- Informal. Used in discussion among fans about what additions they would like to be included in a work. Rarely used outside of this context. Ideas and thoughts are a result of the work of the brain. By metonymy, a link was formed between the thoughts and the head, because that is where the ideas originate, leading to the “head” in the compound “headcanon”. Because the word has become more common, some people have spelled “headcanon” as “headcannon”, a result of folk etymology.
Headcanon (2)
noun; compounding
Something that one would like to occur and be accepted as fact in a work of literature, body of text, movie, TV show, or other platform. Typically used in the context of fiction aimed at young adults. A “head canon” is something that a fan came up with, and desires to be labeled as “canon”, or directly acknowledged, in a work.
Etymology : Canon was originally used in a religious sense, to communicate what was accepted by the Christian Church. It is still used in that sense; however, now it is also used vis-a-vis popular fictitious novels or films. In the latter, “canon” is used as something that is directly stated in the work. It is indisputably a part of the narrative because it has been explicitly included in the story. The compound “head canon” arose because the idea of what could be “canon” in a story arose from the thinking of the fans, as opposed to the media in which the story is told (i.e. TV, book, etc.).
Source : “Fanfiction could be fun, I've never really tried before but I love seeing other people's headcanons and AUs and comics and stuff” 8/16/2018 Context: Used when talking about seeing the offerings that other members of a fandom create
Last modified: 21 December 2019