heawan

Heawan is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to denote a holistic principle of life, balance, and reciprocity that connects ecosystems, communities, and individuals. In these settings, heawan describes a worldview in which human activity is harmonized with natural cycles and with non-human agents such as spirits, animals, or plants. The term's etymology is invented for each work; commonly it is presented as a compound from constructed language roots meaning life and flow, breath, or kinship.

In fiction and comparative worldbuilding, heawan informs social organization, ethics, and ritual practice. Communities guided by heawan emphasize reciprocity with land and water, communal decision-making, and the transmission of ecological knowledge across generations. Ceremonies often mark seasonal transitions and harvests, reinforcing norms of moderation, sharing, and stewardship. Governance may favor subsidiarity, cooperative labor, and conflict resolution rooted in restorative justice.

Variants of the concept appear across different authors and settings. Some treat heawan as a deity or ancestral force; others frame it as a secular ecological ethic or philosophical principle. Because heawan exists largely within constructed worlds, its details vary by source, but its core emphasis on balance, interdependence, and resilience remains common.

See also: worldbuilding, fictional anthropology, ecological ethics, animism.