‘The Witcher’: Are Geralt’s Feelings for Yennefer Genuine or Because of the Djinn?
Part of the appeal of The Witcher Season 1 was the growing romance between Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) and Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra). Fans saw some portion of Geralt’s ability to feel compassion when he met Renfri (Emma Appleton) in episode 1. It all changed when he met the violet-eyed mage Yennefer. Their love story has a magical twist that begs the question of whether their feelings for each other are genuine or the effects of a wish made with a djinn.
Yennefer and Geralt originally met in ‘The Witcher’ Episode 5
In The Witcher after Jaskier (Joey Batey) is attacked by a djinn, Geralt needs the help of a mage. He inquires about one nearby. In a haze of naked bodies, Geralt meets Yennefer. Fans notice there is an inherent sizzle to their encounter. Yennefer agrees to help them but it is clear she has some ulterior motive.
Yennefer and Geralt have a tug-and-pull connection that can not be ignored. After the infamous Geralt bath scene, Yennefer uses an old trick to subdue the witcher unconscious. In a later scene, fans realize why Yennefer was willing to help Jaskier.
The djinn grants its master three wishes. Part of Yennefer’s story and timeline revealed she was left infertile after the ritual to become beautiful. She hopes to control the djinn and become its vessel in order to use its wish-giving powers to become a mother or regain her fertility.
But Yennefer is unaware that Jaskier is not the djinn’s master. In The Witcher episode, Yennefer is crumbling under the djinn’s powers because she did not know Geralt is its true master.
What did Geralt wish from the Djinn in ‘The Witcher’?
To save Yennefer, for who Geralt has some unexplainable affection for, he must fulfill his last wish. This is where Yennefer and Geralt’s story becomes complicated. Seeing Yennefer being torn apart by the djinn, Geralt incoherently asks for his last wish.
His plan works, but fans have no idea what he wished for. In reality, fans will likely never know as the series never explains it. According to IGN, the book series also does not explain Geralt’s last wish and was left up to interpretation. It remains a vague and frustrating mystery.
By The Witcher episode 6, Yennefer and fans start to realize his wish might have something to do with her fate. After defeating the djinn, they have an on-again-off-again relationship throughout the series. Geralt and Yennefer always found a way to each other as if by fate or by tethered circumstance.
Yennefer is frustrated by her feelings for Geralt
In The Witcher series, Geralt has no issue expressing his sentiment for Yennefer. She seems to be the only woman who challenged him and understood the image society placed on him. Fans on Reddit believe Geralt found a kindred spirit in Yennefer before the events of the djinn.
“Geralt sees this woman that can easily be independent without him, but at the same time care deeply about something which he does as well (a.k.a. Ciri’s well being), so he is drawn to these characteristics,” said one fan.
It could very well be that Geralt truly had feelings for Yennefer before the wish. But in The Witcher, Yennefer battles with the idea that her feelings for Geralt might not be genuine if she believes he wished for their fate to intertwine.
