Ancient people 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. At the same time, the personifications of the luminary among different peoples have a lot in common. It is not surprising - after all, 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 its children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The 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. A previously unknown suffering was found on the human tribe.
However, Ra did not allow all people to perish and continued to provide them with good deeds. Every morning he sets out on his boat on a voyage across the sky, bestowing light on the earth. At night, his path lies through the afterlife, in which God is awaited by his worst enemy - the huge serpent Apop. The monster wants to swallow the sun so that the world remains without light, but every time Ra defeats him.
In art, Ra was portrayed as a tall, slender man with a falcon's head. On his head he has a solar disk and an image of a snake.
Throughout Egyptian history, 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 began to identify with the latter.
- Amon is originally the god of the nocturnal heavenly space. The center of his worship was in the city of Thebes, and after the rise of this city in the era of the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC), the role of Amun also changed. He began to be worshiped as the sun god Amon-Ra.
- Aton - the sun god, the monotheistic cult of which Pharaoh Akhenaten tried to establish (XIV century BC)
Mesopotamia
In Ancient Mesopotamia, Shamash (Akkadian version), or Utu (as the Sumerian people called him) was considered the sun god. 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 began to be considered also as a just god-judge, establishing and protecting the rule of law.
Ancient Greece and Rome
The sun god in ancient Greece was Helios. He played a subordinate position in relation to the main deity of the Greek pantheon - Zeus. In ancient Rome, the god Sol corresponded to Helios.
According to legend, Helios lives in the east in magnificent palaces. Every morning the goddess of the dawn, Eos, opens the gates, and Helios rides out in his chariot, which is harnessed to four horses. Having passed through the entire sky, he hides in the west, changes into a golden boat and sails across the Ocean back to the east.
On his journey over the land, Helios sees all the deeds and actions of people and even the immortal gods. So, it was he who told Hephaestus about the betrayal of his wife Aphrodite.
The rich Greek mythology contains many stories associated with Helios. Perhaps the most famous is about his son Phaeton. The young man begged his father to allow him to drive through the sky once. But on the way, Phaethon did not cope with the horses: they rushed too close to the ground, and it caught fire. For this, Zeus struck Phaethon with his lightning.
In addition to Helios, in Ancient Greece, the god of light Apollo (Phoebus) was also the personification of the sun. In the Hellenistic period, the ancient Indo-Iranian god of light Mithra began to be identified with Helios and Phoebus.
India
In Hinduism, Surya is the sun god. It carries many functions, including:
- disperses the darkness and illuminates the world;
- supports the sky;
- acts as the "eye of the gods";
- heals the sick.;
- fights with Rahu - the demon of solar and lunar eclipses.
Like Helios, Surya rides across the sky in a chariot. But he has seven horses. In addition, he has a charioteer - Aruna, who is also considered the deity of the dawn. The goddess Ushas is called the wife of Surya.
As is typical for many ancient cults, Surya was associated with other solar deities. So, at the earliest stage in the development of Hinduism, Vivasvat was considered a solar deity. Then his image merged with Surya. In later centuries, Surya was identified with Mitra and Vishnu.
Ancient Slavs
Few sources have survived about the beliefs and myths of the Slavs, and very few ancient images of Slavic gods. Therefore, scientists have to collect Slavic mythology 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, the Eastern Slavs are called:
- Dazhdbog;
- Horse;
- Yarilo.
According to Russian chronicles, in the X century. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (the future Saint) ordered the installation of idols of Dazhdbog, Khors and other deities for worship. But what are the two sun gods in one pantheon for?
Some researchers believe that "Dazhdbog" and "Khors" are two names of the same deity. Others believe that they are two different gods, but related to each other. It is also possible that Khors is the personification of the sun itself, and Dazhdbog is the light. In any case, there remains a huge field for research.
In our time, they often write that Yarilo (or Yarila) was the Slavic god of the sun. 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 German-Scandinavian mythology, the sun personified the female deity - Salt (or Sunna). Her brother is Mani, the divine embodiment of the Moon. Salt, like Helios, travels across the sky and illuminates the earth. In addition, the god of fertility Frey is associated with sunlight.
Civilization of America
American Indians also practiced polytheistic religions. Naturally, among the many higher beings, the sun god was among the main ones.
- Tonatiu is the Aztec sun god, one of the central deities of the pantheon. His name is translated as "Sun". The cult of Tonatiu was extremely bloody. The Aztecs believed that the sun god should receive sacrifices every day, and without this he would die and would not illuminate the earth. It was also believed that it was nourished by the blood of the soldiers who died in the battle.
- Kinich-Ahau is the Mayan sun god. As with Tonatiu, he needed sacrifices.
- Inti - the sun god of the Incas, the progenitor of life. He was a very important, though not the main deity in the pantheon. The supreme rulers of the country were believed to be descended from Inti. Images of this deity in the form of a sun face are placed on the modern flags of Uruguay and Argentina.
