[ENGLISH VERSION]-The Sumerians - The Cosmic Power Hidden in the Soil: Sumer's Connection to the Universe
The city skies of Sumer were always filled with stars, but in those days, there was something different in the air. The stars seemed to carry a hidden message, with the planets shifting from their usual courses and forming unexpected alignments. In the morning bustle of Uruk’s marketplace, everyone was talking about these changes. The people continued their daily lives, but in the back of their minds, they were trying to make sense of what was happening in the heavens. Merchants displayed their goods, and women searched for fresh produce, but a single question was on everyone’s lips: “Why are the stars behaving this way?”
Young potter Tarum felt this question deep within. That morning, he was once again at the marketplace, still shaken by the strange dream he had the night before. In his dream, the stars were intertwined like the spiral threads of time, and the fabric of the universe was revealed. Tarum, unsure if these images were merely a dream, couldn’t shake the words of the old man from his mind: “The earth carries the energy of the stars.” But what did those words mean? Was the soil more than just ordinary material? These questions gnawed at him as he looked up again at the sky. The stars were brighter and more restless than the night before.
That morning, as usual, Tarum had gone to the marketplace. While working on his clay at his stall, an old man suddenly appeared beside him. The man’s face bore the marks of many years, and his eyes gleamed with deep wisdom. He silently observed the clay in Tarum’s hands. “How does the soil feel, young master?” the old man asked, locking his gaze onto Tarum’s eyes. Tarum was surprised. “The soil? I’m shaping it, what else could it be?” The old man smiled gently and shook his head. “The soil is not just a material. It carries the energy of the stars. It holds the secrets of the universe. You must not only shape it, but understand it.” These words puzzled Tarum. The old man gazed at him silently for a while longer, then disappeared into the crowded marketplace. But his words left a deep impression on Tarum’s mind.
At that moment, in Uruk’s temples, the priests were watching the sky with growing concern. The unusual behavior of the stars signaled that something was changing in the realm of the gods. According to the priests’ understanding, these celestial alignments reflected cosmic balance. The fates of the gods, especially Enlil and Ninlil, were closely tied to this balance. Ever since Enlil had been banished to the underworld because of his love for Ninlil, turmoil had gripped the realm of the underworld gods. Ninlil’s intervention in the fabric of time hadn’t only saved Enlil; it had also shaken the balance of the universe. Perhaps the disordered stars in the sky were echoes of this disturbance.
However, most priests couldn’t fully grasp the deeper cosmic mysteries at play. Although the story of Ninlil’s sacrifice and her descent into the underworld to rescue Enlil was known among Sumer’s wisest, the priests struggled to understand how this event had rippled across the cosmos. Yet, the signs were undeniable. Day by day, the shifting stars and misaligned planets signaled the beginning of a new order in the divine world. But what kind of future would this new beginning bring?
Meanwhile, Tarum couldn’t let go of what the old man had told him. As he worked the clay, he began to wonder if the earth itself had a connection to the stars. Was it possible that the changes in the sky and the energy in the soil were linked? Tarum turned his gaze from his pottery stall toward the great temples outside the market. For generations, these temples had been built to align with the movements of the stars and planets. They weren’t just places of worship but cosmic energy hubs. Suddenly, Tarum felt as if the connection between the stars and the soil could be found within those very temples.
That night, Tarum had another dream. But this time, the old man didn’t appear. Instead, Ninlil herself came to him. Her face glowed with the light of the stars, and her lips whispered a silent song. This song seemed to reach out and touch the very threads of time itself. “The soil,” she whispered, “holds the secret of time.” Tarum awoke with a start. The old man’s words had fused with Ninlil’s song. The earth carried both the beginning and the end of the universe. This was a secret far beyond the understanding of a simple potter.
The next morning, before heading to the marketplace, Tarum found himself standing in front of the great temple. The massive pillars of the temple had been built to align with the heavens, guiding the energy of the stars into the earth. Tarum hesitated at the temple’s entrance until a priest noticed him. “Do you hear the call of the stars too?” the priest asked, seeing the uncertainty on Tarum’s face. Tarum nodded. The priest beckoned him inside, leading him to the temple’s most sacred chamber. There, the priest showed him ancient tablets covered in inscriptions: “The earth and the heavens are part of the same fabric. Sumer’s soil has carried the energy of the cosmos since the beginning of time.”
These words filled in the missing pieces for Tarum. The deep feelings he had while shaping clay, which he had never been able to explain, were now revealed as part of the universe’s energy. To touch the earth was to touch the stars. The old man had been right: the soil wasn’t just something to be shaped; it was a key that held the energy of time and the universe itself. But what door did this key unlock? Tarum didn’t yet know the answer, but one thing was certain: the balance of the universe was unraveling, and this unraveling would profoundly impact the future of Sumer.
As Tarum left the temple, the stars were still glowing uneasily in the sky. He recalled Ninlil’s whispered secret from his dream: “The soil holds the secret of time.” This secret explained the movements of the stars and planets but hinted at something much greater to come. Although the people of Sumer were aware of the celestial disorder, they hadn’t yet realized the full scope of the danger that lay ahead. Tarum was determined to uncover the truth, but little did he know, the unraveling of time wasn’t just a threat to Sumer—it was the beginning of a cosmic event that would change the entire universe.