People of antiquity deified the forces of nature. And, as a rule, in pagan religions one of the central roles was occupied by the deity of the Sun. Moreover, the personifications of the luminary of different nations have much in common. No wonder - because the Sun is one for all.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, the sun god Ra was the supreme deity. The most revered gods of Egypt are his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Earthly rulers-pharaohs were also considered his descendants.
According to legend, Ra first reigned on earth, and that was the "Golden Age". But then people came out of obedience, because of which the sun god went to heaven. On a human tribe found previously unknown suffering.
However, Ra did not allow all people to die and continued to show them good deeds. Every morning, he sets off on his boat on a journey through the sky, endowing the earth with light. At night, his path lies through the afterlife, in which God awaits his worst enemy - the huge snake Apop. The monster wants to devour the sun so that the world is left without light, but each time Ra defeats him.
In art, Ra was portrayed as a tall slender man with the head of a falcon. On his head is a solar disk and an image of a snake.
Throughout the history of Egypt, Ra was not the only "solar" deity. There were also cults of the gods:
- Atum is an archaic god who was widely revered before the establishment of the cult of Ra. Then he became identified with the latter.
- Amon is originally the god of nightly celestial space. The center of worship for him was in Thebes, and after the rise of this city in the era of the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC), the role of Amon also changed. He began to be revered as the sun god Amon-Ra.
- Aton - the sun god, whose monotheistic cult tried to establish Pharaoh Akhenaten (XIV century BC)
Mesopotamia
In Ancient Mesopotamia, Shamash (Akkadian version), or Utu (as the people of the Sumerians called him) was considered the god of the sun. He was not the main deity of the Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon. He was considered the son or even the servant of the moon god Nanna (Sina).
Nevertheless, Shamash was highly revered, because it is he who gives people light and fertility - the earth. Over time, its importance in the local religion increased: Shamash was also considered as a just god-judge, establishing and protecting the rule of law.
Ancient Greece and Rome
The god of the sun in ancient Greece was Helios. He played a subordinate position in relation to the main deity of the Greek pantheon - Zeus. In ancient Rome, Helios corresponded to the god Sol.
According to legend, Helios lives in the east in magnificent halls. Every morning, the goddess of dawn, Eos, opens the gate, and Helios drives out in his chariot, which harnesses four horses. Having passed through the entire horizon, he hides in the west, transplanted into a golden boat and crosses the Ocean back to the east.
In his journey above the earth, Helios sees all the deeds and actions of people and even immortal gods. So, it was he who told Hephaestus about the betrayal of his wife Aphrodite.
Rich Greek mythology contains many stories related to Helios. Perhaps the most famous is about his son Phaeton. The young man begged his father to allow him to once travel through the sky. But on the way, the Phaeton could not cope with the horses: they rushed too close to the ground, and it caught fire. For this, Zeus struck Phaeton with his lightning.
In addition to Helios, in ancient Greece, the personification of the sun was also the god of light Apollo (Phoebus). In the Hellenistic period, the ancient Indo-Iranian god of light Miter began to be identified with Helios and Phoebus.
India
In Hinduism, the god of the sun is Surya. It has many functions, including:
- accelerates darkness and illuminates the world;
- supports the sky;
- acts as the "eye of the gods";
- heals the sick.;
- fighting Rahu - the demon of solar and lunar eclipses.
Like Helios, Surya drives around the horizon in a chariot. But he has seven horses. In addition, he has a charioteer - Aruna, who is also considered the deity of dawn. The wife of Surya is called the goddess Ushas.
As is characteristic of many ancient cults, Surya was associated with other solar deities. So, at the ancient stage of development of Hinduism, Vivasvat was considered a solar deity. Then his image merged with Surya. In later centuries, Surya was identified with Mithra and Vishnu.
Ancient Slavs
On the beliefs and myths of the Slavs, few sources have been preserved, very few ancient images of Slavic gods. Therefore, Slavic mythology, scientists have to collect bit by bit. And in popular literature, gaps in genuine knowledge are often filled with speculation.
The names of many deities in which the Slavs believed before the adoption of Christianity are known. But the functions of many of them are not entirely clear. As the personification of the sun among the Eastern Slavs are called:
- Dazhdbog;
- Horse;
- Yarilo.
According to Russian chronicles, in the X century. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (future Holy) ordered to establish idols for Dazhdbog, Khors and other deities for worship. But why are there two gods of the sun in one pantheon?
Some researchers believe that “Dazhdbog” and “Horse” are two names of the same deity. Others believe that these are two different gods, but connected with each other. It is also possible that Horse is the personification of the sun itself, and Dazhdbog is the light. In any case, there remains a huge field for research.
Nowadays, it is often written that the Slavic god of the sun was Yarilo (or Yarila). Images are also created - a sun-headed man or a young man with a beautiful radiant face. But, in fact, Yarilo is associated with fertility and to a lesser extent with the sun.
Germanic tribes
In Germanic-Scandinavian mythology, the sun personified a female deity - Salt (or Sunna). Her brother is Mani - the divine embodiment of the moon. Salt, like Helios, travels through the sky and illuminates the earth. In addition, the god of fertility Freyr is also associated with sunlight.
