ugruntoway

Ugruntoway is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and online folklore to describe a patterned practice of communal storytelling and decision-making within a hypothetical community. The concept is used to examine how memory, place, and ritual shape social cohesion.

Origin and etymology: Coined in online speculative fiction circles in the early 2010s, ugruntoway appears to derive from a fictional language of the Ugrun people in the imagined world of Aravell. The exact roots are inconsistent across sources, with some attributing it to fragments for “story” and “path” in that world, while others regard it as a portmanteau.

Practice: In the ugruntoway model, a group gathers around a shared location. Participants contribute short narrative fragments or gestures that reference local landmarks or memories. Each contribution links to the previous one, forming a braided sequence. The process aims to reach a consensus or shared understanding rather than a formal decision, and it emphasizes inclusivity and listening.

Cultural usage: In fiction and discourse, ugruntoway is used to critique or explore governance, ritualization, and the negotiation of memory. It has appeared in short stories, fan fiction, and analytical essays about collaborative storytelling and participatory world-building.

See also: collective storytelling, participatory world-building, sociolinguistics in fiction.