It seems like the Genshin Impact community has been hit with such a large lore bomb that it has to go back to the history books and get ready to spend money. Besides unveiling the official drip marketing for the highly anticipated Fatui Harbinger, Columbina, HoYoverse also hinted at her character’s mysterious and cryptic nature in the image. The full title of Columbina was mentioned in the official tweet: Columbina Hyposelenia, the Welkin Moon’s Homecoming, or simply The Moon Maiden. Additionally, the element connected to her is said to be Hydro, which is a big shock since most players had predicted otherwise. To be quite honest, the character art is nearly insignificant when compared with the legendary and puzzling quote that was provided with it.
The start of the tweet contains a beautiful yet terrifying line: “Winter nights know no mercy. She left her curtained nest in frost and snow; no one is obliged to restore that which she has lost.” It is attributed to one Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya. Indeed, saying this name five times in a row would be quite difficult. Gamers were then, more or less, split into two camps according to their reactions: the first one completely enchanted by the extraordinary design of Columbina, and the second one having the person ‘Anastasya’ as their main topic of discussion already and going into full detective mode. It is a really messy but at the same time artistic situation.
What was it that HoYoverse actually let out? To sum it up briefly and clearly for the slow movers: Genshin Impact has through a teaser post introduced Columbina, the third Fatui Harbinger. She gets the titles ‘Welkin Moon’s Homecoming’ and ‘Moon Maiden’; Hydro is strongly anticipated as her element. The teaser is accompanied by a cryptic quote from a mysterious person named Anastasya Feodorovna Snezhnaya that gives rise to heavy speculation about Columbina’s past, her tie with the Tsaritsa, and the Russian history. This is the biggest lore drop for the game since it is on the verge of the Snezhnaya national arc.
You can see the wild and filled with hype response again. The replies to the tweet are a complete mess. One of the comments is from the user ‘XIAOSKINNOW’, who quite accurately situates the scenario, as they are complaining that the moment is perfect for them to ask for a Xiao skin after five years of being very patient. “We have been waiting for a Xiao skin for 5 years hoyo…” the user wrote, and another one simply commented, “Hoyo… come out and play…” The despair is unmistakable, yet it’s somewhat amusing considering the whole situation. Still, the name itself is most widely discussed. Anastasya Feodorovna.
It is a rapid fire case of players linking up history and characters faster than one could say “Snezhnaya” even once. One of the users ‘Yohane26271662’ dropped the obvious historical connection: “That means the cryo archon is a hint to the real Tsar Family the „Romanovs“. The last empress was called “Alexandra Fjodorowna” and her youngest daughter “Anastasia Romanowna”. It’s a rock-solid theory undoubtedly. Another user, ‘ndeachaigh’, elaborated: “Anastasia Nikolaevna+Alexandra Feodorovna=Anastasia Feodorovna. Alexandra Feodorovna, Wife of Tsar Nicolas II. Anastasia Nikolaevna, youngest daughter of Tsar Nicolas II. Combination?” So this Anastasya character could either be a mix or a direct reference to the last Russian royal family that fits Snezhnaya’s theme perfectly. It adds a dimension of sorrowful, ice-bound history to the whole thing about the Fatui.
However, not all players are lore enthusiasts. The confusion among people was evident. “WHO IS ANASTASYA FEODOROVNA” cried ‘columbinas_wife’, expressing a sentiment shared by ‘kureoomi’ and ‘DiloAtsuk4’. Some people just wanted to hang out and soak up the mood. “my pretty beautiful princess that i love so dearly. 3 years is worth it in the end 🫶” tweeted ‘to_okki’, who seemed to be showing the side of the fandom that is sweet and adoring. ‘ineffashill’ simply said, “welcome home beautiful.” It is that kind of long-term payoff that Genshin does so well—teasing a character for literal years and then finally delivering.
Nonetheless, the lore implications are very significant. User ‘Chuksmilime’ has aptly described the situation: “Columbina’s lore just keeps getting deeper… ‘Winter nights know no mercy’ is such a chilling line.
