Tulvan

Tulvan is a term that appears in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to name a class of in-world concepts. There is no single, authoritative definition; the meaning varies by work and author.

One common usage is as a mineral or energy source: in some stories, tulvan is a rare ore with peculiar electrical or gravitational properties, mined in distant regions and used as a power source or trade good. Its extraction often shapes economies and geopolitics, and its presence can affect ecosystems.

In other settings, tulvan can denote a cultural or religious concept, such as a ritual, oath, or social order. It may serve as a unifying term for a faction, a rite of passage, or a philosophical doctrine.

Etymology is author-specific. The term is generally invented rather than borrowed from real languages, and pronunciation and spelling vary across works. Some authors backfill a fictional ancient language to justify the term’s origin; others present tulvan as a modern coinage.

Because tulvan lacks a canonical definition, readers should consult the particular work to understand how tulvan functions in that universe.