jooksevad

Jooksevad is a traditional cultural practice described in speculative fiction and worldbuilding sources as a form of communal storytelling and competitive ritual performed during harvest festivals in the fictional archipelago of Liralen. The practice blends narrative performance with musical accompaniment and social commentary, and is regarded as a key mechanism for preserving oral history and shared identity.

Origin and meaning: The term derives from the Liralenan language, with jook meaning "story" and sevad meaning "chant" or "weave." The compound denotes the act of weaving stories aloud in a sung or chanted form.

Practice: Teams of five to eight participants compose original narratives of 60–120 lines, each limited in duration. The performance includes chanted refrains, handclaps, and the use of stomp drums and fluted reeds. Judges assess adherence to theme, imagery, cohesion, and emotional resonance.

History and spread: Documented in contemporary worldbuilding anthologies, jooksevad is described as having emerged among coastal communities in the early medieval period within the lore, with later revival in the modern era by cultural societies and diaspora groups. Some sources describe regional variants with distinct musical scales and motifs.

Significance and reception: Jooksevad functions as a ritual to strengthen communal bonds, transmit legends, and negotiate social memory. In fiction, it has been used to explore topics such as memory, tradition, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. It is primarily a fictional construct, though it has gained some attention in fan-made encyclopedias and worldbuilding communities.

See also: oral tradition, performance poetry, ritual music, worldbuilding.