Tkepiacokon

Tkepiacokon is a term used in speculative ethnography to describe a class of portable ritual objects attributed to the inhabitants of the Archipelago of Nyara in a fictional Bronze Age to Iron Age setting. In the fictional corpus, the word is said to derive from the Nyaran language, with roots interpreted as meaning “breath” and “mark.”

Physical characteristics vary, but tkepiacokon are typically small, about 6 to 15 centimeters tall, and carved from clay, bone, or stone. They commonly depict stylized humanoid figures or hybrid creatures and are elaborately incised with geometric patterns or glyph-like marks. Many examples were originally coated with pigment or glaze, traces of which survive on some objects.

Function and use: Tkepiacokon are associated with domestic and communal rites. They are deposited on household altars or placed in sanctuaries during feasts, and are believed to house or channel ancestral or spirit entities. They play a role in rites of passage, naming ceremonies, and harvest rituals, and are sometimes buried with their owners at death.

Archaeological and literary attestation: In the fictional record, tkepiacokon appear in regional assemblages connected to trade networks across the Nyaran archipelago. They are dated from roughly the late second millennium BCE to early centuries CE in the chronology of the world, though precise dating varies by site. Production centers are described as small workshops on several islands, with regional styles distinguishing forms across communities.