Xatarni

Xatarni is a fictional ethnolinguistic designation used in speculative fiction and related media. It refers to both the Xatarni people and their language, embedded in a maritime culture within a fictional world. In many works, the Xatarni inhabit an archipelago off the southern coast of the continent of Athera, with major settlements on the islands of Rava and Selai.

The name Xatarni is typically presented as the exonym used by outsiders; some authors give the Xatar self-designation as Xatar. The term is used consistently as a single cultural-linguistic complex across different narratives, with minor regional variations.

The Xatarni are described as traders and shipbuilders, with networks that extend across the Verdant Sea. Historical sources in the fiction place their emergence in early medieval times, followed by periods of growth, conflict, and diaspora after political upheaval and severe storms. In modern-era narratives, there is a revival movement to standardize the Xatarni language and revive traditional crafts.

The Xatarni language is presented as agglutinative and mainly subject–object–verb in order, written in a syllabary known as the Xata Script for inscriptions and education. It features a rich oral-and-poetic tradition, with songs and chants integral to coastal ceremonies. Social life emphasizes guilds for artisans, kin-based clans, and ancestor rites tied to the sea.

Across media, Xatarni is used to explore themes of trade, migration, and cultural resilience in coastal communities.