‘Blood Origin’ Character: Lark, Explained: What Was The Significance Of ‘Black Rose’ And Ithilinne’s Prophecy?

The newly released prequel miniseries “The Witcher: Blood Origin” introduced a valiant warrior by the name of Eile (played by Sophia Brown) who had left the bloodshed behind to establish her identity as a poet. In the fictional world of “Blood Origin,” where elves once lived 1200 years ago, oppression and classism were pervasive.

Spoilers Ahead


Would Eile Be Remembered As A Poet Or A Warrior Until The End?

Eile was a valiant warrior from the Raven Clan of Pryshia. She was also known as the Lark, who became a roving bard and wandered through villages, singing her song “Black Rose.” Her song had the power to unite all the elves. Enthralled by her song, the oppressed elves found hope for survival. When Princess Merwyn betrayed her own brother to become queen of Xin’trea, her empire fell into anarchy. Throughout her kingdom, the lowborn elves starved to death. While the queen fantasized about a new era, her palace grain store was running low. The queen did not stand by the people in such a situation, but the Lark’s song “Black Rose” did. “Black Rose” had the essence of patriotism and the mantra to awaken the lowborn.

Eile, who was troubled by her past and could no longer bear to see people killed, left her clan and decided to become a bard, but she never gave up her spirit of a warrior. She hoped to spark a revolution through her music. She wanted her song to give the elves the courage to oppose torture and anarchy. But, when her sister arrived to take her home, she had to abandon her identity as the Lark. She was initially hesitant, but after realizing that her king and her clan were in danger, she stepped up to assist them. She felt that it was her sole responsibility to vanquish the evil that was casting its dark shadow over their realm. She joined her sister in resuming her warrior life. However, her hopes were dashed when her sister was murdered right in front of her eyes. She blamed herself for her sister’s death, believing that if she had never left her clan, her sister would still be alive. She gave up her dream of being a bard to exact revenge for her sister’s death. She gave up her identity as the Lark to become the warrior she had always been. She didn’t even sing “Black Rose” when a group of settlers asked her to. She abandoned her poetry in the villages of Inish Dubh to fight as a warrior, but following her arrival in Xin’trea, she was reborn as the Lark.

Eile led a revolution in which she rallied the elves against the queen. Every lowborn recognized the Lark and her song “Black Rose,” which gave them the energy and the hope to raise their voice against the queen’s deceitful empire. They didn’t have weapons, but they had unwavering hope, courage, and the voice of Black Rose. Eile’s poetry, with its everlasting melody, was recognized as a voice of rebellion. She was a warrior by blood, but her creation implied that art, poetry, and music have the power to spark revolutions in ways that weapons, political chaos, and wars often cannot. That’s why Eile was regarded as a roving lark rather than a warrior.


Significance Of ‘Black Rose’

The poetry of Black Rose was rich in symbolism. The black rose, a rare variety of rose known for its elegant yet mysterious appearance, is the kind of flowers that a few people adore. Red roses are traditionally sent as romantic gifts to loved ones, but when it comes to black roses, we talk about their dark side rather than their beauty. The lowborn elves, who were unloved and tormented, were represented by the black rose in Eile’s song. Though it’s possible that by “black rose,” the story was indicating something strange or outcast, which is essentially what “The Witchers” usually were as we know them. The black rose was a symbol of strength and power in ancient Greek and Roman culture. It also represented a new age or rebirth in macabre culture, just like it represented the revolution of the elves in “Blood Origin.” In this tale, the black rose also symbolizes the tragic passing of Eile’s lover, Fjall, who died after slaying a monster but helped to bring about a new ear by leaving his offspring in the world. 

The elements of Celtic mythology and Irish folklore had a great impact on the Elven names of “The Witcher” universe, so we can infer where the “Black Rose” came from. The song “Black Rose” made a clear allusion to Irish tradition. The actual Irish song “Black Rose,” also known as “Roisin Dubh,” served as Ireland’s traditional folk anthem. Since the 16th century, this song has been well-known among the Irish. The song “Black Rose” from “Blood Origin,” which was sung by the very talented Sophia Brown and written and composed by Bear McCreary and Declan Dr. Barra, is a magnificent homage to Irish history. This song has a wonderful storytelling quality that transports us back to our childhood fairytales. The song gave the impression that a mother was recounting a heroic story to her young child, just as the Lark would have done with her newborn.


Lark’s Destiny And Ithilinne’s Prophecy On Elder Blood

Though the Raven clan was the nemesis of the Dog clan, Fjall and Eile were united by an ultimate goal: to depose the queen. They fell in love and grew intimate with each other, but Eile ultimately had to kill her lover in order to preserve peace. She had to be brave to do that, or else Fjall would have turned into a vicious monster and would have killed everyone in his way. She cremated her beloved after their victory and carried a seed inside her womb. As a bard once more, she returned to Inish Dubh and carried on singing. Her singing brought hope to the inhabitants after the Conjunction of the Spheres when monsters were widespread in the Elven world. Ithlinne reached out and stroked her womb, predicting that her bloodline would sing the last song, signifying that Lark and Fjall had given birth to the most potent elder Blood, rich in magic. However, as we have seen in season 2 of “The Witcher,” Ithlinne, who has made a lot of prophecies that have come true, has become the greatest seer of the Witcher Universe. Since Ciri was revealed to be the one with elder Blood running through her veins in “The Witcher” Season 2, we deduce that she must be a descendant of Fjall and Eile. Elder Blood was a powerful magical blood that possessed deadly abilities. Ciri’s scream, as we’ve seen, has the power to break the monoliths and call monsters from other realms. So, the chaos magic that Balor was referring to could be in Ciri’s Elder Blood, which is why the Wild Hunt referred to her as the daughter of chaos. As a result, as Vesemir mentioned, the next witcher creation would require elder Blood; we may expect Ciri to play a key role in the next witcher creation in “The Witcher” Season 3.


See more: ‘Blood Origin’ The First Witcher, Explained: How Are The Witchers Created Or Mutated In ‘The Witcher’ Universe?


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Poulami Nanda
Poulami Nanda
Poulami Nanda hails from a medical background, yet her journey is to cross the boundaries of medicine and survive in the cinematic world. The surrealistic beauty of cinema and art has attracted her from a very young age. She loves to write poems, songs, and stories, but her dream is to write films someday. She has also worked as a painter, but nothing attracts her more than cinema. Through her writings, she wants to explore the world of cinema more and more and take her readers on the same ride.

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