sognaste

Sognaste is a fictional term used in speculative fiction to describe dream-recording artifacts. The term designates small objects such as stones, tablets, or crystals that can capture fragments of a dream and preserve them for later use.

Etymology: In the imagined world, sognaste derives from sogn meaning dream and aste meaning vessel or holder, forming a compound that denotes a container for dreams.

Function: Dreamers enter a trance, and a bearer inscribes memories onto the object's surface or into an attached recording medium. Stored dreams can be replayed later for study, shared during communal rites, or used in divination.

Cultural role: Sognaste appear in ritual contexts among scholarly orders and certain communities, serving as heirlooms or political tools. They are often regulated by guilds, cared for by custodians, and sometimes feared for their power to reveal truth.

Variants and narrative use: Materials vary—stone, glass, clay—with activation methods ranging from touch to spoken commands. In fiction, sognaste function as plot devices that expose secrets, test loyalty, or bridge generations.

Related concepts in fiction include dream diaries and memory crystals.