Who are Rhinedottir and Durin in Genshin Impact?

Rhinedottir and Durin are two separate characters with some connection to Albedo in Genshin Impact.

They're not playable characters or NPCs that players can see in the current version of the game. Instead, they're characters from the past who primarily add to Genshin Impact's lore. Of the two, Rhinedottir is the more significant character. She is the one who corrupted Durin, making much of the latter's story tied to her.

Aside from that, Rhinedottir is more directly associated with Albedo, as she is his "mother."

Note: This article will contain spoilers, including some from the Shadows Amidst Snowstorms event.

---

Rhinedottir and Durin's previous appearances in Genshin Impact lore

Rhinedottir hasn't physically been seen in Genshin Impact. By comparison, players see a glimpse of Durin through a cutscene involving Dvalin and Barbatos. Durin is the dark dragon seen at 1:27 in the above YouTube video. This dragon was causing chaos in Mondstadt, but Dvalin would eventually put it down.

His main contribution to Genshin Impact's lore is that he poisoned Dvalin, which eventually led Dvalin to be manipulated by the Abyss Order. The Archon Quests in Mondstadt deal with purifying Dvalin of Durin's poison.

Durin caused so much chaos because Rhinedottir (also known as Gold) corrupted him:

"The alchemist known as Gold was corrupted by their own greed and ambition, and created an army of shadowy monsters with their uncanny powers. Durin, a black serpentine dragon, rose from the sea to cast its shadow over Mondstadt."

---

More information about Durin in Genshin Impact

Durin's appearance in a cutscene (Image via Genshin Impact)

Although Durin was slain prior to the events of Genshin Impact's main story, he still has a role outside of negatively affecting Dvalin. Both the Dragonspine Spear and Festering Desire are said to be made from Durin. The former weapon adds some lore to Durin's character.

Essentially, he wished to become Dvalin's friend. However, he wakes from his dream with Dvalin's claws through his throat. Before he dies, he speaks to Dvalin and Barbatos, talking about how he wished the circumstances were different:

"Farewell, O lovely bard! And farewell, O lovely dragon! Would that we had met in a different time and place. To meet, to song and dance together!"

Festering Desire also refers to Durin's dreams, suggesting that he wasn't always the villain that would eventually fight with Dvalin. The Traveler eventually purifies the sword from Durin's corruption during the event The Chalk Prince and the Dragon. Part of the sword's lore includes:

"Mother, I wish to go to a land of lovely songs, I will tell them about you, Mother, and about everyone else. I shall tell them that the place where I was born is beautiful."

The recent event, Shadows Amidst Snowstorms, also references him, which will be covered in Rhinedottir's section.

---

Who is Rhinedottir in Genshin Impact?

Albedo is a creation of Rhinedottir's (Image via Genshin Impact)

This character goes by a few names in Genshin Impact lore:

• Gold
• The Great Sinner
• Rhinedottir

She mastered an alchemy type known as Khemia, which was taught at Khaenri'ah. Rhinedottir was alive at least 500 years ago and has been associated with the Eclipse Dynasty's downfall. If the Breeze Amidst the Forest excerpt is accurate, then she was greedy and overly ambitious.

Chunk of Aerosiderite also references how she created swarms of monsters, with one of them being Durin. It's possible that the "Mother" Durin refers to is Rhinedottir, similar to how Albedo speaks of her.

Albedo speculated that he and Durin were connected before (Image via Genshin Impact)

Her creations have three types:

• Alfisol
• Humus
• Cretaceus

Durin is described to be of the Humus type, with generic Rifthounds being part of Alfisol. It's unknown what happened to Rhinedottir 500 years later, although there are hints that she's responsible for other catastrophes such as corrupting Mikoshi Chiyo, causing her to go against Ei.

Rhinedottir is also a friend of Alice, who is Klee's mother. Like Rhinedottir, the player hasn't physically seen Alice. The former wrote a letter to Albedo to get into Mondstadt, where Albedo would eventually meet Klee. The two would become friends over time.

Albedo would confirm that Rhinedottir and Gold are the same person in Shadows Amidst Snowstorms, while also revealing that he is a synthetic human:

"I am a synthetic human being... a human forged by human hand. The one who created me, my mother and teacher, her name is Rhinedottir — a researcher from Khaenri'ah, also known as "Gold.""

The same event has Albedo claiming that he and Durin are brothers, as both of them were "sons of Rhinedottir." The remaining acts of Shadows Amidst Snowstorms haven't yet been released, with the next quest coming out on 1 December 2021.

Still, the Traveler agrees to help Albedo with his investigation, which may result in more lore bombs for the Genshin Impact community.