Sankt’ya and Merzost: The Russian influences behind Shadow and Bone

Language and things

Bardugo has been outspoken over the years about her creation of the language and culture of the Grishaverse and its Russian inspirations. On her website and in many interviews, she has said that much of the Ravkan terms have elements of Russian combined with other words to create the fantasy language used by her characters. However, there are several terms and phrases that are pretty much borrowed as is:

Sankt: The words Sankt, Sankta and Sankt’ya are used in Shadow and Bone as terms for saints — male, female and plural. At least in the first season of the Shadow and Bone series on Netflix, we’ve heard of Sankta Alina and Sankt Ilya in Chains. In Russian, sankt also means “saint,” but if you were to search the word English word “saint” in a translator, you’ll more likely find svyatoy in Russian.

Oprichnik: In Shadow and Bone, the oprichnik were the Darkling’s group of elite Grisha soldiers. For Russia’s Tsar Ivan the Terrible from 1565 to 1572, oprichnik were part of his oprichnina bodyguard group. Historians say Ivan the Terrible used the oprichnik as a sort of police and inquisitor force to hunt down and execute those who opposed him.

Grisha: In Russian, “Grisha” is a sort of nickname for Grigori or Gregory. In a post about building the Ravkan language, Bardugo said she chose “Grisha” as the term for the magical wielders of the “small science” because “it is the Russian diminutive of Gregory which means ‘watchful’ and derives from the biblical Grigori (which a lot of paranormal fans will recognize from fallen angel tales).” Grigori is also the first name of the assassinated Russian mystic Rasputin, who is an inspiration for the character of The Apparat, a shadowing advisor to the king of Ravka.

Merzost: In the book series, merzost essentially means magic and “the power of creation; of life over death.” The Darkling used merzost and created the Shadow Fold and the terrifying volcra within. Just like in Ravkan, in Russian, merzost means “abomination.”

Otkazat’sya: In the Grishaverse, otkazat’sya is the term used to describe those who don’t practice the “small science” like the Grisha. In Ravkan, it means “the abandoned.” In Russian, otkazat’sya and otkazat mean to refuse, deny or abandon.

Kvas: In Shadow and Bone, kvas is “an obvious stand-in for vodka,” according to Bardugo. But in Russia, kvas is an ancient but popular beverage that’s made with fermented Russian brown bread, making it similar to a dark beer with very low alcohol content. It’s hard to find authentic kvas in the United States, but here’s a recipe to try at home.

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