Vaevama

Vaevama is a term used in contemporary fantasy and speculative fiction to denote a class of sentient energies or spirits tied to human emotion. There is no universal definition, and the concept is defined differently by authors, game designers, and fans. The word is generally treated as a neologism rather than a traditional folklore figure, with varying etymologies across settings.

In fictional portrayals, vaevama are described as ethereal beings or phenomena that inhabit places saturated by memory and feeling—ruins, old houses, battlefields, or sites of reunion. They may appear as shifting forms of light, cold drafts, or murmured voices. Core attributes commonly include an awareness of emotional states, the ability to sense or amplify feelings, and the power to reveal or erase traces of the past within their environment.

Role and interpretation vary widely. Some depictions cast vaevama as guardians of emotional balance; others present them as neutral or ambivalent forces that can assist healing or cause disruption if despair or anger intensifies. They are typically morally ambiguous and do not fit neatly into conventional categories of good or evil.

In media and games, vaevama often function as plot devices to explore themes such as grief, memory, forgiveness, and resilience, as well as as worldbuilding elements that imbue locations with emotional resonance.

See also: spirits, elementals, memory, grief.