Does Geralt believe in destiny, and how would he respond? (Spoilers)

[fish]

I've decided to play through the Witcher games doing things that book Geralt would've done. However, I've only read The Last Wish so far and there's some information I'm missing such as Geralt's complete opinion on destiny. Based on my research most people agree that Geralt doesn't believe in destiny, but I think that's not exactly true. Let me explain why, but please correct me on anything if I'm wrong since I'm not a book expert yet.

In The Last Wish, Geralt seems to acknowledge that some form of destiny exists as he refers to it many times and experiences it too, but when discussing gods with Nenneke he says that he doesn't like the idea of something pulling the strings. This leads me to the likely conclusion that he knows it's there yet fights against it. But surely to be able to fight against something you must also believe in it? It's a little confusing.

Concerning destiny, what would be the best dialog choices for book Geralt in quests such as Dead Hand of the Past, Identity, and others? Would he believe in it, remain neutral or blame everything on chance? Perhaps none of the answers are incorrect, which is interesting to think about.

Thank you in advance for any information that may help.

[fish]

I feel like Geralt does walk a path of destiny, but in vain he may not want to follow it or does not realize he's following it. Along the path he can take different turns, but eventually those paths converge and reach the same ending. Meaning he does have free will, but it changes little in the long run (similar to the nature of the game itself). Does that sound similar to death? Well...

"Destiny is a double-edged sword. You are one edge; the other is death." - King of the Wild Hunt

Maybe there is some truth to the King's words. He is a sort of reaper in this world, which was likely intentional. You can fight against him (death/destiny) as Geralt wants to, but he will inevitably return. Death and destiny go hand in hand, and both are something the King of the Wild Hunt constantly deals in. The dying and the destined have their similarities. You can only deny either for so long.

[Ragnarök]

The King of the Wild Hunt is not death, nor destiny. That's only what he wants Geralt to believe so he doesn't try to interfere with the Wild Hunt's agenda.

``Destiny is a double-edged sword. You are one edge; the other is...`` Has no clear answer. It`s a quote from Eithné, the Dryad Queen in the book Sword of Destiny. If Geralt had to respond in game it would be ``There is no destiny...`` because that`s the response the King of the Wild Hunt reacts most violently toward compared to the others that he just scoffs at.

Whether Geralt believes it himself is up for debate and again varries from time to time.

[fish]

Originally posted by Ragnarök:

``Destiny is a double-edged sword. You are one edge; the other is...`` Has no clear answer. It`s a quote from Eithné, the Dryad Queen in the book Sword of Destiny. If Geralt had to respond in game it would be ``There is no destiny...`` because that`s the response the King of the Wild Hunt reacts most violently toward compared to the others that he just scoffs at.

I also noticed that the only way to make him not spawn Leo's specter is to fully oppose what he says about destiny. I guess that's no coincidence.

Originally posted by Ragnarök:

The King of the Wild Hunt is not death, nor destiny. That's only what he wants Geralt to believe so he doesn't try to interfere with the Wild Hunt's agenda.

I know little about the Wild Hunt's agenda other than they seem to have some interest in anyone with the source such as Ciri.

[Jordinho]

For the Identity quest as a whole:

Motivation - Personal
Order Path - No deeper meaning, means to an end
Monsters - Spare the werewolf
Identity - Only kills humans as last resort
Destiny - Believes in "something more"
Love - Triss (Not ready to love her)

IMO.