☆Agnes☆

As mentioned above, Snezhnaya is clearly based on Russia. Nod-Krai seems to be a region based on Scandinavian and Slavic countries in the real world. I find it unusual that two such culturally different regions were made into one area in-game. It is worth mentioning that while foreign media have a tendency to treat the Slavic countries as a monolith, there exists a vast cultural variety within. Therefore the Slavic countries are further classified as East Slavic (West Russia, Belarus and Ukraine), West Slavic (Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and some consider Serbia), Southern Slavic or Balkan Slavic countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro). While the aforementioned nationalities share an origin in the same Slavic tribes, the languages and cultures were influenced by different neighbouring countries and political situations. Therefore, the three groups differ from each other significantly and it is reductive to treat them as one and the same. Unfortunately, it seems like Genshin is doing exactly that. The Scandinavian (namely Finnish and Norwegian) influences are more defined as compared to the Slavic influences which are conflated together. 

I will start with Flins, one of the playable characters who will be available once the region launches. His full name is Kyryll Chudomirovich Flins. The first name seems to be based on a Slavic name Kirilon (Кирило). It is most commonly used in Southern Slavic countries. It is less common but also appears in other Slavic languages. It has different spellings depending on a country of use; such as Kiril/Kirill, Cyril/Cyrill, Cyryl (Polish), Kiryl (Belarusian), Kyril, Kyrill, Kyrylo (Ukrainian). Based on the above, it seems like the character’s name is Ukrainian. On the other hand, his patronymic is derived from Chudomir, a Bulgarian name. The last name of the character remains quite a mystery. Flins was an alleged Lusatian deity worshipped in a region that is now split between Poland and Germany. It seems as if the creators picked three names from three different cultures and stuck them together without any regard towards the actual naming traditions of the represented region.

Although the inspirations behind Flins are more convoluted and unclear, another character, Aino also does not have a consistent background. To start with, she  is named after a character who appears in Finnish epic Kalevala. The fate of the original Aino was a tragic one; she chose death over becoming a wife of an elderly Väinämöinen. In the game, Aino is a brilliant inventor. For an unknown reason, she was orphaned as a child and so treats her inventions as family. Her favorite snacks are krumkakes, a type of Norwegian sweets baked by her house robot, Ineffa. To me, including a Finnish sweet treat would make more sense for a Finnish-inspired character. 

Similarly to the playable characters, the NPCs are of varied backgrounds as well. Helka (a Finnish-inspired NPC) and Grzymislawa (a Polish-inspired NPC) are described as Nod-Krai citizens despite being inspired by two completely different cultures. As such, it is hard to determine whether there are different ethnicities in Nod-Krai (some based more on Scandinavian culture and some on Slavic culture) or whether there is one nationality which is a mix of the two. Another reason why it is difficult to determine that are the location names. There appear to be two places named after figures from Kalevala: Hiisi Island and Lempo Isle. Another island uses the word paha in its name. It translates to  "bad" or "evil" in Finnish. The last mentioned location is Nasha Town, located on the Lempo Isle. It is the only known large settlement and a home to Aino’s workshop (The Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop). Nasha (Наша) means “ours” in several languages such as Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian. As mentioned, it is difficult to ascertain whether there are two or one culture within Nod-Krai. Even so, I found it strange that the region is given a Slavic-sounding title while only one location bears a Slavic name. ‘Nod’ is the name of the biblical land that Kain was banished to after killing Abel while krai is a misspelled form of край/kraj which means land. It might imply that the region is the “land of the banished” or just be plainly unrelated to the represented cultures. 

The region itself is cold and unwelcoming, close to being a barren wasteland as it is a remnant of a fourth moon that failed to materialize. Aside from the harsh environment, it also faces supernatural dangers; it is regularly haunted by The Wild Hunt, unusually strong Abyssal beings. Interestingly, The Wild Hunt is a recurring motif in Slavic and Celtic folklore and involves a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a supernatural group of hunters. Another supernatural danger are the Frostmoon Scions, a strange group of people who left Hyperboea after the cataclysm. They worship the Frost Moon, dwell in forests where they erect strange statues of moon deities and are generally feared and avoided, as “they are not akin to the people of Nasha Town.” It is unknown what kind of place Hyperborea was and where exactly it was located; in Nod-Krai or north Snezhnaya. Interestingly enough, even though the Frostmoon Scions do not have the best opinion in the current time, their priestess helped to establish the Lightkeepers who stave away the Wild Hunt. I assume that the Frostmoon Scions were based on ancient Finnish pagan traditions as the moon goddess Kuutar is an important figure in local folklore. It is also mentioned that people in Nod-Krai can use a special power known as kuuvakhi (probably derived from kuu-moon and väki-people/folks). That power is described as ancient, predating the power of the Seven and the foundation of Teyvat. We are yet to see what role the Frostmoon Scions and their affiliate, Lauma will play in the story but making them appear as outcasts and strange forest-dwelling people due to their pagan beliefs can be seen as extremely disrespectful. 

Aside from the supernatural dangers and the harsh climate it seems like there exists an unresolved conflict which impacts the citizens severely. Helka expresses the following sentiment about her home region “If I had to describe it, I'd go with "a dangerous yet lively place"? It's been leaning toward the former in recent days, though.” Grzymislawa, a Polish-inspired NPC, who is a refugee from Nod-Krai, mentions the following upon arriving to Natlan: “The situation in Nod-Krai is far from stable right now, but it looks like we've finally found a place we can breathe easy.” To me, making the only clearly Polish character a refugee is an insensitive decision. Historically, Polish people were often forced to emigrate due to difficult situations in the country such as war, occupation or poverty. 

This brings me to my main and perhaps the most important point, the exact political situation of Nod-Krai. I would like to start with describing the neighbouring region, Snezhnaya. It is a cold and unwelcoming place, ruled by ruthless Tsaritsa and her armed forces, the Fatui who mercilessly enact her every order. It was clearly inspired by the Russian Empire as at that time Russia had been ruled by Tsars who often employed cruel methods to uphold their rule. On the other hand, the exact status of Nod-Krai is unclear. In the Wiki and promotional material it is described as an autonomous region of Snezhnaya while in-game, the merchant Liben describes it as the “southernmost part of Snezhnaya,” which heavily implies the region is dependent on Tsaritsa’s empire to some extent.  While other NPCs say that the region is dangerous and unstable, the merchant describes the region as wild and unlawful. I have allowed myself to include the entire conversation with the merchant below, as there is quite a lot to unpack here. 

Liben: That's good. I mean, I almost didn't make it back this time.

💬 Did you try your luck in Natlan?

Liben: Nope! I heard that things there were tense, so I deliberately avoided it and went to Nod-Krai instead.

Liben: Have you been there?

💬 Nope.

💬 What kind of place is that?

Liben: No? Well, I guess I can tell you about it then.

Liben: Nod-Krai is in the southernmost part of Snezhnaya, where people from all over Teyvat gather. Those not in the know would think that opportunities to get rich are everywhere there.

Liben: It's only after you get there that you realize that it's a wild place that plays by its own rules.

💬Its own rules?

Liben: Let me put it this way: Before I even set foot in the city, I was robbed by a group of vagrants — taking advantage of my ignorance about the place.

Liben: Courts of law, Knights of Favonius... There's none of that there. Someone just told me to visit the Voynich Guild.

Liben: Said the Guild was the strongest force in the area and that they might be able to get me justice.

Liben: I was only half-convinced at first, so imagine my surprise when the Guild folks not only hauled all my goods back — they even bought everything off me, too. Totally amazing, right?

Liben: I was so happy to see that much Mora, I counted it all up several times!

💬"I've done it! Woohoo!"

💬...And why did I almost not make it back, you ask?

Liben: Ugh... I don't even wanna talk about it. When I left the city again, I ran into another band of vagrants, who robbed me of every Mora — not a single coin was spared.

💬They must've already had their eye on you back in the city...

Liben: *sigh* That's me, Liben, for you! Only the grandest peaks and deepest troughs of life! Anyway, I'm not going back there — not for a while at least.

Liben: So yeah, stay on your toes if you're going to Nod-Krai, and don't let just anyone know that you're holding onto a big bag of Mora.

💬 I'll keep that in mind.

To start with, Liben reports that the country is unsafe for traders due to omnipresent bands of robbers. First, such introduction plays into the common stereotype associated with Slavic countries and Finland to some degree. While being a thief is not associated with Finns as much as in the past, it is still alive and well when it comes to Slavic people, especially Poles. Merchant’s words confirm that Nod-Krai is dangerous and fosters a dishonest, thieving population. What is more, the reason for such occurrences is what the merchant describes as lawlessness. Nod-Krai does not have its own proper government or a ruler, a system of justice and armed forces. The only mentioned armed forces both hail from Snezhnaya; they are the Fatui, who are directly affiliated with Tsaritsa and have a stronghold at Paha Island and the Voynich Guild which helped the merchant. The guild’s name might originate from the Polish town of Wojnicz (Voynich). Despite it being listed in the Wiki, I reckon it is more possible that the guild was named after Michał Habdank-Wojnicz also known as Wilfrid Voynich. He was a Polish trader of rare books and the discoverer of the Voynich Manuscript. The manuscript dated to the 15th century that nobody has been able to decipher, is more recognized than the town of Wojnicz after all. That aside, the Guild seems to be the only organisation responsible for peacekeeping, lawmaking and trade in and around Nasha Town.

Based on those facts, I would deduce that Nod-Krai is somewhat of a satellite state of Snezhnaya as the empire controls the military and entirety of the trade within the region. 

I would go as far to suggest that the name itself might suggest dependence on Snezhnaya. It might be far fetched but historically, the Russian Empire did rename the occupied Polish regions as Vistula Lands (Привислинскій край, Priwislinskij kraj) in order to erase its significance and history. The merchant also mentions that people from all over Teyvat gather there, looking for an easy way to build a fortune. This further implies that the region might be colonised and even exploited as newly conquered areas often attract people who are seeking easy monetary gain. Colonisation would also explain why the only established city is named Nasha Town and why the Frostmoon Scions are social outcasts; colonisers aim to destroy local customs and religions and replace them with their own, presenting them as the only acceptable values. Last, but not least a development project for the area is mentioned; it might have been the reason for the conflict or might have been a Snezhnayan project abandoned after the cataclysm. 

In conclusion, the chosen narrative upholds Snezhnaya as the great and powerful empire and the only force keeping a wild and lawless region in check, which is not without real-world consequences and implications. To start with, the Russian Empire, its real-world equivalent, often justified spreading their colonial power over other countries by presenting them as uncultured, dangerous or insignificant. Therefore, having a region which is a barren wasteland with practically no own internal structures and culture is genuinely insensitive, bordering on plain xenophobia especially in the face of the current conflict in Ukraine. What is more, conflating the diverse regions together plays into the ignorant, colonial narrative. Additionally, the countries that were used as inspiration for Nod-Krai all have been annexed, or occupied by Russia at least once in their history. They have also been disregarded, ignored or just seen as a part of the Russian Empire. Even if Hoyoverse did not intend it to be read as such, I find it inconsiderate and ignorant that the Scandinavian and Slavic inspired region is overshadowed by its Russian counterpart even in a fictional, lighthearted setting. 

tldr: Hoyo did its thing again but this time it’s fantasy Russia oppressing a fantasy Scandinavian and Slavic region. 

Sources:

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Marvelous_Merchandise/Story

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Nod-Krai

https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Liben

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraj_Nadwi%C5%9Bla%C5%84ski

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilfrid_Voynich

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirilo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiisi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuutar