zorgethiek

Zorgethiek is a term used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to describe a ritual technique or cultural practice centered on the creation and sharing of communal memory through narrative weaving. The concept is often portrayed as a method to align group identity, moral codes, and historical memory across generations.

Etymology and usage: The word is presented as a compound from a constructed language family, with zor- meaning “bind” or “weave” and geth meaning “tale” or “story,” and the suffix -hiek indicating a practice or discipline. Variants appear in different fictional texts, reflecting diverse linguistic backgrounds.

In-world practice: Zorgethiek is typically performed during annual gatherings or ritual fires, with elders shaping the core narrative while younger participants contribute episodes. The process is described as requiring disciplined memory, orality, and social sanction, and is said to stabilize norms and resolve disputes. In some depictions, the practice also serves to recover or reconstruct lost histories.

Reception and scholarship: Within the stories, scholars debate whether zorgethiek constitutes a memory technology or a performative tradition. Authors use it to explore themes of memory, authority, and communal resilience, while some narratives cast it as a potentially manipulative instrument that can distort history for social ends.

See also: oral tradition, ritual storytelling, memory culture.