The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Artbook
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Leshens<br />
Leshens are another monster mentioned only in passing in the witcher<br />
saga, but one with rich roots in the mythology and folk tales of central and<br />
eastern Europe. Described as mysterious, shape-shifting beings possessing<br />
power over the forest and its denizens (their Polish name—leszy—derives<br />
from the Slavic root las, meaning woods), leshens were ideal candidates for<br />
use as one of the more interesting opponents Geralt will have to face in the<br />
latest game in the series.<br />
<strong>The</strong> leshen’s appearance was inspired by Slavic legends but also by Celtic<br />
and Anglo-Saxon descriptions of a distantly related figure, Herne the<br />
<strong>Hunt</strong>er—a deep woods spirit fitted with large antlers. Our in-game leshen<br />
stands over seven feet tall with an enormous moose or elk skull for a head.<br />
<strong>The</strong> creature’s long arms end in powerful claws and its body is adorned<br />
with the bones and skulls of its victims. Leshens are incredibly deadly hunters,<br />
the ultimate terrors lurking in the darkest woods of the witcher’s world.<br />
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