The vast world of Teyvat in Genshin Impact is packed with a massive amount of content for players to delve into, but perhaps one of the most popular aspects of the game is its continuous, rich storyline. Players have been returning to Teyvat over and over since it launched in 2020, but there is still so much that they have yet to learn.
One of the most mysterious aspects of Genshin Impact’s lore is the Hexenzirkel, a group first introduced to players in the Version 1.0 update. Relatively little details were shared on the Hexenzirkel at first, but the special Windblume’s Breath event that arrived in the Version 3.5 update finally provided a much deeper look into the special organization.
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Genshin‘s lore always runs deep and maintains an air of mystery, even when a lot of information is unveiled. It is a lot to keep up with, but understanding the lore is also essential to unearthing the greater storyline that follows players all throughout Teyvat.
While there’s still much about the Hexenzirkel that we don’t know, the information that has been revealed has given players plenty to analyze and theorize over.
What is the Hexenzirkel in Genshin Impact?
The word Hexenzirkel means “circle of witches” in German, and the name is pretty apt. The Hexenzirkel is an elite club of witches that meets for formal tea parties and regulates explorations into Irminsul, a unique type of underground tree that connects to Teyvat’s Ley Lines.
The last of the Windblume Breath quests saw players stumbling upon one of these tea parties on an island in the sky and communing with Klee’s mother, Alice, through a magical lantern.
The enigmatic Alice, a member of the Hexenzirkel herself, then launches into a tale about the witches that also acts as a massive lore trailer. This trailer touches on the lore of some of the members but primarily focuses on the Hexenzirkel as a whole.
Alice explains that the group of mages is very close and holds tea parties to share their woes, spill their secrets, and help one another work through their issues. She also explains that they have a pledge “to never fight amongst themselves.”
The bond of the Hexenzirkel is so tight that “even if the nations go to war, or the sky falls down, the mages’ tea parties shall forever be held around this table,” Alice explains.
Alice also notes that, at one point, the group was so powerful that they rivaled the Anemo Archon himself. But the Archon, who players better know as the five-star Anemo Bow character Venti or Barbatos, did not wish to fight and instead said, “let us make music, not war, and resolve our conflicts through song.”
Because of this, the Hexenzirkel chose to respect his wishes by only ever meeting in remote locations like the sky, shrouded woods, or edges of cliffs. Regardless, there is certainly something remarkable about this group if they were once so powerful that they could rival one of Teyvat’s gods.
Who are the members of the Hexenzirkel in Genshin Impact?
While much about the Hexenzirkel remains unknown, such as who the leaders are or how many members there are in total, there are eight members players do know about.
- Alice – “One who would never lie”
- Also known by the codename “A,” Alice is the mother of the five-star Pyro Catalyst character Klee and something of an enigma in the world of Teyvat.
- Players have, on numerous occasions, heard her voice and learned more about her but have never come face-to-face with her. However, Alice is expected to eventually make her way into Teyvat as a playable character.
- Alice is an Elder in the Hexenzirkel group which means that she is of higher status within it.
- Because she has seen much of the world, is known for being an adventurer, and is an overall enigma, she is perhaps the strongest candidate to be one of the other Descenders in Genshin.
- Alice is the one who was behind the grand “Midsummer Island Adventure” event in Version 1.6 and also played a smaller role in leading players back to the islands in the “Summertime Odyssey” Version 2.8 event.
- She is at least 500 years old but is likely much older.
- Although she is not a god, she is immensely powerful. Alice is so skilled that the five-star Geo Sword character Albedo has called her a “near-omnipotent sorceress.”
- Mona
- The only currently known playable member of the Hexenzirkel is Mona, the five-star Hydro Catalyst character.
- Mona learned from Barbeloth, or as Genshin players more commonly hear Mona refer to her as, the “old hag.”
- The Hydro character is a skilled and passionate astrologist.
- Barbeloth
- Mona’s teacher, also known by the codename “B” or “old hag” by Mona, is a master at hydromancy and taught Mona everything that she knows.
- Like Alice, she has never been seen in Genshin beyond mentions and is somewhat mysterious because of this.
- Barbeloth and Alice are both rivals and friends.
- Rhinedottir – “A flower that is not of this world”
- Rhinedottir, also known as “R” or “Gold,” is a researcher from Khaenri’ah, an infamous nation that had no god. It is the same place that Dainsleif is from and an enigmatic location that is regularly brought up in Genshin’s lore.
- Rhinedottir is the creator of the five-star Geo Sword character Albedo, who is a synthetic human, and Durin, who was a massive shadow dragon that existed before players joined the world of Teyvat.
- The witch is also tied in some way to the massive Cataclysm event that led to the downfall of Khaenri’ah.
- Nicole – “Guide who will never get lost”
- Little is known about Nicole, who is also known as “N,” but players have heard her voice once before in Genshin. This instance took place during the Archon Sumeru quest “As Though Morning Dew” during the Interlude of Act III, which is “Inversion of Genesis.” She has a few lines of dialogue during this scene, but the gist of what she says is that changing Teyvat’s fate is difficult, history cannot be easily changed but people can be, and players should be wary of believing anything that they do not see for themselves.
- During the Windblume’s Breath quest and “The Mages’ Tea Party” story teaser, Alice describes Nicole in some more detail. Alice tells players that Nicole likes to help guide people to the truth when massive changes occur in the world and is generally helpful by always offering others guidance.
- Nicole is a prophetess who is studying “Teyvat’s direction and order.”
- Andersdotter – “A legend that never ends”
- This mage goes by the codename “M.”
- She is the author of the famous Teyvat book “The Boar Princess.”
- Andersdotter is an immensely talented writer who Alice claims taught her to understand grief through her mastery of words.
- Scarlett
- Players met Scarlett during the “Windblume’s Breath” event in Version 3.5.
- She is a successor of Hexenzirkel member I. Ivanovna N.
- I. Ivanovna N.
- This witch used to go by the codename “J,” but she is now deceased.
- She left the Hexenzirkel after getting married but still kept in contact with them.
- Although she left the group, I. Ivanovna N. still had a line of successors with the most recent one being the aforementioned Scarlett.
- I. Ivanovna N. ended her husband’s life because he had grown old and was very sick.
Are all witches members of the Hexenzirkel in Genshin Impact?
While the Hexenzirkel is a club of witches, this does not mean that every witch chooses to be part of it. There are a few notable witches in Genshin Impact that players might think are missing from the group, but this is because they are not members.
The two witches that likely come to mind for regular Genshin players are Lisa, the four-star Electro Catalyst character from Mondstadt, and La Signora, the deceased eighth member of the Fatui Harbingers.
Lisa expressed being uninterested in the Hexenzirkel during her voiceover about Mona. She specifically states, “Mona? She seems to be an excellent mage, but I’m not a part of their Hexenzirkel. The idea of Irminsul exploration and formal tea parties just leaves me cold.”
The infamous La Signora, who players might also know as the Crimson Witch of Flames, has no interest in the group of mages and actually takes offense toward being called a witch at all. She regularly reveals this fact during the second phase of her Narukami Island: Tenshukaku Trounce Domain boss battle. La Signora specifically says, “Who dares…call me…a witch?!”
While there is certainly a lot that players still do not know about the mysterious group of mages and how they tie in with Teyvat’s greater storyline, the “Windblume’s Breath” event did unveil a lot and it is certain that more will be unveiled in the future as players continue to make their way through the world.
