Content warning: the article contains references to suicide. Why did Tissaia De Vries kill herself in The Witcher season 3, volume 2? Major spoilers ahead for The Witcher season 3, volume 2.
The Witcher is back, and it’s completely embracing pure chaos with the most death and destruction seen since the end of season 1. After the Thanedd Ball, which concluded volume 1, The Witcher cast has been thrown into an explosive battle at the start of volume 2, leading to the destruction of Aretuza. This has completely changed the dynamic between characters and factions from across the Continent, including the mages.
The mage leader Tissaia de Vries is one of the characters who feels the impact of all of this the most. She’s been one of the main supporting characters since the start of the Netflix show, but when The Witcher season 4 release date finally arrives, she won’t be there to join in with all the action. Here, we explore what happened to Tissaia de Vries and why she took her own life in The Witcher season 3.
Why did Tissaia kill herself in The Witcher season 3?
Tissaia felt responsible for the battle at Thanedd and the destruction at Aretuza, as she didn’t fully listen to Yennefer’s warnings. Along with her guilt, she was also hugely weakened after using an immense amount of magic to combat the assailants attacking Aretuza and Thanedd, and she felt that her time as a powerful sorceress and mentor to Yennefer had come to an end.
She wrote a letter prior to her death as a final message to Yennefer, in which she outlined her hopes for Yennefer and reminded her of the quote: ‘Sometimes a flower is just a flower, and the best thing it can do for us is die.’ Charming.
Following Tissaia’s death, Yennefer formed the Lodge of Sorcerrecces. Her goal was to maintain the influence of mages on the Continent after the destruction of Aretuza and to fill the power vacuum left behind by Tissaia, who had been a unifying presence.
Outside of the core quartet, Tissaia has been one of the main characters in the series, brought to life with a wonderful performance by MyAnna Buring. Along with Cavill, Buring’s departure will leave a hole in the cast.
If you want to know more about The Witcher, read our The Witcher season 3 volume 1 review, as well as our interviews with The Witcher cast stars Anya Chalotra, Joey Batey, and Freya Allan and stunt coordinator Wolfgang Stegemann and armorer Nick Jeffries. You can also see our guides on The Witcher season 3 ending explained and everyone who died in The Witcher season 3.
To broaden your horizons, take a look at our picks for the best TV series and see what’s new on Netflix. If you prefer The Witcher games, you can also check out PCGamesN’s guide to The Witcher remake release date and Pocket Tactics’ breakdown of The Witcher 3 characters.
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