Lebioda — witcher

	He who intends to walk the valley of darkness ought to bring a lantern with him. For he who sprains his ankle in the darkness will not walk far. –The Good Book; or, The Teachings of the Prophet Lebioda
- The World of the Witcher

Lebioda was a prophet whose visions and parables are contained in the Good Book of Prophet Lebioda's Wisdom.^[1] He became legendary for his goodness, wisdom, and modest peaceful ways.

History

A simple sheperd, he wandered the Continent, telling parables about life, gods, and men, and preaching sermons with an emphasis on kindness and compassion. ^[2] On Birke, in the village of Sylvan Dam, the prophet Lebioda delivers a sermon to his students in 1133.

As he became well-known, a cult began to form around him. More and more people started following his teachings with some of them becoming his pupils, as was the case with Saint Plegmund who brought his master's words to Toussaint.^[3] He was seen doing miracles, and in short time, his words and deeds converted the whole duchy along with Duchess Caroberta who ordered both a temple in Beauclair and a monument on the west bank of the Sansretour River to be built.^[4]^[5] Lebioda himself visited Toussaint at least once to hear prayers of the faithful.

His wisdom reached even the edges of the Continent far as Kovir and Poviss where it spread thanks to King Esterad Thyssen's wife, Queen Zuleyka, who lived most of her life according to the prophet's teachings.^[1]^[6]

He died, eaten by a dragon, which he attempted to stop harassing Kaedweni villagers near Ban Ard. The remains of the prophet, recovered from the feces of the creature, were collected by his students and interned in the sarcophagus in the Novigrad's Great Temple. On some holidays, the faithful are allowed to kiss the relic.^[7]

Legacy

Lebioda is widely revered across the Continent and his teachings have been adopted and adapted to serve many other churches.^[2] In turn, many have built temples and named various locations and even ships after him.

He is not only revered by humans but also by several assimilated dwarves.^[8] Even other religious sects follow some of his parables, such as the Cult of the Eternal Fire^[9] and the Eighth Day Flagellants.^[10]

The story of how the Prophet Lebioda's bones were recovered is quite amusing, especially when you consider that they are supposedly taken out of his sarcophagus on certain festivities, and the pious given the honor of kissing them. I will for the moment refrain from repeating the story, as tales of combing through dung, even dragon dung, are not very well suited for mealtime conversation.

–Addario Bach dwarven musician from the Copperette gained a militant arm in mines Miners' Brass Band

The World of the Witcher

Notes

In Danusia Stok's translation of The Last Wish, he is called Lebiodus.

Trivia

The Polish word "lebioda" is the name of the plant known in English as "fat-hen", "white goosefoot", "lamb's quarters", "pigweed" and "dungweed" (Chenopodium album). It is also used as an insult for someone weak, feeble, or a bit useless, a bit like the word 'weed' in English.
An over 5 m tall statue of Saint Peter by the artist Giuseppe de Fabris, which can be seen at Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, has a similar look to Lebioda's monument in Toussaint.
The statue is a reference to the Polish monument of Christ the King in Świebodzin (full Polish name: Figura Jezusa Chrystusa Króla Wszechświata, literally Monument of Jesus Christ the King of the Universe), the tallest Jesus figure in the world. In Polish and Czech versions of the game, posters advertising the statue refer to the Prophet as "The King of the Universe".