Sun Mythology

Most ancient cultures focused their religious/mythic beliefs on deities derived from the sun. The reasons for this are logical enough. The sun is the provider of light and fosters agricultural growth. Agriculture, in turn, was the foundation of most ancient cultures physical and economic success. The sun's omnipresence also contributed to its role as a deity, as it was the natural entity most prominent in the daily cycle.

The ancient Sumerians provide us with one of the earliest documented cultures of sun worship. Shamash, the Sumerian sun god, was their most important deity. Enthroned in the sky, he was all seeing, all knowing, and the arbiter of justice. Each day Shamash was dragged to his throne, and by sunset would return to the underworld for rest. Living some 3,000 years ago in what is modern day Iraq, elements of the Sumerian's understanding of the sun's religious importance has materialized in various ways in almost every major global culture since.

The Aztec, an ancient culture indigenous to Mexico, worshipped two different Sun Gods, Tonatiuh and Huitzilopochtli. In the Aztec culture these God were considered fierce warriors, their rays of light were darts piercing the atmosphere. The Aztec were a warrior culture, the conquest integral to their society. Consequently the happiness of both Gods was vital to Aztec success. Reinforcing this necessity was the position both Tonatiuh and Huitzilopochtli played in the harvest. To appease and honor these Gods the Aztec constructed a special alter from which they would sacrifice slaves and captives. The Aztec of Central Mexico believed a similar practice was committed on Tonatiuh each night. As the day wore thin, and he grew tired, Tonatiuh was captured by the Evening Star and sacrificed. At dawn he would rise again, shrouded by the spirits of deceased soldiers and those who had been sacrificed in his honor. At this moment he was manifested briefly, as a jeweled prince.

The Egyptian Sun God Ra's existence was less violent, but no less eventful. Loosely translated Ra means creator. Ra was born from an egg, which appeared out of the waters that would become the Nile River. Ra's grandchildren were the earth and stars, and he created humans from his tears. The Egyptian people considered Ra the leader of the other cosmic gods, and the Pharaohs claimed their lineage from his spawn. The Egyptians believed the sun's course during the day was a journey made by Ra. In the morning he departed Manu, the hill of sunrise, and traveled across the celestial in a boat, madjet. The journey one makes in a lifetime Ra made each day. In the morning, when the sun was low and the earth cool, he was a boy. In mid-afternoon, at the peak of heat, he was at the height of maturity. As the sun sank so did Ra's vitality, and by night he had expired, to rise again at dawn and repeat the journey. On his voyage Ra traveled through the 12 domains of the underworld and the 12 domains of the day. These domains became the Egyptian method of telling time, and were later adopted by the Romans and subsequent European cultures. Hence, the existence of our 24 hour day.

Ancient Japanese culture focused its worship on their sun Goddess, Amateras-Ohmikumi. Amateras' role is strikingly similar to Ra's. She was queen of the heavens, the most powerful God in the firmament. Like the Pharaohs, Japanese royalty anchored their lineage on Amateras (the significance of the sun on Japan's flag is at least partially attributed to her.) Amateras' was also admired for her wisdom, and the clarity her light provided. At one time Amateras' brother, the God Susanoh, wreaked havoc upon Amateras and her temple. Hurt, she hid in the cave of heaven, plunging the world in darkness. Seizing this opportunity, demons abandoned their hiding places, leaving the people of earth in chaos and terror. The Gods held counsel to resolve this debacle. They concluded a party should be held. Intrigued by the noise and revelry Amateras warily peeked out from her cave, the Gods pulled her outside, and the world was once again bathed in light. Amateras acknowledged her own importance, and order was restored.

As ancient societies matured the cultural focus on agriculture diminished somewhat. Concrete ideas developed out of thoughts that had previously existed only in confused wonderment. New growth was made in math, arts, government and philosophy. The sun, previously representing the flourish of the harvest, was now aligned with artistic creativity. Apollo, the son of Zeus and the Greek sun God, did not simply provide tangible light; he was the purveyor of truth and clarity. Whereas Tonatiuh and Huitzilopochtli's rays represented darts of death, Apollo's were arrows of insight, making men aware of their misdeeds and then offering them purification. Heightening his contribution to this awareness, Apollo was God of the muses, the ethereal women who encouraged artistic experimentation. Perhaps most famous in Apollo's onslaught of knowledge was the Oracle of Delphi. The oracle, who inhabited a temple of Apollo, was asked questions concerning the future. Mysterious gasses within the temple provided the Oracle with visions, allowing him to predict the outcome of actions not yet committed. The Oracle's ambiguous answers lead to catastrophic moments in the lives of many Greek heroes

Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christianity and other monotheistic religions rose to prominence; de-emphasizing the belief of multiple Gods represented in biological forms. Additionally, advancements in science in each successive century have more or less proven the sun a natural creation, not some manifestation of the Gods. However the sun retains its importance as a symbol of sustenance, wisdom and the ethereal. The Christian halo is a variation of the sun. In Oaxaca, Mexico, festivals in praise of the sun and the harvest are held annually.