sisaruuksissa

Sisaruuksissa is a term used in Finnish-language speculative fiction to describe a fictional social-spatial arrangement centered on sisterhood. The word combines sisar-, meaning sister, with a fictional suffix that marks a locative or collective space, roughly translating to “in the sister-space” or “in sister circles.” In-universe, sisaruuksissa denotes networks of women who form protective, knowledge-sharing communities that operate through houses, sanctuaries, or temples. Membership is typically described as voluntary, with oath-like commitments, rites of passage, and symbolic tokens representing mutual support. Rites often emphasize care, mutual aid, and the safeguarding of communal lore and crafts, while maintaining discretion about internal practices to outsiders.

In narrative usage, sisaruuksissa serves as a setting for themes of female agency, resilience, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. The concept allows authors to explore power dynamics, ritual secrecy, and the tension between solidarity and exclusion. It is commonly depicted as both a source of strength for its members and a subject of external curiosity or mistrust from other groups.

Because sisaruuksissa is a fictional construct, it has not been adopted as a historical term in real-world academia. It appears primarily in contemporary Finnish fantasy literature and tabletop role-playing contexts, where it provides a framework for world-building and character networks.

Further reading can be found in genre studies on Finnish speculative fiction and studies of sisterhood motifs in folklore-inspired fiction.