Ep. 115 — Chapter 9 from "Tower of Swallows"

About this episode

A discussion of Chapter 9 from Andrzej Sapkowski's Tower of Swallows, exploring themes of mythology, magic, and morality.

Kitty from the US and Michelle from the US join Alyssa for our discussion of Andrzej Sapkowski's Tower of Swallows, Chapter 9. Very important bits include: Norse and Inuit mythology, Mean Girls Continent, modern magic, sources of power, being consistent in ideals but flexible in methods, sacrifice, cynicism, and repentance in the face of death. [0:00] Cold Open [1:04] Introduction [2:35] Guest Introductions [7:00] Chapter Recap [8:58] Overall Thoughts [12:14] Power in Spirituality and Rationality [19:49] Yennefer's Cynicism [26:21] Suffering and Sacrifice [31:49] Yennefer's Repentance [35:03] The Impact of the Lodge [41:46] Yennefer Sails into the Sednya Abyss [50:52] Paths to the Tower of the Swallow [59:26] Closing Thoughts [1:06:25] Outro [1:06:46] End Credits

People in this episode

Host: Alyssa Esteban

Guests: Kitty, Michelle

Topics covered

• Norse mythology
• Inuit mythology
• modern magic
• spirituality
• sacrifice
• cynicism
• repentance

Keywords

• Tower of Swallows
• Andrzej Sapkowski
• Norse mythology
• Inuit mythology
• modern magic
• sacrifice
• cynicism
• repentance

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Tower of Swallows

More episodes of Breakfast in Beauclair

• Ep. 119 — David French & Peter Kenny on Translating the Witcher · March 26, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Ep. 118 — "Crossroads of Ravens" · March 5, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Ep. 117 — Chapter 11 from "Tower of Swallows" · February 19, 2026 · 58 min
• Ep. 116 — Chapter 10 from "Tower of Swallows" · February 5, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Ep. 114 — Chapter 8 from "Tower of Swallows" · January 8, 2026 · 1h 15m
• Ep. 113 — Chapter 7 (Part 2) from "Tower of Swallows" · December 25, 2025 · 40 min