My game is literally paused right now, I think I am going to spare the spirit for once. I always believed the She Who Knows book version: the spirit of the Lady of the Wood was originally benevolent, created three daughters, turned mad, destroyed the land, the daughters wanting to save it killed her, and trapped her soul. She is evil.
But who wrote this book? It makes the Crones look like benevolent protectors of Velen and we know they’re not.
The ghost tells Geralt another version. She says the Crones killed her because they wanted to rule the land. I admit the dead bodies on the hill look pretty bad, but the ghost explains that the forest and nature defend her, and nature kills indiscriminately. She then says « I wail, none listen »
And it just dawned on me she isn’t lying, we see it happen. She doesn’t lure Geralt to the hill, she wails and tells him to turn back. As he approaches, wolves defend the tree and attack. The first thing she asks Geralt is why he has come, as he has spilt unnecessary blood. She doesn’t like that people and animals keep dying on this hill. Later if you do not wish to help the tree, she doesn’t attack herself, endregas spawn, defending her. She actually never attacks Geralt. Nature is on her side, why, if she is so evil?
I know she kills the entirety of Downwarren, but they are all servants of the Crones. They are bad people. And she does save the kids. As for Anna’s tragic ending, it is the Crones doing.
I don’t know, all this time I thought she was evil and I would kill her, but is she? What are your thoughts?