Durast meaning on Shadow and Bone is solid hard and strong. The word is derived from the Latin word durus.
Developed by Eric Heisserer, Shadow and Bone is a fantasy streaming television series based on two books in the Grishavers written by Leigh Bardugo.
All eight episodes of Season 1 premiered on April 23, 2021, on Netflix. In June 2021, the fantasy series was renewed for an eight-episode second season, which dropped on March 16, 2023.
It tells the story of a young orphan and a cartographer in the First Army, Alina Starkov. As the plot continues, she learns she is a Grisha, one who practices the Small Science.
The first season of the series adapts 2012’s Shadow and Bone and the second series adapts 2013’s Siege and Storm.
Jessie Mei Li (Alina), Archie Renaux, Freddu Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Ben Barnes, Zoe Wanamaker, Lewis Tan, Patrick Gibson, Anna Leong Brophy, and Jack Wolf appear in the main cast of the series.
What Does Durast Mean in Shadow and Bone?
Durast means strong, solid and hard in Shadow and Bone. The word is used to describe Grisha that work with solid materials like weapons.
Durasts and Alkemi do similar work and often share their workplace. They aren’t usually distinguished and are simply called Fabrikators.
Unlike Alkemi Grisha, they wear purple keftas with gray embroidery. They can manipulate any solid materials such as glass, textiles, metals, wood, steel, plants, and stone on a molecular level.
The manipulation includes altering a solid’s texture, shape, or composition. Moreover, they can move objects without touching them, remove an object’s pigment, and even make flowers bloom.
Moreover, they can absorb harmful matter from a person’s body into their body.
The word Durast is derived from the Latin word durus, meaning solid, strong, or hard. This mirrors that Durasts work with solid substances and their products are durable and strong.
David Kostyk (played by Luke Pasqualino), is the main Durast in Shadow and Bone. He uses his special ability to craft weapons and gadgets for the Grisha. He invented Alina’s gloves to support them.
Other known Durasts include Aditi Hilli, Anezka, Eldina Duda, Ilya Morozova, Irina, Jesper Fahey, Nestor, Bergin, Zoya Nazyalensky (post-King of Scars, Sankta Vasika, and Sankta Neyar.
What Is An Alkemi in Shadow and Bone
Alkemi in Shadow and Bone are Grisha who specialize in chemicals like poisons and blasting powders. They are of the Materialki order.
Grisha are the soldiers of the Second Army often known as Masters of the Small Science. In the book, their powers are not magical and their abilities are referred to as “practicing the Small Science.”
Alkemi falls under Materialki, one of three orders of Grisha. They specialize in explosives and wear purple color keftas with red embroidery.
They can manipulate chemicals and are similar to Durats, another Grisha from Materialki order, who work with solid materials. Both are often just called Fabrikators as they do similar work.
Alkemi also has the power to separate poison from water, as we see Leoni Hill saving people from a poisonous river flood in Fjerda.
However, the process proved to be vicious, as she fell very sick after trying to find the origin of it the first time.
Talking more, Alkemi is derived from alchemy, which comes from the Arabic word al-kimiya. Alchemy is a proto-scientific tradition practiced to speed up natural chemical processes.
The process is practiced in Eurasia to purify, mature, and perfect objects. It perfectly describes the business of Alkemi.
Known Alkemi in Shadow and Bone are Leoni Hilli, Paja, and Bo Yul-Bayur.
Leoni is an Alkemi from Novyi Zem. She is a Second Army member and serves with Nina Zenik and Adrik Zhabin in Fjerda. She later represents the Materialki in the Grisha Triumvirate.
Yul-Bayur was a Fabrikator and Shu chemist who created jurda parem. Paja was a Suli Alkemi who represented the Materialki alongside David in Alina’s court.
Types Of Grisha In Shadow and Bone
Grisha in Shadow and Bone has three orders -Corporalki, Etherealki, and Materialki. They are the soldiers of the Second Army.
Each of the Grisha groups has two to three types of Grisha within them. Here we break it down with help from the series, the books, and the fan community of the Grihaverse Wiki:
Corporalki
Corporalki Grisha have powers that focus on the human body. This order is divided into three subgroups -Heartrenders, Healers, and Tailors.
Heartrenders can speed or slow people’s heartbeats and manipulate (more specifically damage) organs that people need to survive. However, they can’t use their ability when their hands aren’t touching.
Ivan, Fedyor, and Nina are the Heartrenders who appear in the first season of the show.
Healers are those who fix the damage and heal wounds. Instead of causing damage to the human body, they heal it. They can mend organs, bruises, cuts, and more.
Tailors are another group who are similar to Healers as they can also mend injuries, but for the most part, they perform surface-level fixes to individual appearances -like makeup, hair color, or the shape of one’s face.
Etherealki
Etherealki Grisha’s powers are tied to natural elements -air, water, and sun. They are divided into three subgroups, Squallers, Inferni, and Tidemakers.
Squallers have the power to manipulate the wind. They guide ships through the fold with the help of their power. Zoya is among the most notable Squallers in the series.
Like Squaller, Inferni manipulates gas/fire instead of air. All they need is a little spark to create an explosion. Alina’s friend, Marie, at the Little Palace, was an Inferni in Shadow and Bone.
Tidemakers manipulate and control water/waves. They are basically known as the Poseidon of Grisha.
Materialki
Finally, Materialki have powers to control physical materials like steel, metal, and glass. There are two subgroups of this Grisha -Durasta and Alkemi.
As mentioned earlier, Durasts deal with solid materials to create weapons and architecture, while Alkemi negotiates chemicals to create bombs, poisons, etc.