Of all the mages, witches, and sorceresses in the world of The Witcher, the one who stands out the most is undoubtedly Yennefer of Vengerberg. While she only properly appears in one of the three Witcher titles released by CD Projekt Red, her razor-sharp wit and immaculate sense of style have cemented her in the minds of fans.
Still, for all its accomplishments, there are many aspects of Yennefer’s illustrious history that weren’t captured in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and there is much that you may not know about her if your only view into The Witcher world is the game series. Here are the most interesting things.
Updated January 7, 2022, By Ben Jessey:The Witcher Netflix series is once again a hot topic due to the release of its second season. And in the Sophomore year, Yennefer is once again one of the highlights of the show. The sorceress’s popularity continues to grow, which has led to many non-book readers wanting to find out more about her.
This list already provides plenty of interesting facts about Yen. However, we felt it needed a bit of a refresh to make it easier to read. We also added an extra piece of fascinating trivia that was previously overlooked.
16 Netflix Didn’t Provide The First Live-Action Adaptation Of The Character
Netflix and Anya Chalotra deserve plenty of credit for their adaptation of Yennefer as she’s one of the stars of the series. Yet, that’s not actually the first live-action version of the character.
Back in 2001, there was a polish movie called The Hexer, which later became a television series. They were adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher books. So naturally, Yennefer features in both of them, and she’s played by an actress named Grazyna Wolszczak. However, she has a smaller role than Chalotra as Yen only appears in two episodes of The Hexer show.
15 She Really Likes Apple Juice
When Geralt and Yennefer first met in the books, he won her favor by bringing her apple juice. It was a very quick and simple moment, yet his actions helped sway Yennefer into helping him save Dandelion, who had been rendered helpless by the infamous djinn.
Of course, Yennefer had her own reasons for wanting to get her hands on the djinn but it doesn’t stop the moment between Geralt and the sorceress from being pretty adorable. Who would have thought that someone as powerful and fierce as Yennefer would be charmed by something as innocuous as apple juice?
14 She Is Considered A Byronic Hero
It’s not often to find a female example of the Byronic Hero trope, but Yennefer fits it perfectly. She is withdrawn and cold to those who she doesn’t deem worthy of accepting her time.
She is extremely ambitious and intelligent, but also prone to selfishness. Yennefer can be very cold and hard to get to know. Even she and Geralt have a hard time getting along on occasion despite the fact they’re considered to be the other’s one true love.
13 She Was A Character In The Witcher Battle Arena
The Witcher Battle Arena was a free multiplayer battle arena that users could participate in online to compete using the best characters from the franchise. Unfortunately, it was a relatively short-lived game. Players would compete in 6-player battles and have to capture three conquest points before moving toward a deathmatch.
Yennefer was one of the characters available to play in the game. She had an awesome weapon called the Dark Moon and a skin that you could change called Ravenlord’s Embrace. It’s a shame the game didn’t make it a full year before being shut down.
12 She Has Done Some Terrible Things For Love
Pretty much every single character in The Witcher universe has done bad things as a means to an end. Yennefer is no exception. She has even used and brainwashed Geralt in the past. During their first encounter, she turned him into a puppet to get revenge against those who had wronged her.
She has also come close to killing him in some of her darkest and most enraged moments. Yennefer is not shy about admitting she can be cruel. When it comes to protecting Ciri, in particular, there is nothing she won’t do.
11 She Once Tried To Commit Suicide
According to the World of Witcher compendium, which contains writings by Dandelion, Yennefer once tried to take her own life. She was abused as a child and had a hunchback, this led her to depression and isolation.
While she was a student at Aretuza, Yennefer tried to kill herself by cutting her forearms. She managed to do a great deal of damage to her tendons but did not die. She even managed to impress the academy’s chancellor and receive a recommendation to continue her training as a sorceress.
10 Never Ask A Lady Her Age
While it’s mentioned at times that mages live unnaturally long, it’s never stated outright how old Yennefer of Vengerberg actually is in the game series. Given that we know she was born in the year 1173, however, we can conclude that by the time the first game takes place in 1271, she would be around 98 years old.
This sharply contrasts with her own youthful appearance, as she still appears, for all intents and purposes, to be in her early twenties when players properly meet her in Wild Hunt – another benefit of being an exceptionally powerful sorceress.
9 Elven Blood
One of the predominant themes of The Witcher is racism directed towards non-human beings such as dwarves, elves, and others. As such, it’s interesting to note that while Yennefer looks fully human, she is in fact considered a quadroon. In the real world, this term refers to someone who is one-quarter black by birth.
However, in The Witcher, this means that Yennefer is one-quarter elven, being the product of a human father and a half-elven mother. This heritage lends itself to her graceful features and could explain why she’s one of gaming’s most powerful mages, as elves are known for their magic talents.
8 The Hunchback of Vengerberg
One would never know it just from looking at Yennefer, but she was not born with such ethereal features. Yennefer of Vengerberg was born a hunchback, complete with crooked shoulders and a distorted frame.
This deformity was the source of much strife in her childhood, ultimately leading her father to leave as he was disgusted by her appearance. He also blamed her mother, claiming that the elven blood Yennefer had inherited from her was the reason for her hunchback.
7 Abusive Childhood
Though she stands proud and confident in The Witcher 3, Yennefer’s resolve was tempered by trauma and abuse. Throughout her childhood, she suffered at the hands of her father, who inflicted both physical and mental pain on her. Though he eventually left, Yennefer’s youth did not get any easier for it.
Her mother then blamed her for his departure and began to beat her as well. This torment pushed Yennefer to the edge, to the point where she once attempted to take her own life. Fortunately, the mages of Aretuza, who recognized her innate magical talent, were able to save Yennefer before helping her find a path to a better life.
6 Study At Aretuza
Yennefer was discovered during her youth by the Aretuza Academy, a school for aspiring sorceresses. Though she had a difficult time adjusting to such a prestigious and elite institution, she quickly became its best pupil.
By the end of her first year at Aretuza, Yennefer’s spinal column had been fixed, removing her hunchback. Subsequently, she graduated as one of the brightest and most talented students at the academy, setting her well on her way to becoming the dominating force that appears in the games.
5 Past Loves
Geralt has the option to romance Yennefer in Witcher 3, and the sorceress only has eyes for him during this time. Yet, her romantic life was much more tumultuous in the past. Significantly, she took two other lovers before solidifying her affections for Geralt: Crach an Craite and the sorcerer Istredd.
Though her affair with Crach (who also appears in The Witcher 3) was brief, her involvement with Istredd was complicated when he and Geralt met one another. Neither was willing to share Yennefer, with Istredd going so far as to propose marriage to her. In the end, Yennefer left both of them for a time, later reuniting with Geralt.
4 Blinded At Sodden Hill
Yennefer was also present during the climactic battle of the First Nilfgaard War, the Battle of Sodden Hill. It was at this conflict that the tide turned decisively for the Northern Kingdoms, as their mages and sorceresses were able to overwhelm the opposing Nilfgaardian forces. However, this particular fight was not without cost, as many perished and many others incurred terrible scars, both physical and mental.
During the course of the fighting, Yennefer was attacked and blinded by Nilfgaardian sorceress Fringilla Vigo, and while she was later able to heal the damage, the emotional impact of the injury is something she still carries with her.
3 Training Ciri
Sometime after the Battle of Sodden Hill, Geralt requested Yennefer’s help in training a child who was a Source – someone with access to tremendous magical power. This child was Ciri, and as Yennefer instructed her in the magical arts at the Temple of Melitele, she grew attached.
From this point on, Yennefer’s relationship with Ciri developed into one that was not merely teacher and student, but more akin to mother and daughter. While this relationship is certainly seen in the game series, its origins in Yennefer’s magical tutelage are not discussed, leaving out the long history between these two characters.
2 The Thanedd Coup And The Lodge Of Sorceresses
At a meeting of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers – of which Yennefer was the youngest member – on Thanedd Island, there was a falling out between mages supporting Nilfgaard and mages supporting the Northern Realms. Yennefer was present during these events on the side of the North. which makes it that much more surprising that she aligns with the Nilfgaardian Empire in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
However, in the aftermath of the coup, Yennefer also refused to join the powerful members of the Lodge of Sorceresses as she disagreed with their goals. It seems Yennefer’s aim has never been power or patriotism, but rather a desire to find and protect Ciri from all who would use her against her will.
1 Malus Isle
Directly prior to the events of the CD Projekt Red games, Yennefer traveled with Ciri to Rivia, where they found Geralt bleeding out from a fatal wound. Yennefer’s attempts to save him fell short, and in the end, it was Ciri (with the help of a unicorn, no less) who managed to bring Geralt back.
Ciri then took them to Malus Island, a mysterious isle hidden deep in the fogs of Loch Eskalott. It was there that Yennefer and Geralt recovered and rested before eventually being found by the Wild Hunt, kicking off the story depicted in the Witcher game series.
NEXT: Books Series That Would Make Better Games Than The Witcher 3
