‘The Witcher’ Season 2: How Yennefer’s Sacrifice for Ciri Redeems What She Lost
In The Witcher, when Yennefer of Vengerberg became a mage, she lost the ability to have children. But in The Witcher Season 2, Yennefer loses another part of herself she held incredibly dear to her, her chaos magic. For part of the season, Yennefer looks for a way to regain her abilities without giving in to the Deathless Mother.
When she meets Ciri, who could be the key to her magic, she realizes how truly extraordinary she is. But when Ciri is in trouble, Yennefer makes the ultimate sacrifice for the Child Suprise.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 2.]
How did Yennefer lose her magic in ‘The Witcher’?
The catalyst moment that causes Yennefer to lose her chaos magic occurs during The Witcher season finale. Yennefer, Tissaia, and the other mages fight Nilgaard at Sodden Hill. When they slowly lose the battle, Tissaia tells Yennefer to let go of her chaos.
Not willing to see the people closest to her die, Yennefer uses powerful fire magic to burn the forest infested with Nilfgaard soldiers. But after the battle, Yennefer disappears. According to the series, fire magic is forbidden and has deadly consequences. Most mages disintegrate into nothing to conjure fire.
Tissaia was led to believe the same likely occurred to Yennefer. But The Witcher Season 2 proved otherwise. For Yennefer, the penalty for using fire magic led to her losing her chaos magic completely.
Yennefer faces possible death to save Ciri in ‘The Witcher’ Season 2
In season 2, Yennefer gets enchanted by the Deathless Mother or Voleth Meir. Voleth Meir is an ancient demon entrapped in a hut for eternity by witchers. Yennefer hears Voleth’s voice in her head, pushing her to fulfill certain acts throughout the season.
When local guards in Oxenfurt trap Yennefer, she gives in to Voleth, who helps her escape. Wanting her magic back, Yennefer agrees to find Ciri and take her to the monolith outside Cintra. Yennefer does so but realizes the mistake she made and how special Ciri is to Geralt.
By the end of The Witcher Season 2, Ciri is possessed by Voleth and displays her immense power. With Ciri’s powers, Voleth conjures a monolith at Kaer Morhen and opens the gateway to another sphere. The only way to save Ciri is by allowing Voleth to inhabit another vessel.
Yennefer sacrifices herself and entraps Voleth in her body long enough for Ciri to transport them to another unknown plane. When they arrive, Voleth leaves Yennefer. Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer return to Kaer Morhen, and Yennefer realizes she regained her chaos magic.
Yennefer both lost and regained her powers due to sacrifice
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It is not strange to think that Yennefer would have regained her powers the same way she lost them in The Witcher finale. While Nilfgaard was gaining the upper hand at Sodden Hill, Yennefer was fully aware of the risk of using fire magic. But she uses it regardless to save her friends and the people of the local village.
The same occurs when she regains her chaos magic. She sees the damage Ciri is causing and the possibility of more death and destruction. Yennefer also sees how Geralt is willing to also sacrifice himself for Ciri. To save them both, she allows Voleth to possess her. Yennefer is also aware of the possibility of her death. In both circumstances, Yennefer faced dire consequences for the greater good.
The Witcher Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix.
