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Summary
Chapter Two: The Voice of Reason
Geralt wakes up when Nenneke, a priestess, tells him it is late morning. She also tells the woman in bed with him, Iola, to leave. Iola is also a priestess, and Geralt is surprised that she no longer seems like the chamomile-scented nymph he imagined when he saw her at dawn. As she leaves, he feels shame and resentment because in the light of day, she no longer reminds him of someone named Yennefer, who has not yet been introduced. Geralt asks Nenneke not to punish Iola for staying with him, and Nenneke tells him that Melitele’s priestesses can mostly do whatever they want. She says that Geralt’s ideas about religion would make it difficult for him to understand that and Iola’s vow of silence.
After his fight with the striga, Geralt has come to the temple of Melitele so Nenneke can heal him. She tends to the wound on his neck and tells him that he is losing his reflexes. She also mentions that even his magical regeneration abilities cannot protect him until he is fully healed. Afterwards, Geralt wanders around the temple grounds. He visits there a few times a year and rarely sees the same priestesses because many leave to pursue work as oracles, midwives, teachers, or in other fields. The cult of Melitele has ancient roots based in the worship of a Great Mother, or Mother Nature. Unlike other cults, it has many followers and supporters. Geralt remembers that his friend Dandelion told him that that the cult will always be popular because Melitele is a goddess of birth, which will always happen.
Geralt finds Nenneke a short while later. Nenneke believes that gods and faith are important parts of existence. She knows that Geralt is skeptical of religion that is based on gods, but she tells him that Iola is getting ready to put Geralt into a trance to find out what else is wrong with him. Nenneke has known Geralt since he was a boy and she senses that something is wrong and that he is in danger. She explains that Iola may be able to use a trance to find out more. Geralt does not want to be part of the trance. Instead, he offers to tell her stories of his adventures, over a keg of beer. Nenneke tells Geralt that a trance would be harmless, even if they don’t learn anything from it. Geralt argues that his lack of faith would make the trance useless. Nenneke replies by telling him that if that were true, it would be the first time a lack of faith had any power.
Analysis
This second “Voice of Reason” chapter continues the story from the book’s opening scene. This sets up an interesting framing device to connect the events in the “Voice of Reason” chapters. This chapter makes the timeline more clear; the first two “Voice of Reason” chapters take place after the events of “The Witcher” and Geralt’s defeat of the striga. The story unfolding in the “Voice of Reason” chapters grounds the chapters that occur outside of this timeline. These chapters also serve as Geralt’s present, while the other stories have happened in the past. From his present point of view, Geralt reflects on the consequences of his past actions. These consequences can be physical, like the injury from his fight with the striga, or they can be more metaphysical, like how his lack of religious faith impacts his behavior and relationships.
It is immediately clear that Iola was the woman that the witcher made love to earlier that morning, and that she had reminded him of a woman named Yennefer. Even her appearance has dramatically changed. It’s unclear whether this was due to some kind of magic, or if it was simply because he was half-asleep when she first entered his room. After seeing that she is so different from Yennefer, Geralt becomes ashamed of his encounter with Iola. He feels resentment toward her, a sign that he suspects that Iola tricked him somehow. She also seems uncomfortable, quickly turning away from him and is flushed and awkward as she leaves the room. Even though Yennefer has still not been introduced, it’s clear that Geralt feels loyal to her because of the shame that he feels for sleeping with Iola. Geralt’s regret says more about his feelings for Yennefer than it does his relationship with Iola. In fact, he is still friendly with Iola and looks for her later while he is strolling through the temple grounds.
This chapter explores the nature of religion and faith during Geralt and Nenneke’s conversation about the goddess Melitele and her relationship with Nature and the people in the world. The description of the cult of Melitele and the mention of other cults reveals that the people in The Last Wish follow a polytheistic system, one that has multiple gods. The way that the priestesses leave the temple to pursue work in various fields, like teaching and midwifery, suggests that the religion is a part of everyday life, not something separate. Even Geralt, a non-believer, seeks out Nenneke’s healing powers. Nenneke and other priestesses would likely credit their abilities to the goddess Melitele, or at least to the lessons of their faith. Nenneke and the other priestesses believe that the goddess is a physical manifestation of Nature’s inherent Force. This characterization provides an interesting insight into the roles of religion and nature in the world of the book. Geralt believes in the power of Nature, although he does not believe that gods and goddesses are physical beings that embody it. Rather, he believes that Melitele is an imaginary symbol for Nature. Nenneke also believes in Nature’s power. She is a devoted follower of a specific religious path, and also identifies Nature as the core of her faith.
Gender plays a large role in this chapter, and much of the discussion around Melitele centers on how it is a cult that is mostly comprised of women. Geralt’s friend Dandelion describes it as a “typical woman’s cult,” suggesting there are certain aspects of the goddess that appeal most predominantly to women. Dandelion also seems to hold the cult in low regard and seeks the simplest explanation for its existence. He concludes that part of Melitele’s popularity comes from the fact that women need to call upon a sympathetic godlike figure when they experience the pain of labor. Rather than looking at the powers the women in the cult possess—including medicine and trance—he reduces Melitele to a superstition that women need. The importance of gender also comes into play after priestesses leave the temple. Geralt describes the priestesses taking on roles as governesses, teachers, druids, and healers “specializing in women’s and children’s diseases.” This indicates a social system in which a person’s gender determines the professional and spiritual roles that are available to them.
