Yennefer will be back in The Witcher season 2 after seemingly dying in the Battle of Sodden Hill. So, how did she survive and where is she now?

The Witcher season 1 saw Yennefer disappear during the Battle of Sodden Hill, leaving her fate unknown. However, it’s now confirmed that she’s alive, but how did she survive the events at the end of the first season and where is she now? Based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher made its debut on Netflix in December 2019 and was an immediate success, quite possibly being Netflix’s biggest first TV season ever.

The Witcher has a different way of telling Sapkowski’s stories, as it focuses not only on the title character but also on two others, with their stories set in different places and points in time. Those characters are Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), an enhanced monster hunter; Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress with a difficult past; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra. By the end of season 1, their paths converged during the Battle of Sodden Hill, with Geralt and Ciri finally finding each other as they’re bound by the Law of Surprise. Yennefer, on the other hand, seemed to have died in battle, but new photos from The Witcher season 2 have confirmed she’s alive – but how?

During the Battle of Sodden Hill, Yennefer used her magic to channel a massive stream of fire, after which she disappeared. In The Witcher season 1, it’s explained that a sorcerer’s access to magic is referred to as “chaos”, and Tissaia de Vries often reminded Yennefer to control hers. When it was time to defend Cintra from the Nilgaardian army, Tissaia told Yennefer to “reserve her chaos”, which allowed her to create the aforementioned stream of fire. Although magic can sometimes be too much and can kill, that wasn’t the case with Yennefer, as she used her “chaos” in a different way. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich explained that they tried not to make magic the “easy solution” to everything, and as Yennefer was already "depleted by the end of the portals”, she transferred the fire from “the elven keep to her body”, so she wasn't creating it, but harnessing it.

Of course, this wasn’t easy to handle either, and she was so weakened after that that she disappeared, but will come back once she’s fully healed. Now, the photos from The Witcher season 2 show Yennefer shackled, so it’s possible that once she healed and was able to come back, she was caught by either (what’s left of the) Nilfgaardian army or other forces that weren’t introduced in season 1. Some Witcher fans have theorized that Yennefer could have been caught by the Wild Hunt, a group of specters riding on undead horses and galloping across the sky, and who are an omen of war. The Wild Hunt eventually learn about Ciri and her powers and target her for her Elder Blood, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they make an appearance in season 2 and the show makes some changes to give them a bigger role.

With no projected release date yet for The Witcher season 2, viewers will have to wait to learn what happened to Yennefer during and after the Battle of Sodden Hill, as the team behind the series is doing its own thing with the characters and stories, though the books and video games can give some ideas of what to expect. It’s also to be seen if Yennefer’s powers were weakened by her actions or if she still has them, and she will surely need some help to escape and reunite with her fellow sorceresses or go find Geralt.

Next: The Witcher Season 2: How & Why Henry Cavill's Geralt Looks Different