I’m currently rereading The Witcher books, and something that stuck out to me in The Last Wish is that in Blaviken, the alderman asks Geralt for help when he’s trying to pronounce a large word. He also asks Geralt to read a royal decree aloud for him. Geralt does so, and points out a spelling error in it.
It is also mentioned in Season of Storms that Geralt has attended astronomy lectures at Oxenfurt Academy.
Time and again, the books are purposeful in showing that Geralt is far more literate and educated than the average citizen.
Which makes sense. On top of whatever they taught them at Kaer Morhen (which isn’t talked about in great detail, but you need chemistry for potions, you need literacy for the bestiary, which would also include history, lore, biology, etc. etc.) they’ve been alive for so long that they are probably the most well traveled category of people on the continent (along with mages). They would accumulate incredible exposure to diverse cultures.
So whenever Geralt refers to himself (or is referred to) as a ‘simple witcher’ it doesn’t mean that he is lacking in culture, education, or intellectual curiosity. In fact, he has far more of all three of those things than most people.
What ‘simple witcher’ means is, Geralt is not ambitious(i.e., is politically neutral), lives a modest life without luxuries (does thankless dirty work, sleeps on the ground, eats simple food), and is straightforward in word and deed. (Dandelion uses ‘simple’ to describe Geralt as guileless.)
So. Witchers are essentially blue collar workers. They get paid peanuts to do physically risky work for ungrateful people. And though Kaer Morhen is something of a luxury in the world of witchers, Geralt lives near the margins economically speaking. He often talks about how hard he has to hustle to make a living. In fact, he comes into Blaviken with the kikimore hoping to fetch a “small sum” to “get through the winter.”
Witchers are also some of the most knowledgeable, educated, cultured people on the continent. Aldermen, who would be among the most educated people in their towns, look to Geralt for help with royal decrees.
So. In summary (tl:dr) I appreciate that witchers defy so many stereotypes of working class people. Not to mention, stereotypes of people who are socially stigmatized in other ways, though that would be a whole other post.
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