Highlights
- Geralt and Yennefer's relationship contradicts Geralt's desire for a peaceful life, as they end up living a quiet lifestyle together if they end up as a couple.
- Geralt might be able to have a child with another woman, but not with Yennefer, who is infertile due to her sorceress abilities.
- Despite their intense fights and insincerity towards each other, Geralt and Yennefer always find their way back to each other, showing their deep connection and love.
Geralt & Yennefer, alongside their adopted daughter, are at the front and center of The Witcher's story. Geralt of Rivia; Witcher, Butcher of Blaviken, The White Wolf, and Yennefer of Vengerberg; sorceress, royal advisor, horsewoman of war. Alone, they're both pretty fantastic characters already. Together, they're something much more.
There are plenty of fascinating couples with engrossing dynamics and chemistry throughout the history of literature, and Geralt and Yennefer, without a doubt, belong in this category. These two very iconic The Witcher characters are more than just pretty figures with inhumane abilities. They're very complex characters who, even though they seem chaotic and incompatible, always seem to find themselves back in each other's arms.
Updated September 29, 2023 by Kath Leroy: Geralt and Yennefer have a long and complicated history together. They've been an off-again, on-again couple for close to twenty years by the time the events of The Witcher 3 happen.
Even though Yennefer is by far Geralt's most notable romantic partner, the one who means the most to him, there are still plenty of hidden details and curious things about their relationship that the players might have missed. Especially if they decide to romance Triss in The Witcher 3 or even try Geralt's hand at both of the women (in which case, Geralt ends up with neither of the two).
13 Geralt Doesn't Want To End Up Living A Peaceful Life With Yennefer
One little yet fascinating detail most players might have missed is that if Geralt ends up with Yennefer, it actually contradicts the wishes he expressed earlier in the game. While he talks to Cerys about Yennefer, Geralt mentions he was never interested in the peace and quiet. Yet if Geralt and Yennefer end up as an item by the end of the game, that is exactly the type of lifestyle Geralt gets.
He and Yennefer spend their days doing very little and Geralt doesn't even work as a witcher anymore. On the other hand, if Geralt chooses Triss, he still takes on the occasional witcher contract and leads a livelier, more exciting life, the likes of which he prefers, as he said to Cerys.
12 Geralt Might Be Able To Have A Child... But Not With Yennefer
Even though Geralt can proclaim his love for Yennefer during "The Last Wish" quest in Skellige, that doesn't stop him from having intimate relationships with many other women, based on the player's choices. And if in The Witcher 2 Geralt chose to participate in a scientific experiment and drink a certain potion, he might even be able to get one of these women pregnant... but not Yennefer, who is infertile due to being a sorceress.
A note found near the Oxenfurt Academy suggests just that, but only if the right save of The Witcher 2 is imported into The Witcher 3. If that's indeed the case and Geralt's sterility has been reversed by the potion, it might very well drive a wedge between him and Yennefer.
11 Geralt Is Closer To Ciri Than Yennefer Is
There is very little doubt that Yennefer wouldn't stop at anything to protect Ciri. When she searches for her adopted daughter in the game, Yennefer isn't afraid to even commit necromancy, which is considered by many the vilest form of magic, something against nature. Yet despite Yennefer's obvious devotion to Ciri, it's Geralt and Ciri who have the closer relationship, not Ciri and Yennefer.
The mother/daughter duo only gets a single moment in the game where they interact with each other closely while Geralt and Ciri have multiple such moments. In the book series, Ciri also knows Geralt longer than Yennefer, and she is initially distrustful of the sorceress.
10 Opposites Attract
According to a journal entry regarding Yennefer that can be read in The Witcher 3, Geralt and Yennefer's relationship is "irrefutable proof that opposites attract."
Despite this claim, Geralt and Yennefer are somewhat more similar than opposites. They're both fierce, brave, skilled at what they do, and more. Perhaps their most recognizable differences lie in their physical appearances. Geralt has silver-white hair, whereas Yennefer has deep black. Geralt's eyes are yellow, which contrasts with Yennefer's purple eyes. Sat side by side, these two characters do look fairly different, which only adds to how great they look together.
9 They've Both Had Moments Of Insincerity
Despite being the love of each other's lives, Geralt and Yennefer don't exactly have the most "intact" relationship. They've been insincere with one another multiple times, both while being aware of the insincerity and being oblivious to it. Several names have been thrown around that can be considered evidence of infidelity on both sides. Istridd, Fringilla, Crach An Craite, and Triss are just some of the many third-party potentials.
Amidst all of this, though, Yennefer and Geralt still manage to find each other in one another's arms. This toxic behavior doesn't go acknowledged, though. A lot of their most intense fights, and even break-ups, are caused by their unwillingness to commit to monotony.
8 Their Adopted Daughter's Abilities Are A Mixture Of Theirs
Ciri, the adopted daughter of Geralt and Yennefer, exhibits abilities that mirror those of her adopted parents. Like Geralt, Ciri is a master at wielding swords and crafting potions to combat the various monsters of the world. Similar to Yennefer, she is adept at magic.
While this is most likely because she is trained by witchers, as she was raised in Kaer Morhen, and sorcerers, for her affinity towards magic, it's quite interesting to acknowledge that Ciri fights with both of her parents' strongest suits. She can clash swords, and she can use magic, and quite masterfully so, like Geralt and Yennefer.
7 They're Both Really Old
Yennefer has a very youthful appearance and Geralt's strength is nothing to scoff at. Because of this, one might assume that these two characters are still in the prime of their lives. This couldn't be further from the truth. Despite their youthful characteristics, this power couple is quite advanced in years.
While there is no specific number as to exactly how old these characters are, it is thought that by around the events of The Witcher 3, Geralt is likely to be around 90 to 100 years old, while Yennefer's age sits at around 90 as well. The reason for their youthful appearances can be attributed to their abilities. Witchers don't have the same physiology as humans anymore, so they age differently, while mages are known to use mandrake concoctions to retain their youth despite their lengthy age.
6 Their First Meeting Sealed Their Fate
It was clear from the get-go that these two characters are bound to be together. So much so that their first interaction already sealed their fates, intertwining themselves with one another.
Longtime Witcher fans no doubt already know about The Last Wish at this point, but to those who aren't familiar, Geralt and Yennefer's first outing had them working together to combat a powerful Djinn. Knowing the Djinn would be too powerful for them, Geralt made a wise move to ensure victory. Since at the time, Geralt was technically still the Djinn's master, as it was he who held the Djinn's last seal, Geralt wished for Yennefer's fate to be tied to his. Since Djinns can't harm their masters, if Yennefer's fate were to be tied to Geralt, the Djinn wouldn't be allowed to harm Yennefer as well. And thus, this is where Geralt and Yennefer's relationship begins.
5 Geralt & Yennefer Get Married In A Different Timeline
Before the Witcher games hit the shelves of game stores, the fans of the series relied on books and short stories if they wanted to learn about Geralt and his adventures. By the end of this long saga, while the ending was more open-ended than specific, it was always thought that Geralt and Yennefer died in the end. Andrzej Sapkowski, the author of the book and creator of the series, knew he had to somehow give these characters a better ending.
So, he wrote another short story that's supposed to be set in a different timeline where Geralt & Yennefer settled down peacefully and got married in the end. Essentially, they were given the typical "happily-ever-after" ending. Of course, all of this changed when the games came out, but it's interesting to note that in a different universe, Geralt and Yennefer are now retired and living a much more peaceful life together.
4 Both Have A Very Similar Origin Story
If Yennefer and Geralt's origin stories are examined closely, it's clear that both of these characters share a very similar origin story. They were both pretty ordinary, even broken individuals before they became as powerful as they are now. Yennefer was a hunchback who was abused as a child, while Geralt was abandoned by his mother and was essentially "left" to the witchers. Both of their transformations had them undergo extreme pain.
The witcher trials are known to be incredibly straining to the body and mind, and Yennefer had to go through a painful body-altering spell that was also considered to be quite painful. In the end, both ended up being incredibly skilled and powerful, but it's not like getting to where they are now was a simple cakewalk.
3 Both Have Left The Relationship On Multiple Occasions
Yennefer and Geralt didn't have the most conventional relationship. A lot of The Witcher fans may even consider them to be toxic, dysfunctional, and mismatched. This statement will only be strengthened if they consider the fact of how many times both Geralt and Yennefer have left the relationship abruptly for various reasons.
Despite being very strong characters, these two have the emotional maturity of teenagers. Both are very afraid of commitments, both easily jump to conclusions, they're very prideful, and so on. Considering all of these, it's more of a wonder that they were able to stay together for as long as they did. It is due to this fact that both Geralt and Yennefer have left the relationship on multiple occasions. They still somehow find themselves back together eventually, though.
2 Yennefer Occasionally Funds Geralt's Contracts
Despite being occasionally cold towards Geralt, Yennefer does care about him to a very high extent. Yennefer even goes as far as constantly checking up on Geralt's whereabouts and seeing if he's making enough of a living. As a witcher, Geralt is prone to getting clients who are desperate for a witcher's help but don't have the resources to do so.
To make sure that Geralt gets enough to get by, Yennefer sometimes funds the contracts herself. Sometimes, Geralt gets even more than is expected thanks to Yennefer's charity.
1 Against All Odds
Against all odds, Yennefer and Geralt have proven time and time again that their relationship is stronger than anything life throws at them. Despite breaking up constantly, they always find themselves back at each other's arms, or sometimes, at each other's throats. They show signs of being madly in love with each other even though they're not together at the time.
Finally, when they sought out another Djinn, so they could unbind their fates together, they were still in love with one another (or at least, if that's the option the player chooses). Whatever the case, Geralt and Yennefer have remained together against all odds. That should at least be something noteworthy.
The Witcher 3 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.