Teyvat is no stranger to the old gods before the Heavenly Principles staked their claim on the world. The dragons of old and new inGenshin Impactstill influence the world in their own way, andMondstadt has its own tales as well.
Although the nation of Anemo is certainly recognized for its liberated identity, they were once under siege by the dragons of old and a variety of enemies that wished for its demise. Mondstadt’s long history is only possible due to the tenacity and wisdom of the Anemo Archon, and through this,Genshin Impactplayers witness an era of dragons that originate from the region.
Durin - Rhinedottir’s Creation
Durin was a shadow dragon that was created by Rhinedottir, otherwise known as ‘Gold’, a genius alchemist from Khaenri’ah. Rhinedottir is also one of theFive Sinners of Khaenri’ah, and her name is a bit of a controversial topic in Mondstadt when it comes to the morality behind her genius creations. Durin was created in Khaenri’ah before the region fell to the Cataclysm, and he was considered to be one of her ‘miraculous creations’ alongside Albedo.
It can be speculated that after Primordial Albedo failed and was left inside Durin’s stomach to ‘rot’, the famed shadow dragon’s life took a turn for the worse. No one really knows how or why, but before Durin rained havoc on Mondstadt and its people, he was once considered to be a peaceful soul. During the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms event,Genshin Impactplayers will gain access to Albedo’s lore and Durin’s background through the Festering Desire sword and Dragonspine spear.
The Festering Desire sword sets a more tragic start to Durin’s story as it clarifies that once Durin was created in Khaenri’ah, Rhinedottir told him to “…go unto a lovely place, and display your own beauty there with pride…”. This indicates that upon his creation, all his mother wanted was for him to see the world, and Durin himself stated that he wished “to go to the land of lovely songs”. He was an inquisitive dragon, and upon hearing the melodic sounds that carried across the winds of Mondstadt, he also wished to share his songs with them about the beauty of Khaenri’ah.
It was never confirmed why Durin became corrupted, but sometime before the Cataclysm began, Rhinedottir seemed to have corrupted Durin herself, and he became a monster with no regard for human life. He emerged on Mondstadt right in the middle of the Cataclysm, but because the Knights of Favonius were busy with the campaign in Khaenri’ah, Mondstadt faced a lot of devastation in their absence. Since no one was defending Mondstadt during Durin’s rampage,Barbatos awoke from his slumberafter hearing the pleas of the nation and summoned Dvalin for help.
Barbatos and Dvalin fought together to defeat the corrupted Durin. It’s been said that the fight was long and troublesome, and Dvalin only managed to land a killing blow after luring Durin over to the perpetually snowy mountains of Vindagnyr. Durin fell onto the mountain, and where his corpse landed soon became known as Dragonspine. Durin’s blood eventually began to soak the Ley lines of Dragonspine, contaminating the area and reviving the Frostbearing Tree, which had once been destroyed by Celestia’s Skyfrost Nail. Durin’s heart was still active in Dragonspine, and that was one of the main reasons why Primordial Albedo was able to revive during the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms event.
It was only during the Paralogism Archon Quest did Durin ‘revive’ himself into Primordial Albedo’s body and try to replace the real Albedo’s life. Venti described it as ‘a child’s anger’,and one can easily speculate that all Durin wanted was to be recognised by his mother. He was just a child starved of her love, and although Albedo and Venti recognized his hurt, they had no choice but to take drastic measures against him. Albedo drained Durin’s core of his energy and conducted an experiment that would give birth to a new Durin.
Mini-Durin - Simulanka’s Evil Dragon
Mini-Durin was once an event-exclusive NPC thatGenshin Impactplayers were introduced to during the Summertide Scales and Tales Event. The area is more commonly known as Simulanka, and it’s a world within a storybook that was created byone of the Hexenzirkelmembers, Andersdotter. She was a famous novelist (the author of The Boar Princess) and quite ordinary in comparison to the other members. She created the fictional character “Durin” despite the many warnings Barbeloth gave her about the potential of the similarities it may have to its real-life counterpart. This is becausenamesinGenshin Impactholdvalue.
Since Mini-Durin was based on the original Durin, he was wrongfully feared by its residents, as all he wanted was to make friends. However, due to his size, he often wreaked havoc wherever he went, and the residents took that as an attack. He eventually retreated to the outskirts of Simulanka, and it was only when the Traveler and Wanderer made sense of the situation did they realise storybook Durin’s intentions. With the help of the others, they turned Durin into a smaller form with a cuter face so that it would be easier for him to make friends. He was renamed Mini-Durin by Alice and decided to leave the Simulanka world with Wanderer; their first stop being Sumeru.
Mini-Durin eventually ended up in Mondstadt during the Windblume Festival, and it was mainly because Albedo required his help in handling the real Durin. As mentioned earlier, since Durin’s revitalisation process was soon becoming a threat to Mondstadt, Albedo was unsure whether leaving Durin’s corpse alone would be a safe choice. He had to essentially kill it and minimise the threat by transferring it into a synthetic human. This required Mini-Durin’s approval to become a human and finally do something good, similar to his counterparts' true intentions upon arriving in Mondstadt 500 years ago.
And so, withDurin’s blood from Dragonspine, the flesh of an immortal monster from Mare Javari, and part of an embryo left by Rhinedottir, Albedo performed the Art of Khemia while the festival was being created. He basically used the entire city of Mondstadt as a crafting table whilst Venti distracted the crowds with his singing. Mini-Durin was successfully turned into a synthetic human; however, Albedo told the Traveler it would take some time for the dragon to get used to his new body.
Dvalin - The Wind Dragon
Dvalin is one of Mondstadt’s more famous dragons, as he was considered to be a friend of Barbatos. He is ananemo elemental dragonand one of Mondstadt’s Four Winds. He and Barbatos have been friends for nearly 2000 years; however, during the Cataclysm 500 years ago, he was gravely injured during his battle against Durin. He ingested the corrupted blood of Durin and had no choice but to fall into slumber inside Decabarian’s Tower to recuperate. Over the years, the Abyssal poison, which had seeped into his blood, tormented him and made him more susceptible to the lies of the Abyss.
When Dvalin awoke, the people of Mondstadt had forgotten about him, and he also believed that his friend, Barbatos, had forsaken him as well. The Abyss took advantage of his weakness and fed him lies, inciting him to attack Mondstadt, earning him the title of Stormterror instead. His sanity is only restored with the help of the Traveler, Jean, and Diluc - all under Venti’s command (Barbatos’ mortal form).Dvalin now occasionally visits Mondstadt, celebrating the city and its Archon in his own way, as he understands the apprehensive nature the citizens may have after all these years. He’s made appearances in various event quests by answering Venti’s call and helping the Archon with minor traveling issues.
Ursa the Drake - An Honorable Mention
Ursa the Drake is a draconic figure that hasn’t made an appearance in theGenshin Impactgame, but its story is expanded on in the manga. Ursa is not a dragon per se and can be considered a Vishap - a descendant of the dragons. It terrorized Mondstadt’s citizens in small doses for around 1000 years before it was brought into an arena to fight Vanessa, one of Mondstadt’s famed heroes, during the rebellion against the Aristocracy. It was only with the help of Barbatos that Vanessa gained the strength to subdue the dragon. Ursa fled the scene, and the next time it was seen was on Diluc’s 18th birthday.
Diluc and his father, Crepus, were returning to Dawn Winery from Angel’s Share when their caravan was suddenly attacked by Ursa.Although Diluc became a Cavalry Captain4 years prior and was known for his immense strength, he found it extremely hard to even lay a scratch on Ursa. Crepus then managed to lure the dragon away by using a Delusion, but the power of the Delusion became too strong and killed him instead. By the time Kaeya arrived, he not only lost his father but also the good relationship he had with his brother.
Sometime after the events of Crepus’ death, Ursa was once again lured by the Fatui and slain by Dottore. This event meant that Mondstadt was indebted to Snezhnaya, but no confirmation of this debt has been mentioned in the game.
