that’s a possibility,” agreed the superintendent.
“What else have you got?”
“The drawings were done with the victim’s blood, drained
from the veins in his wrist. After the swastika was carved he was stabbed in
the chest. That’s what finished him off. We’re pretty sure this was done by a
group of people.”
James bent over the carpet and began to examine the symbols
smeared into it. The blood had coagulated into a muddy brown and the
lines contrasted with the beige carpet. “This is strange,” he said, bending
lower to the floor.
“What’s that?” asked the superintendent.
“This symbol just below his left arm resembles a Sumerian
cuneiform. When pronounced, it sounds like ‘dingir’.”
The superintendent looked puzzled. “So you understand what’s
written here?”
“I’m not an expert but … This particular symbol could have
been used here as determinative. It stands for god, respectively goddess, in
Sumerian.”
“In that case, I’d like you to see something else.” The
superintendent turned to wave towards a young man with tangled hair working on
the crime scene. “McClain, would you show us that piece of paper?”
McClain opened a silver-coloured metal suitcase, which
rested against the wall, and took out a transparent envelope containing a small
sheet of white paper with something written on it. “We found this rolled into a
scroll. It had been inserted into Costov’s mouth.” He handed the envelope to
James.
James looked at the writing. “This is definitely Sumerian
cuneiform writing. Judging by the shape of the cuneiform signs, it’s the style
used in the early Sumerian period,” he said and returned the evidence.
“So we may be dealing with religious maniacs who have found
inspiration in the culture of the Sumerians?” guessed the superintendent.
“Well, there are some contemporary cults in existence that
do worship old Sumerian divinities.”
“OK. We assume that this crime was carried out by a cult
worshipping Sumerian gods. Any clue you can give now in that direction would be
very helpful,” said the superintendent.
Taking care not to tread on the bloody symbols, James
approached the body and began a careful examination. “What we see here are two
horned serpents. Together with the ‘dingir’ sign, they most probably refer to
the god Ningishzida. He was an underworld god in Sumerian mythology.”
“Hold on for a second,” the superintendent interrupted. He
retrieved a pen and a small notebook from his pocket to write down what James
was saying.
James continued. “Two serpents close to each other in an
upright position are regarded as being Ningishzida’s sacred symbol. In fact,
there have been archaeological findings where he’s depicted with two upright
snakes coming out of his shoulders.”
“So could it be that this murder may have been an act of
human sacrifice? I’m wondering if it’s possible that Costov was a victim not
because of his job as a scientist or because of the research he was doing.
Another reason, perhaps?”
“Ningishzida was not associated with human sacrifices.
Actually, he’s not a negative mythological figure in spite of his status as an
underworld god. His name can be translated as ‘god of the tree of life’. Some
authors consider him a patron of occult wisdom.”
“The cult worshipers may have wanted to extract some form of
power or knowledge from the god. In exchange, they sacrificed the life of
Stefan Costov. This is just rough assumption.” The superintendent did not want
to give up on his idea completely.
James grimaced to show his scepticism. “That wouldn’t be my
hypothesis.”
“Have you got any other ideas?”
James shrugged his shoulders. “I can try. The symbols here
depict an ongoing process. It may be that there’s a plan for a radical change.
That cult believes it would lead people to the ‘right way’. And the cult would
implement this change.”
“Wow, you know all this just by
“What else have you got?”
“The drawings were done with the victim’s blood, drained
from the veins in his wrist. After the swastika was carved he was stabbed in
the chest. That’s what finished him off. We’re pretty sure this was done by a
group of people.”
James bent over the carpet and began to examine the symbols
smeared into it. The blood had coagulated into a muddy brown and the
lines contrasted with the beige carpet. “This is strange,” he said, bending
lower to the floor.
“What’s that?” asked the superintendent.
“This symbol just below his left arm resembles a Sumerian
cuneiform. When pronounced, it sounds like ‘dingir’.”
The superintendent looked puzzled. “So you understand what’s
written here?”
“I’m not an expert but … This particular symbol could have
been used here as determinative. It stands for god, respectively goddess, in
Sumerian.”
“In that case, I’d like you to see something else.” The
superintendent turned to wave towards a young man with tangled hair working on
the crime scene. “McClain, would you show us that piece of paper?”
McClain opened a silver-coloured metal suitcase, which
rested against the wall, and took out a transparent envelope containing a small
sheet of white paper with something written on it. “We found this rolled into a
scroll. It had been inserted into Costov’s mouth.” He handed the envelope to
James.
James looked at the writing. “This is definitely Sumerian
cuneiform writing. Judging by the shape of the cuneiform signs, it’s the style
used in the early Sumerian period,” he said and returned the evidence.
“So we may be dealing with religious maniacs who have found
inspiration in the culture of the Sumerians?” guessed the superintendent.
“Well, there are some contemporary cults in existence that
do worship old Sumerian divinities.”
“OK. We assume that this crime was carried out by a cult
worshipping Sumerian gods. Any clue you can give now in that direction would be
very helpful,” said the superintendent.
Taking care not to tread on the bloody symbols, James
approached the body and began a careful examination. “What we see here are two
horned serpents. Together with the ‘dingir’ sign, they most probably refer to
the god Ningishzida. He was an underworld god in Sumerian mythology.”
“Hold on for a second,” the superintendent interrupted. He
retrieved a pen and a small notebook from his pocket to write down what James
was saying.
James continued. “Two serpents close to each other in an
upright position are regarded as being Ningishzida’s sacred symbol. In fact,
there have been archaeological findings where he’s depicted with two upright
snakes coming out of his shoulders.”
“So could it be that this murder may have been an act of
human sacrifice? I’m wondering if it’s possible that Costov was a victim not
because of his job as a scientist or because of the research he was doing.
Another reason, perhaps?”
“Ningishzida was not associated with human sacrifices.
Actually, he’s not a negative mythological figure in spite of his status as an
underworld god. His name can be translated as ‘god of the tree of life’. Some
authors consider him a patron of occult wisdom.”
“The cult worshipers may have wanted to extract some form of
power or knowledge from the god. In exchange, they sacrificed the life of
Stefan Costov. This is just rough assumption.” The superintendent did not want
to give up on his idea completely.
James grimaced to show his scepticism. “That wouldn’t be my
hypothesis.”
“Have you got any other ideas?”
James shrugged his shoulders. “I can try. The symbols here
depict an ongoing process. It may be that there’s a plan for a radical change.
That cult believes it would lead people to the ‘right way’. And the cult would
implement this change.”
“Wow, you know all this just by
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