Zeugl

The zeugl inhabits sewers predominantly, feeds on sewage, and grows at an alarming rate. The beast is always hungry, so it reaches out with its tentacles for living creatures and tries to shove them into its huge maw filled with multiple rows of teeth. The zeugl is paralyzingly hideous, foul-smelling, and surprisingly strong for something resembling a rotten potato, so it usually manages to devour its opponent.

Geralt was hired to rid the sewers of a zeugl during his and Yennefer's stay in Aedd Gynvael.

In the game, the zeugl is one of the boss monsters. Geralt must face this ugly beast in the Vizima sewers during the Epilogue, and this time, the tentacles seem to have a mind of their own! Luckily our hero is not forced to face the beast alone.

"The zeugl is the best example of a monster that has grown accustomed to human settlements. The beast feeds on the waste and filth produced by the city, so it need not hunt or fight to survive. It simply grows and gradually becomes a danger to people. This shows how detrimental continued degradation of the natural environment can be in the long run. Therefore, I implore the reader: respect nature."

Location

 * Sewers in the Epilogue

Monsterbook
''Developer CD Projekt's characterization of the Zeugl taken from the monsterbook, which was included with the Polish, Hungarian and Czech Collector's Editions of The Witcher computer game:

This huge monster inhabiting the sewers beneath Vizima looks like a medieval environmentalist's nightmare. It feeds on the garbage and carrion that slowly drift with the flow. The zeugl can grow to be enormous in size, and being a hermaphrodite, it reproduces easily. A fully grown specimen is a serious threat to humans and very difficult to kill.

Only the top part of its body and tentacles ever surface above the sewage — and these are the most important elements of its design. The black on red sketches present the creature in all its glory. Sapkowski described it as a "hideous bulge" — and such is our zeugl. The concept artist provided it with a fish-like head and a few rows of sharp teeth suitable for grinding whatever reaches the monster's jaws. If the victim is not quite dead, the zeugl's tentacles feature spikes that allow the creature to pull its prey into its mouth.

The sketch above focuses on the zeugl's cephalothrax — the monster's head resembles that of a fish, while the folds on its back bear a likeness to mushroom caps.

Gallery
Illustration by Bogusław Polch of Geralt fighting the zeugl in Aedd Gynvael.

Zeugl

Zeugle Zeugl

Zeugl