- [Narrator] Shadow and Bone
takes place in a fantasy world like no other,
with the Shadow Fold, the Grisha,
and their powerful Small Science.
To build this world and the country of Ravka,
author Leigh Bardugo broke away
from medieval European inspired fantasy
and turned instead to 19th century Russia for inspiration.
Bardugo's combination of Imperial Russian influences
and high fantasy makes the Grishaverse part
of a genre she dubbed "Tsarpunk.”
With Shadow and Bone now streaming on Netflix,
let's take a closer look at some
of the real-world inspirations for the Grishaverse.
As the story goes, when Bardugo
was first building the world of Shadow and Bone,
she found an Imperial Russian atlas in a used bookstore.
As she flipped through the pages of military campaigns
and trade logs, she realized that this
was the perfect kind of world for the story she was telling.
Shadow and Bone's narrative deals
with class divisions and military conflict
in a war-torn country.
Using Tsarist Russia as a starting point
helped Bardugo focus in on these fundamental issues.
Consider the military history of both countries:
Ravka is in a constant state of war with Shu Han and Fjerda,
and the ill-equipped First Army
is stretched incredibly thin.
Similarly, Russia was involved in many military conflicts
throughout the 19th century,
including the Napoleonic wars and the Crimean war.
Both also have highly structured social hierarchies,
with a massive gap between the nobility and the peasants,
where the society saw lasting impact from devastating wars.
One of the most recognizable elements of Russian history
in Shadow and Bone is Ravka's leadership.
Ravka is ruled by the Lantsov dynasty.
Sound familiar?
The name "Lantsov" might remind you of the Romanovs,
the dynasty of tsars and tsarinas who ruled Russia
from 1613 to 1917.
Although the head of Ravka formerly holds the title
of king, he is also occasionally referred to as "tsar."
Here's a fun fact: the Lantsov crescent
is the Ravkan double eagle.
You know who else uses the image of the double eagle?
That's right, Russia.
The double eagle was a part
of the Russian empire's coat of arms
and became associated with the Romanovs.
Russia's current coat of arms
also features the double eagle.
Aside from the Lantsov dynasty, Shadow and Bone
features other characters whose role seemed pulled
from the pages of history.
Take the Apparat, for example.
A religious advisor in close proximity to the throne.
Hmm.. Getting some big Rasputin vibes here.
Another set of characters with historical significance
are the Oprichniki, the Darkling's elite guards.
The Oprichniki was the same name for the bodyguards
and state police of Ivan IV,
who declared himself the first tsar of Russia
in the 16th century.
You may know him better by the name "Ivan the Terrible.”
Now, we're not saying the Darkling is Ravka's version
of Ivan the Terrible just because their guards
share the same name, but he did create the Shadow Fold
and has a habit of cutting people in half.
So, not great.
Bardugo also drew on the Russian language
to create certain Ravkan terms.
Words like merzost, meaning abomination
are directly lifted from Russian.
Others are changed from their Russian counterparts.
In Ravka, Otkazat'sya is the name
for someone who isn't Grisha and means "the abandoned."
However, in Russian, otkazat is a verb meaning "to refuse."
Another massive difference between Russian and Ravkan
is the meaning of Grisha.
In Russian, Grisha is a nickname for Gregory,
a name Bardugo chose to pull from
due to its biblical significance
and links to fallen angel tales.
So if you think about it, Shadow and Bone
is really a part of the Greg-verse.
When it came to constructing the Ravkan language and script
that would be seen in the show,
language creator David Peterson worked
to make an alphabet that would resemble a fancy version
of Cyrillic, the script used in Russian
and other Slavic languages.
However, apart from the terminology used in Bardugo's books,
the rest of the Ravkan language that Peterson created
was not specifically based on Russian
or any other natural languages.
The Russian influence extended to other elements
of the show's production as well.
Composer Joseph Trapanese was inspired by Slavic music
when scoring Shadow and Bone.
He and Bardugo even played each other
Sergei Prokofiev pieces as references.
Trapanese's influences were not solely limited
to Slavic sounds.
Other examples of global influences include
the Javanese gamelan, which Trapanese incorporated
into the Grisha theme.
(mystical gamelan music)
While most of Shadow and Bone’s action
takes place in Ravka, the Grishaverse is vast.
Other historical periods and regions of our own world
provide inspiration for different countries
in the Grishaverse,
including Scandinavia for Fjerda,
and the 18th century Dutch Republic for Kerch.
The city of Ketterdam, home to everyone's favorite Crows,
is a mix of Amsterdam, Las Vegas, London, Antwerp,
and even old New York.
Shadow and Bone is by no means a history lesson.
Ravka is not an alternate Russia,
nor is Ketterdam an alternate Amsterdam.
Bardugo used these time periods and countries
as points of departure to build something new.
By twisting the familiar into the fantastic,
the books and show straddle the border
between what's real and unreal.
We feel grounded yet transported somewhere else
at the same time.
While Ravka is definitely influenced by Russia,
it's still very much its own place.
One that we'll get to keep exploring in Shadow and Bone.
What are some of your favorite parts of the Grishaverse?
Let us know in the comments below,
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