89 pages 2 hours read

Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Symbols & Motifs

The Shadow Fold

The Shadow Fold, sometimes called the Fold or the Unsea, is a symbol of division and greed. Created by the Darkling many years ago, the Fold has plagued Ravka by cutting the mainland off from vital supplies located in West Ravka. It is a place of impossible darkness, inhabited by flying beasts called volcra that feed on humans. Volcra are descended from transformed humans born as a consequence of the Darkling’s greed. They are blind from living in darkness and are frightened away by light.

The Shadow Fold reflects the Darkling’s true nature. Symbolically, it is a manifestation of the saying “blinded by greed.” As long as the Fold exists and the Darkling tries to control it for endless power, Ravka remains both physically and morally divided, and thus weakened against its enemies.

The Stag

As the world’s most powerful amplifier, the stag is used throughout the novel to represent power, mercy, and hope. The stag is a mythical creature thought to only exist in children’s stories, where it’s said to grant wishes to those who spare it. Searching for the stag represents the resiliency of hope: They search against odds that the stag can be found, or even exists, because it is their greatest hope for destroying the Fold.

Related Titles

By Leigh Bardugo

SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
Leigh Bardugo
Guide cover image