{"id":1960093,"date":"2026-05-28T13:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1960093"},"modified":"2026-05-28T13:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T10:27:30","slug":"that-sword-geralt-unsheaths-in-the-witcher-3-songs-of-the-past-expansion-artwork-weve-seen-it-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1960093","title":{"rendered":"That sword Geralt unsheaths in The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past expansion artwork? We&#8217;ve seen it before"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">That sword Geralt unsheaths in The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past expansion artwork? We&#8217;ve seen it before<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Zireael deal.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/geralt-sword-songs-of-past-witcher-3-expansion.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"A close up of Witcher hero Geralt drawing a sword from its sheath. The sword has an ornate red scabbard and a notched blade and elaborate crossguard.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"geralt-sword-songs-of-past-witcher-3-expansion.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-28T13:27:30+00:00\">May 28, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/witcher-3-expansion-songs-of-past-sword?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          1 comment<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"5602a568-15bf-416c-8edc-63042b171df5\" data-name=\"The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" data-follow-text=\"Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\" title=\"Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt\"><br \/>\n  Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/rumoured-witcher-3-third-expansion-announced\">A third Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past<\/a>, was only announced yesterday, but it appears we&#8217;ve seen the sword Geralt unsheaths in the artwork before.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly a month ago, on 30th April, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/thewitcher\/status\/2049790924234883446\">CD Projekt Red shared artwork and a poem celebrating the Gaelic festival of Beltane<\/a>, or Belleteyn as the company called it &#8211; a festival which marks the beginning of summer. In the picture, we see the eponymous witcher Geralt sitting, leant against a tree, while his bardic friend Dandelion serenades nearby nighttime revellers.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Geralt, a grey-haired, grizzled monster hunter, sits slumped against a tree at night, while in the background, people dance around a fire as a bard serenades them.\" height=\"1643\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/belleteyn-witcher-3-artwork.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.777236762020694\" width=\"2920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Geralt, a grey-haired, grizzled monster hunter, sits slumped against a tree at night, while in the background, people dance around a fire as a bard serenades them.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"belleteyn-witcher-3-artwork.jpg\" height=\"1643\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.777236762020694\" width=\"2920\"><figcaption>CD Projekt Red&#8217;s &#8216;Belleteyn&#8217; artwork. Note the swords by Geralt&#8217;s side in the bottom left. | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On first inspection there&#8217;s not much more to see, but look closer in the bottom left of the image, by Geralt&#8217;s side and underneath the words &#8220;Have a magical Belleteyn&#8221;, and you&#8217;ll see two sheathed swords, and one of these has an unusually ornate crossguard, visible even in this area of painted dark.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The sword has a multilayered crossguard. There&#8217;s a more functional and robust V-shaped crossguard overlaid by a golden, swooping, swirling decoration of sorts. It&#8217;s a design that like-for-like matches the sword Geralt holds in the Songs of the Past expansion artwork. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tpuiif\/the_dlc_sword_was_sneakily_shown_in_an_artwork\/\">Reddit user Kasavir created a helpful overlay image<\/a> for side-by-side comparison.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a grizzled old warrior sat by a tree and the swords resting on the ground by him, with an overlaid image of a person drawing a sword from a sheath that looks just like the other swords seen in the image here.\" height=\"1166\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/the-dlc-sword-was-sneakily-shown-in-an-artwork-one-month-ago-v0-pfuxb2ligt3h1.webp?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 0.9262435677530018\" width=\"1080\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a grizzled old warrior sat by a tree and the swords resting on the ground by him, with an overlaid image of a person drawing a sword from a sheath that looks just like the other swords seen in the image here.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"the-dlc-sword-was-sneakily-shown-in-an-artwork-one-month-ago-v0-pfuxb2ligt3h1.webp\" height=\"1166\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 0.9262435677530018\" width=\"1080\"><figcaption>Reddit user Kasavir&#8217;s helpful comparison image. | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Kasavir \/ CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given the outlandish and unique design of the sword, the chances of this being a coincidence are extremely small. This is backed up by realising this piece of &#8216;Belleteyn&#8217; artwork was produced barely a month before the expansion&#8217;s official announcement, so the artists involved would have been well aware of its significance. But is there anything more than an a-ha &#8216;we hid it in plain sight&#8217; Easter egg going on here?<\/p>\n<p>There could be. There is some speculation whirring around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tpuiif\/comment\/oocb7pc\/\">that Songs of the Past takes place in the coastal kingdom of Cidaris<\/a>, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/thewitcher3\/comments\/12bibdp\/the_witcher_continent_map_by_urabbitslayeru_added\/\">underneath Redania and close to Skelige<\/a> &#8211; areas from the base Witcher 3 game. Cidaris is also a region where <a href=\"https:\/\/witcher.fandom.com\/wiki\/Dandelion\">Dandelion<\/a> (known as Jaskier in the books) is thought to come from, so should the &#8220;Songs&#8221; in the Songs of the Past title refer to him, as a bard, then maybe this previously issued artwork offers us a snapshot of what&#8217;s to come.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Everything else depends on the significance of the sword itself, and much has been made of it after the expansion announcement because, well, there&#8217;s not much else to go on. The overwhelming thought seems to be Geralt is holding Ciri&#8217;s Witcher 4 sword, but while there is a close resemblance, I&#8217;ve studied the recent Witcher 4 trailers and can confidently say they&#8217;re not the same weapon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">4<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of the base of a sword blade being drawn from a sheath.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of the base of a sword blade being drawn from a sheath.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An over-the-shoulder view of an armoured character with two swords on their back rushing a monster in the distance.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"An over-the-shoulder view of an armoured character with two swords on their back rushing a monster in the distance.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a character walking towards flaming torches and carrying two swords on their back.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a character walking towards flaming torches and carrying two swords on their back.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\">CD Projekt Red has even released stills from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-4\">The Witcher 4<\/a> announcement trailer that show Ciri&#8217;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.<\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You can clearly see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54dabgZJ5YA\">in The Witcher 4 announcement<\/a> trailer that the hilts are different, and that the blade itself, while similarly notched, is different as well. Ciri&#8217;s actual sword has three curved-notches whereas there are only two in the Songs of the Past artwork, and her sword has an area at the base of the blade cut out, whereas the sword in the Songs of the Past artwork does not. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Nthv4xF_zHU\">The Unreal demo of Witcher 4<\/a> from last summer also shows the hilt, perhaps more clearly, where you can see the differences. Ciri does not draw the blade in this demonstration, though.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"3\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>If not Ciri&#8217;s sword, then, what&#8217;s the significance of it? There are some people who&#8217;ve suggested the sword is already in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt\">The Witcher 3<\/a> game, as <a href=\"https:\/\/witcher.fandom.com\/wiki\/Gesheft\">Gesheft, a powerful silver sword<\/a>. The blades are certainly very similar. Perhaps, then, the sword isn&#8217;t important at all. After all, it wouldn&#8217;t be the first time Geralt has held a sword in Witcher 3 expansion artwork &#8211; he did it for both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: it must be more than coincidence that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tp74vp\/1_sword_2_swords_3_swords\/\">the number of swords on Geralt&#8217;s person in Witcher 3 expansion artwork has grown<\/a> corresponding to the sequential number of the expansions themselves. In the first expansion&#8217;s artwork Hearts of Stone, for example, Geralt has one sword. It&#8217;s two for Blood and Wine and three for Songs of the Past. That&#8217;s a clever touch, assuming it&#8217;s intended.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A trio of Witcher expansion artwork images, showing the hero Geralt holding swords while being sneaked up on by some horrid looking creatures.\" height=\"1389\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/85lnc3abwo3h1.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 2.948884089272858\" width=\"4096\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A trio of Witcher expansion artwork images, showing the hero Geralt holding swords while being sneaked up on by some horrid looking creatures.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"85lnc3abwo3h1.jpeg\" height=\"1389\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 2.948884089272858\" width=\"4096\"><figcaption>Count the swords in each picture. They correspond to the sequential order of the game&#8217;s expansions. Coincidence? | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Plenty_Shift_551 \/ CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Exactly how teasing CD Projekt Red is being here, then, it&#8217;s hard to tell without all of the details, and with Songs of the Past due next year, there&#8217;s a long marketing campaign still to come. The next beat of that, incidentally, will be late summer, so perhaps some questions will be answered then. We&#8217;re also expecting to see more of The Witcher 4 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrealengine.com\/unreal-fest\">Unreal Fest<\/a> later in June.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/rumoured-witcher-3-third-expansion-announced\">A third Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past<\/a>, was only announced yesterday, but it appears we&#8217;ve seen the sword Geralt unsheaths in the artwork before.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly a month ago, on 30th April, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/thewitcher\/status\/2049790924234883446\">CD Projekt Red shared artwork and a poem celebrating the Gaelic festival of Beltane<\/a>, or Belleteyn as the company called it &#8211; a festival which marks the beginning of summer. In the picture, we see the eponymous witcher Geralt sitting, leant against a tree, while his bardic friend Dandelion serenades nearby nighttime revellers.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Geralt, a grey-haired, grizzled monster hunter, sits slumped against a tree at night, while in the background, people dance around a fire as a bard serenades them.\" height=\"1643\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/belleteyn-witcher-3-artwork.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.777236762020694\" width=\"2920\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Geralt, a grey-haired, grizzled monster hunter, sits slumped against a tree at night, while in the background, people dance around a fire as a bard serenades them.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"belleteyn-witcher-3-artwork.jpg\" height=\"1643\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.777236762020694\" width=\"2920\"><figcaption>CD Projekt Red&#8217;s &#8216;Belleteyn&#8217; artwork. Note the swords by Geralt&#8217;s side in the bottom left. | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On first inspection there&#8217;s not much more to see, but look closer in the bottom left of the image, by Geralt&#8217;s side and underneath the words &#8220;Have a magical Belleteyn&#8221;, and you&#8217;ll see two sheathed swords, and one of these has an unusually ornate crossguard, visible even in this area of painted dark.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The sword has a multilayered crossguard. There&#8217;s a more functional and robust V-shaped crossguard overlaid by a golden, swooping, swirling decoration of sorts. It&#8217;s a design that like-for-like matches the sword Geralt holds in the Songs of the Past expansion artwork. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tpuiif\/the_dlc_sword_was_sneakily_shown_in_an_artwork\/\">Reddit user Kasavir created a helpful overlay image<\/a> for side-by-side comparison.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a grizzled old warrior sat by a tree and the swords resting on the ground by him, with an overlaid image of a person drawing a sword from a sheath that looks just like the other swords seen in the image here.\" height=\"1166\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/the-dlc-sword-was-sneakily-shown-in-an-artwork-one-month-ago-v0-pfuxb2ligt3h1.webp?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 0.9262435677530018\" width=\"1080\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a grizzled old warrior sat by a tree and the swords resting on the ground by him, with an overlaid image of a person drawing a sword from a sheath that looks just like the other swords seen in the image here.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"the-dlc-sword-was-sneakily-shown-in-an-artwork-one-month-ago-v0-pfuxb2ligt3h1.webp\" height=\"1166\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 0.9262435677530018\" width=\"1080\"><figcaption>Reddit user Kasavir&#8217;s helpful comparison image. | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Kasavir \/ CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given the outlandish and unique design of the sword, the chances of this being a coincidence are extremely small. This is backed up by realising this piece of &#8216;Belleteyn&#8217; artwork was produced barely a month before the expansion&#8217;s official announcement, so the artists involved would have been well aware of its significance. But is there anything more than an a-ha &#8216;we hid it in plain sight&#8217; Easter egg going on here?<\/p>\n<p>There could be. There is some speculation whirring around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tpuiif\/comment\/oocb7pc\/\">that Songs of the Past takes place in the coastal kingdom of Cidaris<\/a>, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/thewitcher3\/comments\/12bibdp\/the_witcher_continent_map_by_urabbitslayeru_added\/\">underneath Redania and close to Skelige<\/a> &#8211; areas from the base Witcher 3 game. Cidaris is also a region where <a href=\"https:\/\/witcher.fandom.com\/wiki\/Dandelion\">Dandelion<\/a> (known as Jaskier in the books) is thought to come from, so should the &#8220;Songs&#8221; in the Songs of the Past title refer to him, as a bard, then maybe this previously issued artwork offers us a snapshot of what&#8217;s to come.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Everything else depends on the significance of the sword itself, and much has been made of it after the expansion announcement because, well, there&#8217;s not much else to go on. The overwhelming thought seems to be Geralt is holding Ciri&#8217;s Witcher 4 sword, but while there is a close resemblance, I&#8217;ve studied the recent Witcher 4 trailers and can confidently say they&#8217;re not the same weapon.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"image_wrapper\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" data-autosize=\"bounds_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"loading spinner large\"><\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"pagination--hoverable\">\n<div class=\"previous\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Previous\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"next\">\n<button class=\"button pagination-button\"><br \/>\n<span aria-label=\"Next\" class=\"icon\" role=\"img\" style=\")\"><\/span><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"details_overlay\">\n<div class=\"counter\">\n<span class=\"current\">1<\/span> <span class=\"of\">of<\/span> <span class=\"max\">4<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"details\">\n<div class=\"button-wrapper\">\n<button aria-label=\"Toggle information\" class=\"toggle button outline\"><\/button><br \/>\n<button aria-label=\"Close fullscreen gallery\" class=\"close button\"><\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thumbnails-wrapper overflow-shadow-x\">\n<div class=\"thumbnails\">\n<button class=\"thumbnail active\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a kneeling character drawing a longsword from a scabbard.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(2).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of the base of a sword blade being drawn from a sheath.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of the base of a sword blade being drawn from a sheath.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword.jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An over-the-shoulder view of an armoured character with two swords on their back rushing a monster in the distance.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"An over-the-shoulder view of an armoured character with two swords on their back rushing a monster in the distance.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(4).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"thumbnail\" data-attribution=\"CD Projekt Red\" data-caption=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg\" title=\"CD Projekt Red has even released stills from The Witcher 4 announcement trailer that show Ciri&apos;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up of a character walking towards flaming torches and carrying two swords on their back.\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A close-up of a character walking towards flaming torches and carrying two swords on their back.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"ciri-witcher-4-sword-(3).jpg\" height=\"900\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1600\"><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fullscreen_info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nCaption          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"attribution\">\n<span class=\"label\"><br \/>\nAttribution          <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery-caption\">CD Projekt Red has even released stills from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-4\">The Witcher 4<\/a> announcement trailer that show Ciri&#8217;s blade in detail, so you can clearly see the differences.<\/div>\n<div class=\"advert_container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You can clearly see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=54dabgZJ5YA\">in The Witcher 4 announcement<\/a> trailer that the hilts are different, and that the blade itself, while similarly notched, is different as well. Ciri&#8217;s actual sword has three curved-notches whereas there are only two in the Songs of the Past artwork, and her sword has an area at the base of the blade cut out, whereas the sword in the Songs of the Past artwork does not. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Nthv4xF_zHU\">The Unreal demo of Witcher 4<\/a> from last summer also shows the hilt, perhaps more clearly, where you can see the differences. Ciri does not draw the blade in this demonstration, though.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"3\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>If not Ciri&#8217;s sword, then, what&#8217;s the significance of it? There are some people who&#8217;ve suggested the sword is already in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt\">The Witcher 3<\/a> game, as <a href=\"https:\/\/witcher.fandom.com\/wiki\/Gesheft\">Gesheft, a powerful silver sword<\/a>. The blades are certainly very similar. Perhaps, then, the sword isn&#8217;t important at all. After all, it wouldn&#8217;t be the first time Geralt has held a sword in Witcher 3 expansion artwork &#8211; he did it for both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: it must be more than coincidence that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/witcher\/comments\/1tp74vp\/1_sword_2_swords_3_swords\/\">the number of swords on Geralt&#8217;s person in Witcher 3 expansion artwork has grown<\/a> corresponding to the sequential number of the expansions themselves. In the first expansion&#8217;s artwork Hearts of Stone, for example, Geralt has one sword. It&#8217;s two for Blood and Wine and three for Songs of the Past. That&#8217;s a clever touch, assuming it&#8217;s intended.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A trio of Witcher expansion artwork images, showing the hero Geralt holding swords while being sneaked up on by some horrid looking creatures.\" height=\"1389\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/85lnc3abwo3h1.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 2.948884089272858\" width=\"4096\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A trio of Witcher expansion artwork images, showing the hero Geralt holding swords while being sneaked up on by some horrid looking creatures.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"85lnc3abwo3h1.jpeg\" height=\"1389\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 2.948884089272858\" width=\"4096\"><figcaption>Count the swords in each picture. They correspond to the sequential order of the game&#8217;s expansions. Coincidence? | <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Plenty_Shift_551 \/ CD Projekt Red<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Exactly how teasing CD Projekt Red is being here, then, it&#8217;s hard to tell without all of the details, and with Songs of the Past due next year, there&#8217;s a long marketing campaign still to come. The next beat of that, incidentally, will be late summer, so perhaps some questions will be answered then. We&#8217;re also expecting to see more of The Witcher 4 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrealengine.com\/unreal-fest\">Unreal Fest<\/a> later in June.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News That sword Geralt unsheaths in The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past expansion artwork? We&#8217;ve seen it before Zireael deal. Image credit: CD Projekt Red News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on May 28, 2026 1 comment Follow The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt A third Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1960093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1960093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1960093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1960093\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1960093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1960093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1960093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}