Yennefer of Vengerberg is one of the most recognizable characters in the entirety of the Witcher franchise, in whatever form Witcher media might take. That being said, Yennefer didn't really appear seriously in the games until pretty early into the 3rd game. There were little hints at her existence in the first game, and in the second, any player keeping a close eye on the action has a pretty good guess that they would end up seeing Yennefer when The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt came out.
Since Yennefer has been a pretty mysterious character since the franchise started, it really does make sense that she wouldn't make sense. In some ways, she isn't fleshed out. In other ways, we really just don't know enough about her to really have a complete character. Let's try to work through some of the things about Yennefer that just don't quite add up.
10 Who Is She Related To On Her Elven Side?
While Yennefer spends a lot of her early life doing her best to avoid any trace of her elven blood after suffering abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father, it would be really interesting to know just a little bit more about that part of her heritage. Her mother is a half-blood, meaning that a quarter of Yennefer's blood is the blood of the elves. We don't really hear anything else about this as time goes on, but could that have something to do with her aptitude for magic? Might she have any famous elf relatives?
9 How Did Aretuza Notice Her?
Before Yennefer became the sorceress she is today, she lived on a small farm with a family who didn't at all treat her in a way suitable for human beings. She was abused, used, and ignored by the people closest to her. Somehow, Aretuza caught wind of the fact that she might have some sort of aptitude for magic. How did they come to notice this propensity for magic though? Is someone at the school a talent scout? We don't really find out much about this other than the fact that eventually, Aretuza started taking bribes from wealthy families who wanted to make something of their daughters.
8 Why Did She Attempt Suicide Exactly?
While it's no secret that Yennefer must have been struggling silently with tons of the trauma that she went to, in addition to having a hard time adjusting to her new lifestyle at Aretuza, was there a specific experience that led her to slit her wrists in a suicide attempt?
Obviously, these kinds of stressors would get to anyone, but it seems odd without some big trigger we don't know about. Luckily, she seems to have come out the other side stronger and has the scars to remind her of her strength.
7 Would She And Geralt Still Love One Another Without The Genie?
Many people think that maybe Geralt and Yennefer are a match entwined by fate, but there's really no way to tell. When Geralt cashed in his final wish so that they could capture a genie on first meeting Yennefer, he may not have fully understood the repercussions. As a result, he's always had a rocky relationship with Yen. They did indeed use another wish to do away with their magically mandated love for each other, but they still had feelings for one another. That being said, of course! They'd spent the better part of 20 years together at least in spirit. Without the initial intervention, would their love still be just as strong?
6 Was Mothering Ciri As Fulfilling As She Had Hoped?
Yennefer has always had a very close eye on Ciri once she realized someone she admired as much as Geralt had a ward. Yennefer used to spend tons of time with the two of them at Kaer Morhen and was probably the closest thing to a mother Ciri had in a long time. Yennefer, Geralt, and Ciri formed a nice family unit, but was it enough for Yennefer who had spent so much time struggling with the fact that she was sterile?
5 Why Is The Perfection Magic Imperfect?
One of the things that's obvious looking at the Witcher universe is that we don't really have consistency when it comes to magic. A really good example of this that doesn't make sense in regards specifically to Yennefer is that the beautification magic they used at Aretuza didn't entirely work...
She still has slanted shoulders despite her near physical perfection. Maybe that's just a souvenir of her earlier life.
4 Why Does She Blame Geralt For What Happened With Triss?
Confusingly to everyone, Yennefer had a really hard time accepting what happened to Geralt even after he's had time to fully explain the situation to her. Triss placed a love spell on Geralt, and Geralt had amnesia. It's clear here that what happened when Triss was out of Geralt's control, and as soon as he realized what had happened, he did his best to find her. This seems like something Yen should probably have been able to work through on her own.
3 How Did Triss And Yennefer Squash Their Beef So Easily?
After that last little diversion into the relationship that Yennefer and Geralt have, let's take a look at how Yennefer and Triss have worked out over the length of their acquaintance. In the situation outlined in the last entry, we really shouldn't be placing any blame on Geralt, but on Triss. Usually particularly innocent-looking, Triss is kind of manipulative when you break it down. The fact that Yen was able to get over the situation is thanks entirely to Ciri, but it really doesn't make sense that everything was forgiven and forgotten so easily.
2 How Was Her Blindness Healed So Easily?
Yennefer sustained a serious injury after the Battle Of Sodden Hill was said and done. While it's obvious that restorative magic in the universe of the Witcher comes in handy frequently, going completely blind as a result of the magic seems like it would be a bit harder to deal with than a scraped knee.
Somehow, Yen is pretty much patched up and back to normal shortly after this incident.
1 How Did She Get Past Tissaia's Cold Exterior?
Tissaia De Vries is probably one of the hardest people to get along with in the entirety of The Witcher universe when you really break it down. She has a good heart and she has pretty much everyone's best interests in mind, but she's notoriously difficult to handle as a person. Despite that, Yennefer has a few moments with her that show us that they both legitimately value their relationship. Is there something special they see in each other or is it for the sake of writing an impactful relationship with development?