The flaming red-haired sorceress Triss Merigold is easily one of the most renowned characters inThe Witcher, with her presence being strongly felt over the course of the first three games. Starting out as a headstrong sorceress, Triss quickly becomes aware of the selfish nature of her actions and tries to distance herself from the White Wolf inThe Witcher 3… unless the player doesn’t let her, that is.
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That being said, there’s no denying the fact that people who’ve only played the gamesdon’t know everything about Triss, especially since the book definitely does delve into her character in greater detail at times. Keeping this in mind, here are ten things about Triss that only book readers are aware of.
Updated on June 26, 2025, by Ritwik Mitra:Triss Merigold is easily one of the more recognizable and beloved characters fromthe Witchergames. She’s one of the few major characters to appear in all three games, with her appearances being quite notable in each entry. Book readers were quite surprised when they saw Triss in such an important role in the video games, although they never really complained. After all, these people were quite familiar with the character and knew certain facts that aren’t present anywhere else.
15She Was Born And Raised In Maribor
Given how important Triss' character is, it’s pretty surprising that the games don’t really delve into her history all that often. After all, even book readers got a glimpse of that… and Triss wasn’t even a focal character in them!
Triss was born and raised in Maribor, before exhibiting latent magical powers that were later developed in Aretuza. The rest, as they say, is history.
14Ciri And Triss Developed A Sisterly Bond
Given that most people know just how close Ciri and Yennefer are from the books, it’s a shame that people don’t talk aboutCiri’s relationship with Triss as well. After all, the two aren’t exactly strangers.
In fact, Triss and Ciri actually became really close after sharing their backstories with each other. Ciri even looked up to Triss as an elder sister at a point, which is quite a surprising fact given that this doesn’t really translate in the video game adaptations.
13She Was Pretty Close To Yennefer Long Before The Games
Triss and Yennefermight seem rather frosty inThe Witcher 3, which is understandable given the interest they both share in Geralt. However, the games make them look like begrudging teammates at times, which is quite unnecessary.
After all, Triss and Yennefer actually became steadfast friends while bearing the trials and tribulations of life in Aretuza. They might’ve drifted apart over time, but both characters definitely have a bond that stretches way back.
12Triss Got A Nickname After Being Discovered To Be Alive After The Battle Of Sodden Hill
The Battle of Sodden Hill was one of the most brutal fights in theWitcherseries. A total of thirteen sorcerers and sorceresses died during these events… but this tally was actually fourteen with Triss' inclusion.
The sorceress was pretty much left for dead during the battle, with no one around to recognize her at the time. However, Triss came back from the dead and was later referred to as ‘the fourteenth of the hill’.
The Netflix seriesdid a pretty decent job of showing how Triss was injured heavily with flames. However, the books took it a step beyond with another gruesome detail.
All of Triss' hair was burnt off during the attack too, which rendered her unrecognizable. It’s no wonder why people assumed that she had died during this grueling battle.
10Her Looks Are Quite Different From Her Video Game Counterpart
The first thing that most people would notice about Triss in the games is that her visual features are quite striking, with her flaming red hair and strikingly green eyes being extremely notable in that regard.
However, these features are more of an exaggeration than what is present in the books. In the novels,Triss actually has auburn hair and has blue eyes instead.
9Ironically, She’s Allergic To Magical Treatments
One of the weirdest things about Triss that was never even mentioned in the games is the fact that she’s actually allergic to magical treatments of any kind, whether it be potions or anything else along the same lines.
This leads to a situation where she’s unable to treat her own wounds with magical concoctions — something that ends up serving as a huge detriment during one particular instance in the books where.
8She Sustained Heavy Burns On Her Chest During The Battle Of Sodden Hill
While the Netflix series might’ve done the Battle of Sodden Hill justice, the extent of Triss' wounds is still unknown as of this point.
In the books, these wounds were quite major andleft a permanent scar on her chest— something that she was unable to get rid of due to her aforementioned allergies.
In fact, this burn wound was so horrific that it was a miracle she didn’t die from them.
It was reported that a whopping fourteen sorceresses had died in the Battle of Sodden Hill, with Triss being labeled as one of these victims. However, as the books would soon show, this declaration was rather premature.
While there is a stone obelisk at the memorial site with her name etched on it, Triss Merigold actually ended up surviving this battle — a fact that would’ve surprised no one who’d played the games (given the fact that the games are a continuation of the novel’s story, after all).
6She Manipulated Geralt Into A Relationship With Her
Most people who adore Triss simply have to understand the fact that she was quite manipulative in both the books and games when it came to courting him… although her attempts were definitely more disturbing in the books.
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After all, she ended upspiking Geralt’s meals and drinks with a love potionthat pretty much forced him to develop feelings for Triss, resulting in a short yet passionate relationship that eventually ran its course whenGeralt was free of the effects of these potions. Surprisingly, he wasn’t angry at Triss for doing this and still considered her to be his friend.
