[ErgoPlex]

I always wondered how tall and how much Geralt weighs. Is there any actual evidence for this? Or are there any reasonable speculations?

[Thor666Arise]

I don't think an exact height was given in the books or somewhere else (its some time ago that i read them the last time though) but I would guess he is tall

[Guy N'wah]

If we take medieval Northern Europe as a guide, men of that time were surprisingly tall (avg. 173 cm vs. 175 cm today). Perceptions that men of the bad old days were shorter come from later times characterized by the famines of the Little Ice Age. Geralt had an ideal upbringing and is well developed, and he is known for cutting a striking figure wherever he goes, so figuring him to be taller but not quite a giant (say, 179 to 187 cm) is not amiss.

Athletes with good muscle development are much heavier than ordinary people. Geralt has enough upper body strength to swing a heavy two-handed sword fast and hard, so he should be around a body mass index (BMI) of 24, no less than 23 and no more than 25. (That's the range characteristic of sports that require substantial upper body strength, such as baseball and basketball. More than football (soccer), less than American football.)

So I make him out to be most likely 183 cm (6'0" US) and 80 kg (176 lb. US), with a range of height 179 to 187 cm and weight 74 to 87 kg.

[Vinterberg]

Guy, I just love it when you get all technical

[slimgrin]

I always thought that 6'1" or 6'2" seemed appropriate.

[antichrist616]

Well I'd probably say just above average, if Letho's anything to go by O:

[Wichat]

slimgrin said:

I always thought that 6'1" or 6'2" seemed appropriate. ›››

Not too tall, exceptional agility to jump and spin in the air (or near the floor) is required, so his bones doenst must be too longs...

[Guy N'wah]

Wichat said:

Not too tall, exceptional agility to jump and spin in the air (or near the floor) is required, so his bones doenst must be too longs... ›››

Not so tall that he is ungainly, you're right. But it takes size and strength to use a two-handed sword effectively, and the taller man with the greater reach has a definite advantage.

Interestingly, Geralt is said to have poor form as a swordsman; Berengar teases him about it in TW1, and it's mentioned again in TW2. But he is so fast, and his height and long arms give him such advantage, that many who laugh at him laugh their last.

[slimgrin]

Wichat said:

Not too tall, exceptional agility to jump and spin in the air (or near the floor) is required, so his bones doenst must be too longs... ›››

Once past the 6' mark, most fighters lose a certain amount of agility, in real life. Look up MMA fighters in a similar range; like Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre, or even the lanky Alexander Gustafsson at 6' 5". You'll see what I mean. 6' 2" isn't too tall for a super human mutant. It would give him a reach advantage if anything.

[Guy N'wah]

slimgrin said:

Once past the 6' mark, most fighters lose a certain amount of agility, in real life. Look up MMA fighters in a similar range; like Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre, or even the lanky Alexander Gustafsson at 6' 5". You'll see what I mean. 6' 2" isn't too tall for a super human mutant. It would give him a reach advantage if anything. ›››

On the other hand, there was the Frisian hero Pier Gerlofs Donia (Grutte Pier, "Big Pier"). While his stature has been exaggerated the way Paul Bunyan's has, he was by every account a giant of a man who could do tremendous damage with his oversized two-hander. Though his rebellion collapsed, he was never beaten and survived to die in peace.

Two-handed longswords aren't that much a finesse weapon. They're not like rapiers. They're for hitting things so hard that they don't hit back. But you still have to be very quick, and that argues against Geralt being much taller than 6 feet 1 or 2 (your estimate) or 6 feet even (mine), or heavier than about 80 kilos.

[arkblazer]

Gerzalt would be muscular but not too much, since hed need to do all those piruetes

[ErgoPlex]

Wow so many informative posts!
I really think the reasonable height is 5'11"-6'0" weighing ~180lbs.

Photos of this physique match Geralt's.

[Gibb_Geralt]

Honestly, i think the games paint the the most accurate picture of Geralt's size.

[Bloth]

Needs bigger forearms, they were perfect in the first game, but too twiggy in the second.

[Babli]

I think that Jason Statham may be a good real life comparison.



And if the internet is to be trusted, he is 175 cm tall and weights around 77 kgs.

[ZinuX]

slimgrin said:

Once past the 6' mark, most fighters lose a certain amount of agility, in real life. Look up MMA fighters in a similar range; like Anderson Silva, George St. Pierre, or even the lanky Alexander Gustafsson at 6' 5". You'll see what I mean. 6' 2" isn't too tall for a super human mutant. It would give him a reach advantage if anything. ›››

I think the agility trade of is more or less negligible, in the case for mutants with superhuman capabilities. Just look at Letho, who is this humongous hump of meat who is also extremely fast and agile. Guy's height estimate is nice, but IMO too low to provide a striking figure in (North-)Europe. I think Geralt is closing in on the 190 cm.

But maybe my view of a striking figure is twisted, as I live in the tallest country in the world on average. I am around 187 cm tall, which isn't an exceptional height over here. Scandinavian, Germanic and Slavic people are all people with a very high average height, and these are the cultures the Witcher world draws from the most.

[ErgoPlex]

Hmmm thought Geralt could be more like Brad Pitt in Troy.
5'11"/180cm 190lbs/86kgs 10-12% BF in troy

[Guy N'wah]

Fair comparisons, both of them. But Blothulfur's right about the forearms. You need power in the wrists for speed, like a baseball or cricket player, and none of those figures have the well-developed forearms you'd get from training with heavy swords all day, every day, for many years. He should also have impressive thighs; that's where the power for his acrobatic lunging attacks comes from. Again, those figures, well, don't.

[▫ Dona ▫]

They definitely went for a good-looking figure in TW2, than a realistic one. Shouldn't he also have a thicker waist, like in TW1?

[Guy N'wah]

▫ Dona ▫ said:

They definitely went for a good-looking figure in TW2, than a realistic one. Shouldn't he also have a thicker waist, like in TW1? ›››

I think you're right. The muscles of the lower back are important to maintaining balance and moving the trunk.

Modern fencers have especially well-developed lower back, quadriceps, and calf muscles, from all the lunging, bouncing, and dodging that the sport requires. Some women who fence find it disconcerting when they develop "fencer's thighs".