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was an ancient ( 3rd Millennium BC ) symbol of Horus , later identified with Ra .]] "Sun god" redirects here. For the statue, see Sun God (statue) . A solar deity is a God Or Goddess who represents the Sun , or an aspect of it. People have worshipped the sun and solar deities for all of recorded History ; sun worship is also known as '''heliolatry'''. Hence, many beliefs and Legend s have been formed around this worship, most notably the various myths containing the "missing sun" motif from around the world. Although many sources contend that solar deities are generally male, and the brother, father, husband and/or enemy of the Lunar Deity (usually female), this is not cross-culturally upheld, as sun goddesses are found on every continent. Some mythologists, such as Brian Branston , therefore contend that sun ''goddesses'' are more common worldwide than their male counterparts. They also claim that the belief that solar deities are primarily male is linked to the fact that a few better known mythologies (such as those of Ancient Greece and Egypt ) sometimes break from this rule. The dualism of sun/male/light and moon/female/darkness is found in many (but not all) Europe an traditions that derive from Orphic and Gnostic philosophies, with a notable exception being Germanic Mythology , where the Sun is female and the Moon is male. Sun worship is a possible origin of Henotheism and ultimately Monotheism . In ancient Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, Akhenaten 's heretical Atenism used the old Aten solar deity as a symbol of a single god. The neolithic concept of a Solar Barge , the sun as traversing the sky in a Boat , is found in Ancient Egypt , with Ra and Horus . Proto-Indo-European Religion has a Solar Chariot , the sun as traversing the sky in a Chariot . In Germanic mythology this is '' Sol '', in Vedic Surya and in Greek Helios and (sometimes) Apollo . Mesopotamian Shamash plays an important role during the Bronze Age , and "my Sun" is eventually used as an address to royalty. Similarly, South American cultures have emphatic Sun worship, see Inti . See also Sol Invictus . Missing sun The "missing sun" motif is a theme in the Myth s of various cultures. It may have served to explain any of several natural phenomena, including the disappearance of the Sun at night (the Egyptian version of the motif described below is an example), the shorter days during the winter (for example, the Japanese one mentioned below), or even solar Eclipse s. Most myths following the motif involve the disappearance of a solar deity, through Imprisonment , Exile or Death . Some other tales are similar, such as the Sumerian story of Inanna 's descent into the Underworld . These may have parallel themes but do not fit in this motif unless they concern a solar deity. Examples
Chinese mythology Unlike many other cultures, The Chinese do not personify nor worship the sun or the Moon . The most likely reason is the heavy influence of Daoism and '' Yijing '' in Chinese Culture because the moon represents Yin and the Sun represents Yang which are the basis of everything in nature. (See Yin And Yang .) In Chinese Mythology (cosmology), there were ten suns in the sky in the beginning. The world was so hot that nothing grew. A hero called Hou Yi shot down nine of them with bow and arrows. The world became better ever since. In another myth, the Solar Eclipse was caused by the dog of heaven biting off a piece of the sun. There was a tradition in China to hit pots and pans during a solar eclipse to drive away the "dog". Hindu mythology In the Vedas , numerous hymns are dedicated to Surya , the Sun personified, and Savitar , "the impeller", a solar deity either identified with or associated with Surya. Even the Gayathri mantra, which is regarded as one of the most sacred of the Hindu hymns is dedicated to the sun god. The Aditya s are a group of solar deities, from the Brahmana period numbering twelve. The Mahabharata describes its warrior hero Karna as being the son of Kunti and the Sun God. The Ramayana has its protagonist Ram as being from the Raghu Vamsham or the clan of kings as bright as the sun. See also
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