In the old days, the Bushmen imagined that the Sun was not always high in the sky. Instead, it was thought of as a small, living presence that stayed close to the Earth. Its light was weak and unreliable. Sometimes one area would be bright while another remained dark. People never knew when daylight would come or how long it would last. There was no clear morning or evening, and life followed no steady rhythm.
At that time, the world felt unstable and difficult to understand. Darkness was not seen as something evil, but it brought fear and danger because people relied on light to hunt, find water, protect themselves from wild animals, and move safely across the land. When sunlight appeared without warning and disappeared just as suddenly, survival became uncertain and daily life fell into confusion. As people lived through this disorder, they slowly realized a deeper truth. Light was never meant to stay in one place or belong to a single being. If the Sun remained low and its light scattered, the world would stay unbalanced. For life to exist in harmony, sunlight had to travel freely across the sky, reaching all living things in a steady and predictable way.
To explain this idea, the Bushmen imagined a powerful but simple act. The people lifted the Sun from the ground and placed it high above the Earth. From there, it could move across the sky each day, spreading its light evenly over the land.
Once the Sun was placed in its proper position, everything changed. Day and night began to follow a clear pattern. Mornings brought light, evenings brought rest. Plants grew according to the Sun’s cycle, animals moved along familiar paths, and people could plan their lives with greater confidence. Light no longer appeared by accident. It arrived each morning and faded each night in a steady, reliable way.
The Bushmen never meant this legend to be taken as a literal event. They knew the Sun was not truly a living creature. By imagining it that way, however, they made its role in the world easier to understand. The story explains how order comes from balance, and why natural forces must be respected rather than controlled.
The deeper message of the legend is clear. When something as powerful as sunlight is treated as a personal possession, the world suffers. When it is shared and allowed to follow its natural course, life becomes possible. Through this story, the Bushmen taught that humans do not rule nature. They live within it, guided by its rhythms and dependent on its balance.
By blending storytelling with observation, The Sun helped future generations learn to respect the natural world, accept its patterns, and understand their place within it.