Urth

Urth is a term used in speculative fiction to refer to Earth, especially within far-future or alternate-history settings. It is sometimes presented as the native name of the planet in-world or simply as a stylized spelling.

The most prominent use is in Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun sequence, where Urth denotes Earth in a distant future. The setting combines science fiction and fantasy elements, showing a world with a decayed Terran civilization organized in a feudal, ritual-rich society. The Autarch rules a polity centered on cities such as Nessus, and the Guild of Torturers plays a central role in the social order. Technology exists in relic forms, and memory and literature are treated as powerful, arcane forces.

In other works, Urth may appear as an alternate-world version of Earth or as a fictional planet named Urth; the usage varies by author. The name has been adopted in various sci-fi and fantasy narratives to evoke a sense of ancient or distant Earth, sometimes contrasting with more modern or experimental world-building.

See also: Earth, The Book of the New Sun, Nessus (Gene Wolfe).