Editorial | Yennefer of Vengerberg: Mother, Temptress and Schemer.

By Sam Coles:

The Witcher 3 is a game that I’m still not bored of, and I have been playing it since its release all the way back in 2015. Why? Well it is one of most well-crafted games of this generation, from the world; music, gameplay and the subject of this article the characters. Yennefer of Vengerberg is a character that I grew to love, as she can be cold, loving, funny and just caring overall.

Yennefer has a long standing history with The White Wolf; however those who may have just played the games maybe a tad confused with her importance in the third game. This is because The Witcher 3 is the first appearance of the raven haired temptress, that being said she is mentioned in conversations and flashbacks during The Witcher 2 but besides that this is the first time players have met her. If you read the books you get more of a background why she is so important to Geralt, and if you go back and read them and then play The Witcher 3 again you will form more of an attachment to her.

Yennefer is probably one of the characters that is consistent in both the books and games in terms of personality, unlike Geralt who comes across as a bit of a lunatic in the books compared to the games. Yen tends to be strict and calculating, her methods of sorting a situation out can be morally questionable such as resorting to necromancy in some instances, but this is generally for the greater good. That being said sometimes it can be for her own agenda, but that is a double edge sword because it is all in the name to protect her daughter Ciri and the love of her life Geralt of Riva.

She tends to act as Geralt’s rock and can calm him down in combative situations, but Geralt is also the same with her and that is why they make the perfect couple. Their personalities tend to be chalk and cheese, where Geralt is generally straight to the point with his silver sword, whereas Yen is a bit more methodical and somewhat sneaky with her approach. I think this is why their dynamic tends to work, as they have vastly different approaches to scenarios.

She is not just a schemer though, she can be a bit of a temptress and romantic, she acts almost like a teenager around Geralt with lustful thoughts that flow through her mind. Which lead to some encounters that I won’t spoil, but it does show the overwhelming passion that they have for each other as she truly loves The White Wolf and will do anything to protect the dry witted monster hunter. You can really tell that she cares about him, when you see her violet eye flash with compassion, a stare that is enough to turn any man’s legs to jelly.

Like Geralt she cares about the emerald eyed girl Ciri, who she treats like a daughter. In the books she doesn’t really have that much of an interest in Ciri maternally initially, but she does make sure she has a basic understanding of manners and life in general. It’s through this that Yennefer begins to establish a bond with “ The Little She Devil” to quote Vesemir, and then starts to look at her as a daughter.

Yennefer of Vengerberg is one of my favourite video game characters as well in fictional books, she’s cold, calculating and is also not afraid to show love and compassion for those who she cares about. She is character that will stick in my mind for the next 10 to 20 years; she is a strong person who is willing to do anything to protect those who she loves.