Legend of the Hidden Temple
"Are we there yet?" Luke sighed.
"Be patient Luke, we are not that far away," Padmé told him. "Look there," she pointed, "we can see it now." Padmé, her children and her husband walked the shrouded path hand in hand.
"Why is it called the Temple of Terra, Mommy?" Leia asked.
"It was built to honor the Goddess Terra."
As they entered the temple Padmé heard her children and even Anakin gasp. It was an ancient, large, octagonal structure built out of rock. Each wall told the story through relief carvings adorned with jewels. Ivy plants curled up the walls and up through the opening of the domed ceiling. The sun shone through and reflected off the jewels casting light beams all around.
"It's beautiful," Leia beamed.
Anakin whistled. "Impressive. How long ago was this built?"
"About a few millennia. Give or take a century or two." Padmé answered. "The Holy Order works to preserve the structure. Sometimes stones and jewels have to be replaced and the crevices of the carvings need to be cleaned yearly."
Luke let go of his father's hand and ran to the wall. He looked up at the carving of a god offering a goddess a piece of shiny, golden fruit. "What's the story?"
Padmé guided her son to the opposite wall. "The story starts here." She pointed up to the highest relief that showed the image of a goddess with her son. "She is the Goddess of All, Své. Her son is the God of the Sky, Taevas. He rules over the stars, the planets, and the moons."
Anakin took Leia in his arms and moved to stand next to Padmé. They all looked up, squinting and shielding their eyes from the glow of the sun and the jewels' reflecting light. Padmé pointed to the story below the top most relief. The goddess was shown meditating. "Své foresaw that a group of humans, forced to leave their planet, were going to roam the galaxy seeking refuge. She would give them the planet of Naboo to make their home, but first it had to be prepared. She gave that task to her son, Taevas, and the Goddess of Water, Ilma.
"You see Naboo was once covered completely in water -"
Luke looked up at his mother in awe. "The entire planet was covered in water? Like Kamino?"
"Yes, only it didn't rain all the time. The Gungans lived in cities deep below the surface. Ilma, with the Gungans' permission, separated the waters to reveal lands the humans could inhabit. Taevas created the moons to circle Naboo to keep a pull on the waters."
"The moons control the tides," Leia said.
"That's right."
Leia pointed to the next one. The people were not adorned with jewels but had a dusty copper finish. 'What's happening there? They're not shiny like the rest. Are those the refugees?"
"Yes. When the refugees arrived they were relieved to find a place to make their new home but their happiness was short lived. The land was barren. All the sea plants left behind could not thrive out of water. They dried and withered in the sun. Any plants they brought with them from their previous home could not grow under Naboo's climate.
"But there was one woman, Terra, who insisted they stay. She found a single sea plant barely alive. She nurtured it and it learned to adapt. It grew into a whole garden. The refugees could now stay on Naboo and survive."
They now all looked at the relief at eye level. Terra was covered in rainbow colored jewels that resembled flowers. "Své was so impressed with Terra's strength, persistence and gift with growing life she made her into an immortal. She became the Goddess of Flora. Terra left her family and embraced her new role, promising her people they would never go hungry."
Padmé guided them to the next wall and again they looked up, shielding the blinding light from their eyes. "Terra was introduced into the Eternal Land. Now Taevas, do you remember who he is?"
The twins did, "The God of the Sky."
"Yes, Taevas upon seeing Terra for the first time fell madly in love with her." They looked at Taevas' image jeweled in colors of adoration and affection.
"Quite a pair, heaven and earth," Anakin said softly.
"They are, but first he had to win her heart." Padmé pointed further down, "Taevas gave Terra a gift. He moved stars around to create a constellation as a gift to her. During the winter months you can see that constellation in the sky. That is why they built the dome with an opening, so you can see it when you stand in this spot."
"Did it work?" Luke asked.
"Terra was flattered but told him the stars were not hers to own. Taevas walked away disappointed but determined to win her love. He knew she was right; the stars were not hers to own. After all he was the God of the Sky, she was the Goddess of Flora. Then he got an idea."
Padmé stepped over to the next wall and her family followed her. The relief showed a storm of golden jewels streaking through the heavens crashing onto Naboo, commanded by Taevas' will. "When he came back he told Terra he had something to show her. He called the comets to rain on Naboo. The stardust mixed with the soil. Then he commanded it to rain. Out of the earth sprouted a tree."
Anakin and the twins followed Padmé to the next wall, the one Luke had mistaken as the first relief. Padmé continued, "From the tree grew shuura fruit. Terra accepted the gift, for it was made from both the sky and the ground, and she had fallen in love with Taevas."
Padmé picked Luke up in her arms and looked at all three of them. "You all should see the garden. It's unlike anything you have ever seen because it is the ground where Terra grew that first plant."
They walked out of the temple through the back exit and into the Garden of Terra, where life flourished with hundreds of different plants, flowers and fruits of all colors, sizes and heights.
Leia and Luke urged to be put down and ran through the path. Anakin took Padmé's hand and they slowly strolled behind their children. They would soon catch up. Upon passing a tree, Anakin picked off two shuuras. He offered one to Padmé. She smiled and blushed as she took a bite.
-End-
From Google translate:
Terra is Italian for 'land'
Sve is Croatian for 'all'
Taevas is Estonian for 'sky'
Ilma is Maltese for 'water'