The word “speed” is deployed in literature with remarkable versatility, serving both literal and metaphorical functions. In adventure narratives and historical epics, it often describes rapid physical movement—characters dash “with all speed” to escape danger ([1], [2]), and machines or vessels, from steam-engines to chariots, are noted for their swiftly increasing pace ([3], [4]). In poetic and mythological contexts, speed can invoke urgency or even transcendence, as seen in pleas for divine favor (“God speed!” [5], [6]) or as a metaphor for irresistible momentum ([7], [8]). Meanwhile, technical descriptions use “speed” almost quantitatively to highlight efficiency or the power of innovation ([9], [10]). Across these varied examples, “speed” functions simultaneously as a descriptor of physical motion, an emblem of urgency, and a marker of transformative change throughout literary history.