jednowglowych

Jednowglowych is a term used in Polish-language speculative fiction and folklore to designate a fictional community, group, or lineage defined by a single functioning eye or by the metaphor of a single perspective. The word is a coined label rather than a standard biological category, and it appears in various works of fantasy and science fiction as a cultural or social designation within imagined worlds.

Origin and usage

The term emerges in modern Polish literary contexts as a recurring motif in worldbuilding. In different narratives, jednowglowych can refer to individuals who literally have one eye, have lost an eye, or possess a symbolic “single gaze” that shapes their knowledge, memory, or authority. Authors use the concept to explore themes such as perception, bias, discrimination, solidarity, and the ethics of knowledge. The designation is often linked to specific roles—seers, artisans, scouts, or scholars—who operate under a distinct worldview.

Conceptual characteristics

In literal depictions, jednowglowych may be described as a minority with physical characteristics that influence their crafts or social status. In symbolic use, the “single gaze” can represent focused attention, constrained vision, or an alternative epistemology. Across works, the term serves as a vehicle for examining how a group with a different mode of seeing negotiates power, truth, and belonging within a larger society.

Reception and analysis

Critics frequently discuss jednowglowych in the context of disability representation, otherness, and myth-making. Analyses often consider how the motif handles empathy, stereotype, and the tension between vulnerability and resilience in imagined communities.

See also

Monocular vision, cyclos, one-eyed myths.