Besokian Cosmogony (text)

The Besokian Cosmogony, also referred to, after the last words of its opening line, as the Hêrûn hâm Hôrenod (‘light and darkness’), is an ancient text from among the Nishûnâc stone carvings, possibly the oldest surviving inscription at the site. It is one of only two extant sources for the Proto-Besokian language (beside the Old Besokian World Map) and chronicles the Besokian creation myth.

Overview

The text was found in a smaller room appended to the Mule’s Chamber, presumed the oldest part of the underground complex at Nishûnâc. It is written in the Besokian abugida, carved in the bare rockface in boustrophedon, starting right-to-left. There are no separators between words, but sentences are separated by vertical lines, as was later adopted into the Olgish, Aribelian, Reknayan, and Iilish writing systems, among others. Paragraphs are marked by line breaks; new lines consistently break the boustrophedon, beginning again to the right.

The carving’s dating is uncertain but likely to lie between 3000 and 2800 B.E.B., making it the earliest extant writing at Nishûnâc, the first known use of the Besokian abugida, and the oldest evidence of the Besokian languages, one of only two texts attesting Proto-Besokian, the other being the, much younger, Old Besokian World Map, the linguistic status of which is uncertain.

Text and translation

The original inscription, in the Besokian abugida, can be transliterated as follows (a full stop separating glyphs, a pipe indicating the Besokian sentence separator):

F.ÊG.ÛR.EN.N.ÛM.EN.ÛC.T.Ô.T.ÛR.ÎN.K.Ô.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN.H.ÂM.SH.Ê.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN.H.ÊR.ÛN.H.ÂM.H.ÔR.EN.OD|K.IT.IC.K.ÂM.ÂR.OD.ÎR.ÎN.B.EL.ÛN.ÎN|D.ÛN.SH.Ê.T.Û.M.ÊN.ÛR.ÛR.EN.ÂN.ÎN.T.Î.SH.Ê.H.ÔR.G.UL.M.ÊN.ÛR.Û.S.EN.SH.ÂW.EN.ÎR.K.ÛR.ÎM.ÎN.T.Î.SH.ÊN.ÛR.ISH.M.ÊN.ÛR.Û.N.ÛR.ISH.ÎN.T.Î.SH.Ê.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN|D.ÛN.K.Ô.N.ÔW.ÎS.H.ÂM.K.Ô.D.ÂL.ON.M.ÊN.ÛR.Û.K.ÂM.OC.ÎN.T.Î.K.Ô.H.ÊR.ÛN.M.ÊN.ÛR.Û.H.ÎR.ÛN.ISH.ÎN.T.Î.K.Ô.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN|S.ÛR.M.EN.ÊR.ÂSH.ET.ÎN.ÎR.H.ÎR.ÛN.ISH.M.AN.ÂR.ISH.EN.T.Ê.SH.Ê.N.ÛR.ISH|T.ÔN.OC.S.EN.T.Ê.H.ÊN.ÎN.T.Ô.K.ÔN.ÔW.ÎS.H.ÂM.K.Ô.D.ÂL.ON|D.ÎL.S.ÎR.ISH.ÎN|T.ESH.OC.K.ÂM.ÂR.OD.Ê.T.ÛN.ÛSH.ET.OR.ÎN|EN.ÂC.T.ÛN.ISH.F.ÊG.ÛN.N.ÔW.ÎS.ÎN|M.E.H.ÊR.ÂM.EN.K.ÂM.ÛR.EN.H.ÔR.ÂM.ÎN|R.ÔT.ÛC.F.ÊG.ÛN.ÂK.E.T.ÛL.ÛR.EN.ÎN|M.ÊN.ÛR.Û.K.ÂM.ÂR.OD.ÎN|H.AM.ÎN.OK.E.R.ÛT.ÛK.ESH.T.E.H.ÂR.ÛN.EN.Î.M.IT.ÎR.ISH.OR.T.Ê.R.ÔT.ÛK.ÊSH|T.ÛN.ISH.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN.Î.SH.ÂW.EN.S.ÂM.B.EL.ÛN.I.M.ÊN.ÛR.Û|D.ÂL.ON.M.ÎN.OK.Î.M.ÛN.ÂSH.ET.H.ÂL.ÂR.EN.ÎN.T.Â.F.ÊG.ÛR.EN|H.AM.ÎN.OK.E.R.ÛT.ÛK.ESH.T.E.H.ÂR.ÛN.EN.Î.M.IT.ÎR.ISH.OR.T.Ê.F.ÊG.ÛN.ÂC|T.ÛN.ISH.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.K.ÊL.ÎR.K.Ô.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.H.ÂM.SH.Ê.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.K.Ô.N.ÔW.ÎS.H.ÂM.K.Ô.D.ÂL.ON|H.AT.ÂN.ISH.OR.N.ISH.UN.ÂC.ÎN|EN.ÂC.T.ÛN.ISH.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.K.ÊL.ÎR.K.ÔK.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.H.ÂM.SH.Ê.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.H.ÊR.ÛN.ÎN|H.AT.ÂN.ISH.OR.N.ÔR.ASH.ET.ÎN|EN.ÂCT.ÛN.ISH.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.K.ÊL.ÎR.K.ÔK.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.H.ÂM.SH.Ê.K.ÂL.ÂN.ÂK.Î.B.EL.ÛN.I.N.ÔW.ÎS.ÎN|D.ÛN.T.EK.ÎM.ÛR.EN.ÎR.ÊT.INH.ÂR.UN.IN|N.ÛR.D.ÛN.K.Ô.H.ÛN.ÂSH.ET.H.ÂM.SH.Ê.K.ÂM.ÛR.EN.ÎR.K.Ô.R.ÛT.ÛK.IN.ÎR.K.Ô.S.ÛSH.OC.ÎR.K.Ô.H.ÛN.ON.ÎN|EN.ÂC.T.ÛN.ÎM.IN.T.E.H.ÎR.ÛN.ÊN.T.Ô.ÊT.IN

This has been interpreted as a text along the lines of the following, translation given below:

Fêgûren nûmenûc tô tûrîn Kôfêgûren hâm Shêfêgûren hêrûn hâm hôrenod. Kitic kâmârod îr-în belûn[i] în: Dûn Shêtû mênûr[û] ûrenân în tî Shêhôrgul mênûrû Sen-shâwen îr-kûrîm în tî Shênûrish mênûrû nûrish în tî Shêfêgûren. Dûn Kônôwîs hâm Kôdâlon mênûrû kâmoc în tî Kôhêrûn mênûrû hîrûnish în tî Kôfêgûren. Sûr menêrâshetîn îr-hîrûnish Manârishen tê Shênûrish. Tônoc Sen tê hên în tô Kônôwîs hâm Kôdâlon. Dîl sîrish în. Teshoc Kâmârod ê-Tûnûshetor în. Enâc tûnish fêgûn nôwîs în. Mehêrâmen kâmûren hôrâm în. Rôtûc fêgûnâk-e-tûlûren în. Mênûrû kâmârod în. Hamînok-e-rûtûkesh tehârûnen î-mitîrishor tê rôtûkêsh. Tûnish fêgûren î-shâwen-sâm-belûni mênûrû. Dâlon mînok î-mûnâshet hâlâren în tâ fêgûren. Hamînok-e-rûtûkesh tehârûnen î-mitîrishor tê fêgûnâc. Tûnish kâlânâc î-kêlîr kôkâlânâc î-belûni hâm shêkâlânâc î-belûni Kônôwîs hâm Kôdâlon. Hatânishor Nishunâc în. Enâc tûnish kâlânâc î-kêlîr kôkâlânâc î-belûni hâm shêkâlânâc î-belûni hêrûn în. Hatânishor Nôrashet în. Enâc tûnish kâlânâc î-kêlîr kôkâlânâc î-belûni hâm shêkâlânâc î-belûni nôwîs în. Dûn tekîmûren îr-êtin hârunin. Nûr dûn kôhûnâshet hâm shêkâmûren îr-Kôrûtûkin îr-Kôsûshoc îr-Kôhûnon în. Enâc tûnîmin tehîrûnên tô êtin.

‘In the beginning, there were two [beings], Kôfêgûren and Shêfêgûren, light and darkness. They divided their souls into three [parts]: Shêfêguren became Shêtû, [who] created the sea, Shêhôrgul, [who] created Sen, the first of the mountains, [and] Shênûrish, [who] created fire. Kôfêgûren became Kônôwîs and Kôdâlon, [who] created fate, [and] Kôhêrûn, [who] created the torch [of the sun]. To light the torch, Shênûrish [went] to Manârishen. Kônôwîs and Kôdâlon sat on the Sen until it was done. Then they came down. They went to Kâmârod in the west. There, they set the grass into the earth. They spread the seed in the wind. They planted a hawthorn bush. They created life. The following day, the bush was bearing fruits. The deities shaped 13 creatures [from them]. The creatures roamed [?] all countries to protect [them]. The following day, the bush was bearing fruits. Kônôwîs and Kôdâlon shaped six humans [from them], three women and three men. They went to Nishûnâc. There, they formed six humans, three women and three men, from light. They went to Nôrashet. There, they formed six humans, three women and three men, from earth. The light-human are our ancestors. Also, they are mothers and fathers of the Kôrûtûkin, the Kôsûshoc, [and] the Kôhûnon. Here, we still live today.’