The Sumerian Black Sun

The Sumerians had a seven day week with the first day dedicated to the Sun and last day dedicated to what they referred to as the Black Sun, which is generally believed to have been the planet Saturn.

The Black Sun was only visible during the night, and was described as a ring of light. This fits well with Saturn, as does the fact that our current calendar has Saturn’s day, known to us as Saturday, six days after Sunday. However, the Black Sun was said to be larger than the Sun. It was also associated with evil. There was presumably something foreboding about it. That doesn’t fit so well with a distant planet associated with wealth and agriculture.

It appears then that the Sumerians observed something in the skies that we rarely or never see nowadays, and this phenomenon may have had some connection to Saturn. When the original phenomenon faded, the secondary effect was brought forward, and we ended up replacing the Black Sun with Saturn in our calendars and myths.

I am of course speculating wildly at this point but there is a phenomenon that fits the bill, and that is the northern lights. This phenomenon is only visible close to our planet’s poles these days, but it may have been visible farther to the south in Sumerian times if the Sun was more active back then.

The Sumerians may have noticed a connection between intense northern lights and bad weather, and hence deemed it evil. They may also have noticed some connection between northern lights and the luminosity of Saturn and its rings, and hence made a connection between the Black Sun and Saturn.

While I’m far from certain when it comes to any connection between solar flaring and the luminosity of Saturn, there is a proven connection between cosmic radiation and cloud formation. If we get a prolonged period with above normal radiation of our planet, we’ll get more clouds, colder weather and harsher weather. The intensity of the Black Sun would therefore function as a climate forecasting tool for the Sumerians. Should the Black Sun shine bright for many days in a row, bad weather could be expected.