The majority of Netflix’s first season of The Witcher is spent getting to know our main characters, chief among them being Anya Chalotra’s Yennefer of Vengerberg. Through her time spent at Aretuza and her magical studies under Tissaia de Vries, we learned that Yennefer not only longed to become a confident conduit of chaos but also craved it. Without magic, her life has no meaning. Which makes the loss of her powers in the Battle of Sodden Hill during the season one finale much more devastating for her.
The vast majority of season two saw Yennefer powerless and vulnerable as a result, a decision that left the fandom divided since Yennefer was anything but powerless and vulnerable in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels. Choosing to betray Geralt (although unknowingly at first), Yennefer fell prey to the Deathless Mother Voleth Meir’s (Ania Marson) promise to return her magic in exchange for Ciri (Freya Allan).
The season ends on something of a cliffhanger after Yennefer reconsiders her backstabbing arraignment and chooses instead to sacrifice herself to save Ciri. This, combined with the revelation that Ciri’s thought-to-be-dead dad Dunny is actually Emperor Emhyr var Emreis and that the Wild Hunt is on the loose — oh, and that the Elves are now after Ciri — causes something of a head-scratching predicament for fans who can’t quite recall where things left off and what we can expect going into season three. Did Yennefer get her powers back or not?
In order to clear things up, here’s what you can expect from Yennefer of Vengerberg going into this third season.
Is Yennefer still powerless in season three of The Witcher, or did she get them back?
While Yennefer’s bloody sacrifice to save Ciri is elaborate and grand, its aftermath is relatively subdued and quiet. After choosing to open herself as a vessel to Voleth Meir, Yennefer, Gerlt, and Ciri were sucked into the Monoith where Voleth Meir exited Yennefer’s body for good. When they returned (after almost being stampeded by the Wild Hunt), Yennefer was able to heal Coen’s (Yasen Zates Atour) wounds, meaning somehow she got her powers back.
Exactly how Yennefer got her powers is unclear, although the assumption seems to be the mere act of sacrificing herself did the trick. Although, in our personal opinion, that doesn’t quite make sense. Also just as likely is that even though she backed out of sacrificing Ciri at the last minute, Yennefer did technically lead Ciri to Voleth Meir, which is kind of, sort of following through on her promise. And I guess that kind of, sort of gets her powers back.
Come season three, Yennefer will be fully armed with her magic and ready to train Ciri to properly channel magic. Because Lord knows Ciri is going to need it with literally everyone, including her father, trying to hunt her down.
Season three of The Witcher premiers on Netflix on June 29.
