The Witcher season 3 has finally concluded with an open-ended finale, leaving fans excited for more installments to come. However, in this season, we witnessed some of our beloved characters’ journeys reaching poignant conclusions, including the venerable rectoress of Aretuza and the mother-figure to Yennefer, Tissia De Vries. Tissia’s story began as that of an indomitable sorceress and a resolute teacher, instilling discipline and wisdom among her students. Throughout her life, Tissia wielded immense power and skill, proving herself to be one of the most capable sorceresses in the Brotherhood. Tissia De Vries had the potential to alter the Brotherhood’s destiny, but her emotions and attachments deceived her, leaving her vulnerable and causing her to lose the self-assurance she needed to live. While her initial path as a powerful sorceress and strict instructor seemed promising, her story eventually reached a tragic ending.
Tissia’s character development throughout The Witcher series was a remarkable journey of transformation. As a stern and authoritative teacher, she once took in the deformed and outcast Yennefer of Vengerberg, transforming her into a powerful mage. As time passed, the two became closer, and despite their initial differences, Tissia recognized Yennefer’s potential, guiding her with wisdom and compassion. In the end, Tissia’s legacy lived on not only in the magical world of the brotherhood but also in the hearts of those she touched.
How did Vilgefortz use Tissia?
In the source material, Vilgefortz and Tissia were depicted as having a relationship based on mutual respect and mentorship rather than any romantic connection. Tissia, as an influential and experienced sorceress, held a position of authority and wisdom, while Vilgefortz was portrayed as a young and ambitious maverick. Tissia had a significant age difference with Vilgefortz and was portrayed almost like a mother figure to Yennefer.
On the other hand, Vilgefortz was portrayed as a complex character, harboring narcissistic and selfish tendencies beneath his charming facade. His cunning and manipulative nature became evident as the story progressed, revealing his true colors. However, before this revelation in the Netflix series, Vilgefortz maintained a carefully crafted persona of being the perfect lover and devoted apprentice to Tissia. For viewers who were unfamiliar with the spoilers from the book they were indeed intrigued by the dynamic between Vilgefortz and Tissia. The subtle hints of their close bond might have led some to believe their romantic connection to be genuine, making the eventual twist even more surprising. However, after Vilgefortz’s evil nature and malicious intentions were unveiled, it served as a shocking and dramatic turning point in the story.
The series cleverly depicted the stark contrast between Tissia and Vilgefortz, two powerful mages. They were portrayed as having a romantic bond, which made Vilgefortz’s true intentions more shocking. Vilgefortz saw an opportunity when Emhyr, known as Duny, became the emperor of Nilfgaard and wanted to find his daughter, Ciri, with her special Elder bloodline. But Vilgefortz didn’t just want to be the faithful friend or follower of Emhyr; just like the White Flame, he wanted to use Ciri’s magical blood to travel between interdimensional realms and conquer them. To achieve his plan, Vilgefortz needed someone to fool inside the Brotherhood. That’s why he betrayed Tissia’s trust and won her heart with his calm and gentle demeanor. Blinded by love, Tissia unknowingly helped him, not even questioning his motives.
Why Did Tissia Commit Suicide?
In The Witcher season 3, part two, after the pre-conclave party, Yennefer and Geralt discovered that they were pursuing the wrong guy, as Vilgefortz was the real culprit. He was the one behind creating clones of Ciri and putting Cirilla’s life in perilous situations. Despite deciphering the truth, the next morning, in a turn of events, they felt powerless to stop the evil mage’s chaos. As Redanian soldiers invaded Aretuza to purge the brotherhood, all the mages were captured by Philippa. However, in the meantime, Tissia rushed in to save her fellow mages, including her beloved Vilgefortz, unaware of his true intentions.
As Tissia broke off all the shackles, freeing all the mages, Vilgefortz saw his opportunity to materialize his cunning plan. He took advantage of Tissia’s blind trust and revealed his alliance with Nilfgaardian soldiers and the elves who had come to take over Aretuza. He opened a portal, allowing rival soldiers to attack the headquarters of Aretuza. Tissia was left stunned and overwhelmed by grief and trauma, but despite these negative emotions, she fought alongside her mages to defend her brotherhood against Nilfgaard’s formidable attack. During the intense battle, Tissia took down Filavandrel, leading Francesca to lose her sanity and act violently towards her. As the relentless magical attacks continued, the Brotherhood’s headquarters were almost completely destroyed. Left with no other choice, Tissia resorted to summoning the immensely powerful spell, Alzur’s Thunder. This process was arduous and draining, causing her once raven-black hair to turn pale white. The immense toll on Tissia’s energy was evident, but she was determined to fight on to protect her fellow mages and the Brotherhood, where she spent the entirety of her life.
Although Aretuza was burned to the ground, the remaining mages, including Yennefer, sought to rescue Ciri from Vilgefortz. They discovered that the abandoned castle of Vulipanne was Vilgefortz’s experimental site for creating Ciri’s clones using Aretuza’s missing students. Tissia was devastated to learn she had loved such a vile mage who abused his power and ruined so many young lives. Overwhelmed by grief, trauma, and the pain of betrayal, Tissia could no longer bear her lingering failure of judgment. She knew Yennefer had the potential to rebuild the brotherhood, but Tissia’s presence held her back from harnessing her power and her search for Ciri. Feeling hopeless, she made the difficult decision to end her life, leaving a note for Yennefer to take over as the new leader of the Brotherhood. As everyone performed rituals for the deceased students of Aretuza, Tissia tragically committed suicide by slitting her wrist. Her heart-wrenching choice left Yennefer with a heavy burden but also a renewed determination to carry on Tissia’s legacy and protect Ciri from Vilgefortz’s clutches.
