Kawatche Glyphs

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The Kawatche Caves

In Season 2's "Skinwalkers," Clark discovered the Kawatche caves... A place visited by his ancestors over five centuries ago. The caves, most importantly, contain an intricate high-tech storage system holding precious Kryptonian knowledge. By inserting his octagonal key into a keyhole in the cave wall, Clark can communicate with his biological father Jor-El. The cave walls opened to absorb Clark into the Phantom Zone between Seasons 3 and 4 so Clark could be "reborn" as Kal-El and begin searching for the Elements of Season 4. Inside a secret chamber lies the stone altar on which the Elements were placed. Once united on this altar, the Elements triggered a new portal to open in the caves that transports Clark to his Fortress of Solitude in the arctic. However, as impressive as all of these functions are, it is important not to forget the stories told by the paintings adorning the cave walls.

Five hundred years ago, a Native American tribe was visited by a Kryptonian. Why he chose to reveal himself and his powers to the Kawatche people-- and why he chose the tribal lands that would someday become part of Smallville, KS to be the site of a repository of Kryptonian information-- remains a mystery. However, this visitor made an impression on the Kawatches and became a major part of their tribal heritage. The Kawatches painted glyphs on the cave walls to commemorate their encounter with the man from the stars, and Clark learned of this legend through conversations with the Kawatche tribe members Kyla and Joseph in "Skinwalker." The Kawatche legend was explored in more depth in Season 3's "Talisman."

The Legend of Naman

While motocrossing with Pete, Clark's bike broke through apparently weak earth, and he tumbled hundreds of feet down into what turned out to be an unknown area of the Kawatche caves. Kyla, who happened to be in the caves doing research for her father, the tribe's leader, heard the commotion Clark caused and came over to tend to his injuries. After she realized he was fine, Kyla and Clark looked at the cave walls together. The walls were adorned with paintings and strange symbols that Clark recognized to be Kryptonian, although Clark was unaware of how to read Kryptonian until Season 2's "Rosetta."

Kyla:

Oh my God... It's the legend of Naman. My ancestors have passed down this story for generations. They said it had been written in the earth long ago, but nobody ever knew where it was... Until now... It was prophesied that Naman would fall from the skies in a rain of fire. They say that Naman will have the strength of ten men and will be able to start fires with his eyes.

An enamored Clark later invited Kyla and her father, Joseph Willowbrook, over for dinner to find out more about Naman and the symbols.

Joseph:	According to the legend, a man came from the stars and fell in love with the mother of our people. Out of that forbidden affair, the Kawatche people were born.
Clark:	Do you know which star he came from?
Joseph:	The legend only tells us that he left one day and flew back into the sky, promising he would send another.
Jonathan:	And that'd be this Naman person you've been talking about, right?
Joseph:	Yes. Of course, that was 500 years ago. He's a little late...
Clark:	These symbols... They seem to make up some sort of alphabet.
Kyla:	That's the really weird part.
Joseph:	Our people don't have a written language. I've seen a symbol here or there on artifacts, but never in a pattern before...

Kyla told Clark she believed he was Naman; she could find no other explanation for how he survived the fall into the caves without a scratch and how he miraculously saved her from falling off a ledge in the caves while being smashed overhead from a gigantic falling boulder. In Clark's loft, the two looked at the stars while discussing Naman yet again.

Clark:	So these legends... You don't think that they're like Venus and Apollo and all the other myths?
Kyla:	Just 'cause something's a myth doesn't make it not true. [Pointing at the stars through the window of Clark's loft] Do you see the bright one right there? If you follow the stars around it, it makes the shape of a wolf's head. See how one of the eyes is missing? Our ancestors say there used to be a star there, and that's where Naman came from.
Clark:	What happened to it?
Kyla:	You tell me... You're the one that fell from the sky.

Kyla gave Clark more useful information about Naman later on during "Skinwalker," informing Clark that the glyphs promise "one day, Naman will protect the entire world." She also told Clark about her tribe name, which means "Skinwalkers." "The visitor from the stars supposedly brought special green stones, and they had really strange effects on the people. That's when they said the first skinwalkers appeared." At first glance, the "special green stones" sound like kryptonite, but kryptonite was not created until the planet Krypton exploded. Also, kryptonite is toxic to Kryptonians, so it is highly unlikely "the visitor from the stars" would have been carrying a substance lethal to him during interstellar travel. But there have been other instances of ancient kryptonite appearing seemingly anachronistically. KSite's Eh,Man?You-El has a theory to explain this apparent inconsistency. At any rate, the legend of Naman wasn't all good news for Clark...

Naman and Sageeth

Clark first learned of Naman's archenemy, Sageeth, during "Skinwalker." While pointing to the distinctive glyph of what seems to be a two-headed monster, Kyla explained, "It's Sageeth. He's like a brother to Naman. Legend has it one day, he'll turn against Naman, and together, they'll be the balance between good and evil." Clark learned much more about Naman and Sageeth in Season 3's "Talisman," when LuthorCorp uncovered a Kawatche artifact intimately involved in the Naman/Sageeth legend.

Clark:	It's called Palak, the star blade. It's been missing for 500 years.
Jonathan:	Until Lionel Luthor unearthed it.
Clark:	It's supposed to shine a light on the true Sageeth so Naman can identify and destroy his greatest enemy.
Jonathan:	And Willowbrook came to you because he thinks you are Naman?
Clark:	Dad, you should have seen the way he looked at me. It was kind of overwhelming.
Jonathan:	Well, Clark, he thinks you're the savior of his people. That's a lot to shoulder, even-- Even for you.
Clark:	Yeah, but I'm not. I mean, I can barely take care of myself.
Jonathan:	Sit down. You can't allow yourself to get all tied up in prophecies written on a cave wall.
Clark:	Except some of the prophecies are starting to come true... One of Willowbrook's students somehow got a hold of the blade, and it's given him powers.
Jonathan:	What exactly are we talking about here, Clark?
Clark:	So far, strength, speed, and he's bulletproof.
Jonathan:	How is that possible?
Clark:	The Kawatche were charged with the blade's safekeeping. If one of them is holding it, they're given the power to protect it... Until they can deliver it to the true Naman.
Jonathan:	Clark... I had your abilities only for a short time, but believe me, having all that power was very intoxicating.
Clark:	You don't think Jeremiah's going to give it back...
Jonathan:	No... Clark, you've got to find him and stop him before Lionel Luthor gets a hold of it.

Lex and Lionel were, unsurprisingly, fixated on possessing Palak and eager to recover it from Jeremiah. Lionel explained to Clark that he believed the "star blade is forged from the same metal as the octagonal key" and hoped to melt it down to make a new key for the caves. Lex described his desire to get his hands on the blade to Clark, saying, "According to the legend of Naman and Sageeth, this missing artifact bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it." Playing down the power of the artifact, Clark answered, "You don't really believe that...?" In true Luthor fashion, Lex responded, "I like to keep my mind open to extreme possibilities." Lionel went to Joseph Willowbrook in hopes of persuading the tribal leader to make Jeremiah give Palak back to LuthorCorp. Instead, he just had another conversation about Palak and Sageeth.

Lionel:	You and I both saw what Jeremiah did in the cave. I've suspected for some time that there are special human beings who are capable of feats like that. Now I know I'm right.
Joseph:	If you've read my work, then you also know that the blade will crumble if the wrong person touches it.
Lionel:	Yes... Sageeth. Who is he?
Joseph:	According to legend, he's the bearer of darkness.

Two great conversations between the Kents frame the major action scene of "Talisman." Before all of the action went down, Clark and his parents discussed Clark's place in life with respect to the Kawatche legend as well as the possible identity of Sageeth.

Martha:	I remember when you first learned about all of this from Kyla. She said Sageeth was supposed to start out as one of the good guys.
Clark:	But the prophecy isn't written down. It's part of an oral tradition, so it's open to a million different interpretations.
Martha:	What's your interpretation?
Clark:	I don't know. Prof Willowbrook thinks that I'm Naman... And Jor-El wants me to be some sort of Kryptonian warrior, but... I just want to be Clark Kent.

Clark confronted Jeremiah and defeated him in battle, wresting the star blade from his grasp and sending it flying. Clark watched from a hidden vantage point as it landed between Lionel and Lex. In the following conversation between Clark and his parents, Clark describes Palak's final moments of existence as well as what the whole incident means for him.

Clark:	The prophecy came true. The blade glowed and then disintegrated when they touched it, which means either Lionel or Lex is my greatest enemy.
Martha:	Did you see which one grabbed it first?
Clark:	No, but I don't need a blade to tell me that Lionel Luthor's a bad person.
Martha:	If you're going to believe this legend, you have to face the possibility that it could be Lex.
Clark:	I'm not ready to do that.
Jonathan:	Clark, the Kawatche think that you're a savior. Jor-El wants you to be a conqueror. Now, knife or not, you can't let other people tell you what to be.
Clark:	Who do you think I'll become?
Jonathan:	I don't know. You could be the world's greatest hero... Or its most mild-mannered citizen, but... The only person who can write your story is you.

Finally, the last dialogue about Naman and Sageeth, an excellent bit of foreshadowing, was between Lex and Clark in "Talisman" as the two future adversaries stood in Clark's loft amongst a collection of books on Naman, Sageeth, and the Kawatche caves and people.

Lex:	You know, I've been thinking a lot about this prophecy, and I've got a new interpretation. Want to hear it?
Clark:	Sure.
Lex:	May I? [Picks up a book with its pages open to the glyph of Naman and Sageeth] This Naman guy is supposed to come from the stars, have the power of ten men, and shoot fire from his eyes, right?
Clark:	It's just an allegory, Lex.
Lex:	I know. But if one person could do all that, he would be a formidable enemy. He could conquer the world. He could become a tyrant if nobody kept him in check. So I've been thinking, anybody who'd be willing to fight him would have to be pretty brave. Clark... Did it ever occur to you that maybe the hero of the story is Sageeth?