Although every lockette has saura, it is a nebulous concept to define, and many may have misconceptions of what, exactly, a saura is, exactly.

Typical misconceptions view saura as a soul of a living being - by which most typically mean a sophont, or sapient being, such as humans.  This is certainly a method by which saura can be created, but most scholars of the subject no longer believe this to be the most common origin of saura.

Indeed, most scholars of the subject believe there is no ‘most common origin’ for saura.  Rather, they believe there are a wide variety of origins.

Origins may include but are likely not limited to:

• Souls of sophonts, such as humans
• Spirits/souls of animals, such as cats or cowcaps
• Spirits of nature, such as trees
• Elemental forces, such as wind
• Emotional forces, such as grief

Of course, it is difficult to define saura, let alone to study it.  Although it is seen during the Festival of Lights each year, few know much of it beyond that each saura is like a bright light in the night sky.  Additionally, most lockettes have no recollection before the moment they first inhabit their shell.  Those who do recall an origin tend to fall into one of the first three origins listed here, but there have been a few lockettes, since the subject began to be studied, who have attested to being one of the latter two types, or something entirely unique.