Geralt could try to undo his curse for him, though without question shot the idea down, to the slight surprise of the witcher.
Nivellen then noted a woman named Vereena who lived there, the latest concubine to keep him company, stating he was aware of her role in the deaths of the previously encountered merchant and female. Suspecting that she might be trying to harm him, he asked Geralt if he should be concerned about the monstrous nightmares he was having recently and whether she had a hand in it. After finally asking whether or not he could do something about it, a question Geralt could not conclusively answer, the witcher simply affirmed Nivellen that he should be cautious. As he saw Geralt out, they both shared the opinion that Vereena may be a rusalka and bid the witcher goodbye.
Killing his lover
Later that evening in the forest, Geralt confronted Vereena, having figured out that she was a bruxa, and both of them ended up fighting. In the midst of this, they were interrupted by Nivellen, who called out her name, allowing Geralt to attempt to slice her, though he failed, resulting in Nivellen being thrown into the scaffolding and getting buried underneath it. Vereerna then paralysed Geralt with a scream while she moved towards the witcher to kill him, but Nivellen got free and called out her name once more, this time impaling her with a long pole. However, she didn't die immediately, and instead pulled herself along the pole, impaling herself further, as she tried to get closer to Nivellen, who was still holding onto the other end of it. As she used telepathy to tell him she loved him, she grabbed Nivellen's head and moved to rip out his throat when Geralt reacted, beheading her before she could kill her former lover. Incidentally, her death caused Nivellen's curse to be lifted, and so he parted ways with the witcher for good.[2]
Notes[]
- One of the many hunting trophies on the wall of Nivellen's dining room is the head of a rock dragon. Nivellen says that his grandfather killed it, and that it was quite possibly the last of such creatures in the area.
Trivia[]
- Nivellen is similar in nearly every aspect to the Prince (better known as Beast) from the story of Beauty and the Beast. From the way a trader is caught stealing roses from his garden and Nivellen demanding that the trader gives him his daughter in exchange for his life, to the way the curse can only be lifted with love, are nearly identical.
- In addition to the Prince, Nivellen bears a strong resemblance to Zhu Bajie from the Chinese 16th century novel, Journey to the West, in which Zhu Bajie attempted to force himself upon the goddess Chang'e, only to be prevented and reported for this act, resulting in him being reincarnated as a boar/man beast-monster.
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
See the GWENT standalone game version card: Nivellen
See the GWENT standalone game version card: 
