Göbök

Göbök is a fictional mineral featured in various speculative fiction works and role-playing settings. It is not a real mineral.

In-universe, the name Göbök is said to derive from the Göbök language and culture, where the term means light-bringer or beacon. Authors differ on exact etymology, and several works use the name independently without agreement on a single origin.

Physical properties: In most depictions, Göbök is a translucent crystal with a blue-green hue, a vitreous to glassy luster, and a hardness around 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale. It fractures conchoidally and is brittle. Some portrayals describe faint bioluminescence or triboluminescence when stressed, and its refractive index is high, yielding striking optical effects in lenses and prisms within stories.

Formation and occurrence: Göbök is often described as forming in high-temperature hydrothermal systems, deep crustal pockets, or on extraterrestrial bodies where rapid crystallization occurs. In many settings it is found in veins within ultramafic rocks or as nodules in meteorites, sometimes associated with other rare minerals that enhance its fictional properties.

Uses and significance: In fiction, Göbök serves as an energy storage medium, an optical component for advanced sensors and lenses, or a catalyst in alien technology. Its value varies by setting, and it is frequently the focus of mining disputes, regulatory controls, and ethical debates about extraction and preservation.

See also: Geology in fiction; Fictional minerals; Energy storage in fiction.