Ytans

Ytans is a term used in world-building and speculative anthropology to denote a class of ceremonial mirrors associated with the fictional Ytan culture. In the sources that describe them, ytans are small, circular discs, typically 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter, crafted from hammered metal and finished with a smooth, reflective surface. The name is derived from a Ytan word meaning light and is often linked to the idea of illumination in both a literal and symbolic sense.

Functionally, ytans serve as calendrical and social tokens within Ytan practice. They are used to determine the timing of agricultural rites, weddings, and community councils. Custody of a ytans traditionally passes along matrilineal lines, and the transfer ritual marks the transition into a new seasonal phase. The objects are perceived as repositories of communal memory, linking present events with ancestral timelines through their use and transmission.

Historically, references to ytans appear in ritual texts, oral histories, and a small corpus of artifacts attributed to the early second millennium in the Ytan archipelago. Interpretations of their purpose vary among scholars, with some emphasizing symbolic meaning and others noting practical timekeeping functions. In contemporary speculative fiction, ytans are frequently depicted as emblematic objects whose reflective surfaces reveal personal status and seasonal omens when viewed in specific lighting or angles with celestial light. They remain a focal point in discussions of Ytan art, ritual, and social organization. See also ritual objects and ceremonial mirrors.