The second season of Shadow and Bone is now on Netflix, and while anyone could get sucked into the stunning visuals and high-stakes storyline, few of us—or at least those who didn’t read the books—understand what’s going on without a little explanation. The world of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels is a complicated one, full of its own rich lore, “magic,” and various groups of powerful beings at each other’s throats. Here’s a basic breakdown that will allow you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the romantic entanglements instead of wondering who wears what cloak and why.
First of all, what is Shadow and Bone about?
The show follows a plethora of characters from Bardugo’s books, including the fan-favorite Crows, but its main protagonist is Alina Starkov. Alina is introduced in season 1 as an orphan in a fictional country called Ravka, were she serves in the First Army. In Alina’s world, some people called Grisha have the power to manipulate matter and energy, which are cultivated by the government—but Alina disguised her ability at a young age so she could stay by the side of her bestie, Malyen Oretsev.
But fate will not be denied.
In Alina and Mal’s world, a great darkness has spread across the land called the Shadow Fold. It was created by a villain called the Black Heretic and is full of monsters called volcra, who are attracted to light and sound and love yummy human flesh as a treat. The Fold is very difficult to traverse and requires a dark and silent ship that slinks along the sand. While attempting to cross, Alina’s ship is attacked by volcra and her hidden power reveals itself as she protects Mal. Light shoots from her palms and she’s revealed to be a very special Grisha indeed: the Sun Summoner.
What are Grisha, their powers, and their hierarchy?
Let’s dig into this special class of people with unique abilities.
Grisha: First of all, the word is pronounced gree-shuh, because Bardugo loves phonetics. The Grisha’s gifts are genetic. In the books, they’re not really considered magical but are instead known as the ability to master “Small Science.” The logic is that Grisha are pulling and manipulating elements from the natural world around them rather than creating new entities. Once someone is identified as a Grisha, they become soldiers of the Second Army. (But more on that later.) Unfortunately, if you’re not Grisha, then you are just a person (sorry!), which is kind of a bummer, but things don’t seem to be too easy for a Master of the Small Science either.
There’s a hierarchy among the Grisha that goes from Corporalki to Etherealki to Materialki, listed from highest to lowest rank. There are even more layers and identities within those three, but we’ll lay out the basic ones here.
Corporalki (a.k.a. “The Order of the Living and the Dead”): These guys include people with powerful skills like the ability to speed or slow heart beats (Heartrenders), heal wounds (Healers), and change people’s appearances (Tailors).
Etherealki (a.k.a. Summoners): These are people who can control the elements, like wind (Squallers), fire (Inferni), or water (Tidemakers). Alina Starkov and the Darkling, her crush who turns out to be the Black Heretic in disguise, are both technically Etherealki. They control light and darkness; they’re just way more powerful than most folks in their category.
Materialki (a.k.a. “Fabrikators”): These people have a lot of the gritty, material-based jobs, like creating buildings and weapons (Durasts), or bombs and chemical compounds (Alkemi).
There are a few other useful terms to know relating to the Grisha and their gifts.
Amplifiers: Usually coming from animal remains, an amplifier makes a Grisha’s power stronger if they hunt and kill the animal holding that power themselves. (Think of the stag Alina seeks in season 1, and the Sea Whip and Firebird she looks for in season 2.) Once the amplifier is bound to them, no one else can use it.
The Cut: This is a lethal Grisha attack that can, literally, cut a person in two. Unsurprisingly, General Kirigan, a.k.a. The Darkling, is a fan.
Merzost: The Merzost is a “corruption” of Small Science because it’s a form of magic that creates something out of nothing, instead of using matter or energy that already exists. It’s considered chaotic, unpredictable, and kinda twisted. The Darkling uses Merzost in season 1, and it seems to do something pretty sinister to him. It’s also, thankfully, rare.
What is Ravka? And what countries and peoples exist in the Grishaverse?
Bardugo’s world is an expansive one that consists of different countries, cultures, and people. (Check out a map here.) But given the conflicts between these nations, there’s also a lot of racism and prejudice between them.
Ravka: This country in the Grishaverse has a lot of parallels to Czarist Russia: it’s ruled by a monarchy and the king resides in his Grand Palace, conscripting citizens into his army. But Ravka is the only place Grisha are not persecuted, so despite the Shadow Fold cutting it in half, it’s relatively safe!
The Fold: The Shadow Fold splits the Ravka in half, making it very difficult to get materials and people across the country. Given the warfare between Ravka and its neighbors, going through The Fold is usually the best way to get to the ocean (The True Sea) to access trade.
Little Palace: The members of the Second Army reside here, close to their king, to train and develop their Grisha powers.
Fjerda: This country borders Ravka in the north and is based on Scandinavian culture. The Fjerdans specifically hate the Grisha. They see their powers as an unnaturally evil and often kidnap, torture, and kill these folks. Their drüskelle solders (like Matthias) are known for hunting Grisha.
Shu Han: Based on East Asian cultures, especially ancient China and Mongolia, Shu Han borders Ravka to the south. The Shu don’t have powers either, but they have a more scientific approach to the Grisha. They abduct and experiment on them to build their own power. They have used fabrikators to create a warrior line called the khergud, biologically augmented soldiers who are tasked with kidnapping more Grisha. It’s worth noting that Alina is of Shu (and Ravkan) descent, which adds an important layer to her story.
Ketterdam: This is the capital city of the island nation of Kerch, a trading giant, and it’s pretty hopping. A busy place with a lot of culture, it’s also home to criminal organizations, gambling houses, and all types of crime. Much of the Six of Crows duology takes place here.
Hellgate: This is a dreadful prison located on the small Kersch island of Terrenjel, somewhere off Ketterdam’s coast. The Hellshow held weekly at the jail features prisoners fighting each other for audience entertainment.
Novyi Zem: Located on the other side of the True Sea next to the Wandering Isle, Novyi Zem is pretty much out of the way of other countries. In this farming nation, Grisha are called “zowa.”
There are people of different ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds across Ravka and the whole Grishaverse. Here are a few others to know in addition to the Fjerdans and the Shu.
The Kerch: Hailing from the island of, well, Kerch, this group is based on people from the Netherlands and Germany, Bardugo has said.
The Suli: This population is nomadic and hails from northwestern Ravka, though they’re historically correlated to Jewish, Romani, and South Asian cultures. Inej is of Suli heritage.
The Zemeni: Coming from Novyi Zem, the Zemeni are described as having dark skin and live separately from international conflict, thanks to the True Sea preserving their peace. Jesper is part Zemeni.
The Kaelish: This group hails from the Wandering Isle, which is inspired by Ireland and Scotland. Gang boss Pekka Rollins is Kaelish.
Why are there armies?
As you can see, Ravka utilizes military power to protect itself from a few enemies—in addition to the flesh-eating volcra in the Fold.
The First Army: Ravkan humans serve in the First Army, under the Ravkan King, Alexander III.
The Second Army: If you’re a Grisha, you head over to the Second Army. They’re also sworn to serve the king, though they follow General Kirigan/the Darkling’s leadership. But given his malicious tendencies, we will have to see where their loyalties really lie.
Watch this space as the onscreen Grishaverse, like The Fold, continues to grow.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.