wielkoci

Wielkoci is a term used in Polish-language speculative fiction and online folklore to describe a large-scale, often mythic phenomenon or archetype. In published and fan-created works, the term is treated as a flexible concept rather than a fixed category, allowing writers to explore questions of scale, memory, and humanity’s relationship with the landscape.

Etymology is uncertain; the word appears to blend Polish roots meaning great or large with a suffix that evokes collective phenomena in some fictional languages. There is no canonical origin, and different authors attach varying connotations to the term.

Usage in fiction: Wielkoci commonly designates the large-scale features that dominate a setting—such as colossal rock formations, vast river networks, or ancient ruins—that are older than memory. These features may function as sacred sites, ecological nexuses, or storytellers in their own right.

Reception and scholarship: Outside fiction circles, wielkoci is discussed mainly as a narrative device for exploring scale and time. Some readers interpret it as a metaphor for historical memory, while others view it as a critique of environmental exploitation.

See also megastructure, macrohistory, speculative fiction, and landscape in literature.