Sun in the world

Sun cult

Sun worship has been a very old tradition in world cultures since the ancient times. No one can tell us today when exactly admiration for this solar object which has long been a source of light, warmth and fertility, took place for the very first time.

The sun as a giver of light and life is considered to be an actual power of the Universe, often associated with dominion, glory, illumination and source of life on Earth.

It sees everything with all-seeing eye, thus has always been the guarantor of justice and the source of wisdom.

Although almost every culture uses solar motifs, only a relatively few civilizations developed religions based on solar deity. All of them had emperors, rulers and pharaohs which were believed to be Sons of the Sun and human form incarnation on the earth.

Most prominent examples of sun cult as a religion developed to rule over nations are those from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, Japan and Meso-america.

Comparatively later the Sun cult spread among other cultures around the world.

Ancient Egypt

Sun worship is more popular in Egypt than in any other country. The well-known Sun god Ra is the god that the Egyptians worship more than any other God. He was the sun and also creator god.

The Sun played a very important part in the lives of the ancient Egyptians. In the earliest times, it was feared and dreaded because of its mythical mysteriousness. The continuous rising and setting of the Sun was also looked upon as representing the cyclical nature of life.

Ra was believed to travel across the sky in his solar bark and, during the night, to make his passage in another bark through the underworld, where, in order to be born again for the new day, he had to vanquish the evil serpent Apopis, personification of darkness.

He has been portrayed in many forms, such as a child rising from a lotus, a bird, a cat, and a lion. This is because he got confused with other deities that were worshipped by the Egyptians. The usual representation of Ra, however, is one of a hawk's head wearing the Sun's disk with a serpent wrapped around it.

Early rulers claimed that they had descended from the Sun, giving them the power that they needed to be rulers. Kings had the title of Son of Ra, which also gave them power.

The Sun was exalted in the religion of the Egyptians as it was the central object that they worshipped. The worship of Ra was universal through Egypt, and they believed that each person's soul was always with the Sun.

Mesopotamia

Shamash was the common Akkadian name of the sun god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu, spreading the power of light over darkness and evil.

The attribute most commonly associated with Shamash is justice. Just as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light.

Hammurapi attributes to Shamash the inspiration that led him to gather the existing laws and legal procedures into a code, and in the design accompanying the code the king represents himself in an attitude of adoration before Shamash as the embodiment of the idea of justice.

Several centuries before Hammurapi, Ur-Engur of the Ur dynasty (c. 2600 BC) declared that he made his decisions according to the just laws of Shamash.

Shamash was not only the god of justice but also governor of the whole universe.

He was often depicted seated on a throne, holding in his hand the symbols of righteousness – a pecial staff and a ring. The god is often pictured with a disk that symbolized the Sun.

It was a logical consequence the sun-god was regarded also as the one who released the sufferer from the grasp of the demons.

Sumerian

Utu was the common Sumerian name of the sun god and god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Akkadian Shamash.

He is depicted as wearing a horned helmet and carrying a saw-edged weapon, which it is thought he used to cut through the side of a mountain from which he emerges standing on the top of it, symbolising the dawn.

(See Mesopotamia - Shamash)

Ancient Greek

In Greek culture and mythology, Helios was the Sun God and represented a human form.

He was depicted as handsome young man, clothed in robes and wearing crown much like a shining aureole of the Sun.

Helios resides above the sky, thus he can see everything other gods and people do on earth. "All-seeing" god can bring life and make blind all felons with his immense powers.

Helios was thought to ride a golden chariot drawn by four, fiery winged horses through the sky, bringing light to the earth and people. The journey of the sun god began in the East and ended in the West, floating back to his Eastern palace in a golden bowl.

The most well-known connection that the Greeks had to the Sun is found in their mythology. Hence a lot is told about Helios in various ancient greek myths, literature and poetry. Also very much of art in the form of paintings and sculptures exist depicting this ancient god of sun light.

Helios was identified with other gods like Hephaistos and Apollon which also was believed to be a light-bringing god.

He was known by the name Sol or Sol Invictus in Roman mythology.

Roman

Sol Invictus

Sol was the Sun god similar to the Greek god Helios.

Solar deities in Roman Empire were often associated with emperors of particular times of their reign.

Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus or Elegabalus (A.D. 218 to 222) of the Severan dynasty introduced a special festival called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun", and taking place on December 25.

It was the celebration of the rebirth of the Sun, time when daylight hours would grow longer and the nights shorter.

However, in the Roman Empire official and state-supported sun worship began much later in the emperor Aurelian times in A.D. 270 - 275, when he introduced the cult which was called "Sol Invictus" or "Unconquered Sun" and raised the sun god to the highest state divinity.

Sol was believed to be a protector of the emperors and of the empire.

The worship of this god remained the imperial cult until time of Christianity.

India

Since the Vedic times, the Sun has been worshipped in India as Surya.

Surya is commonly represented as a red man with three eyes and four arms, his head surrounded by rays, and riding in a chariot which is drawn by seven horses or by a single horse with seven heads. He holds water lilies with two of his hands, encourages his worshipers with third and blesses them with fourth hand.

Surya represents soul, will-power, fame, the eyes, general vitality, courage, kingship, father, highly placed persons and authority. He is the lord of excellence and wisdom.

In Hindu religious literature, Surya is more often than not mentioned as the visible form of God that people can see every day.

Surya is also often regarded as an aspect of Shiva and Vishnu. For example, in oldest sects of Hinduism - Shaivism, Surya is said to be one of eight forms of Shiva, named the Astamurti.

In India, Surya is believed to be a debonair deity capable of healing sick people.

Even today, people place the symbol of the Sun over shops and main doors because they think it would bring good fortune to them.

Aztecs

For the Aztecs, who lived in central Mexico, Tonatiuh - the symbol of the Fifth World - was a Sun god.

Tonatiuh was responsible for the Sun movement through the sky and also for supporting the whole Universe, and since the sun is so important, the Aztecs naturally wanted to keep Tonatiuh as pleased as possible to prevent the end of the world, thus offering him human sacrifices.

Tonatiuh demanded many human sacrifices in order to keep the sun moving and the Aztecs obliged since they believed it was essential to maintain the strength of their Sun god. Priests would take marked for death-victims to a sacred temple where they would cut out their heart while they were still alive.

According to the Aztec creation myth, the god demanded human sacrifice as tribute and without it would refuse to move through the sky.

In the Aztec pantheon, gods and goddesses regularly required sacrifices of some sort and all of their religious mythology is very rich, but often bloody.
As a matter of fact, Tonatiuh was not just a sun god.

Aztecs believed that four suns or Gods had been created in four previous ages- those of earth, wind, fire and water, and all of them had died at the end of each cosmic era and expelled from the sky.

Tonatiuh was the "fifth sun" and according to Aztecs the present era is still his.

The present era is that of the Tonatiuh's or "Sun of Movement" and we still live in this era.

The Aztecs were fascinated by the sun, they paid very close attention to the movement of solar disc and carefully observed it.

Their calendar is considered to be only second to the Mayan calendar in accuracy.

The Aztec people treated him to be also the leader responsible for Tollan, their heaven. They believed that only dead warriors and women who died in childbirth could be received in Tollan.

Many of today's remaining Aztec monuments have structures aligned with the sun.

Incan

According to the Inca mythology, Inti is the sun god, as well a patron deity of Tahuantinsuyu. His exact origin is not known, but it is believed that he is the son of Viracocha, the god of civilization.

Inca people were living in South America in the ancient Peru.

They believed that all of their people have descended from their ancestor Inti the Sun God, linking him with the Inca emperor who was known as the "Son of the Sun", since the ruling emperor called the Sapa Inca is considered to be the representative of Inti on earth.

Because the Inca religion was based around nature, the sun was perhaps the most important aspect of life because it provided warmth and light. Inti therefore is also known as the Giver of Life. He was worshipped mostly by farmers who relied on the sun to receive good harvests.

Inti was one of the most important gods that the Inca people have, although he was the second most revered deity after Viracocha. He received the greatest number of offerings and human sacrifices as well. That is why Inca people sacrifice the human body on special occasions. Inca's believed that if they don't sacrifice human body, then Inti would not give light from the sun to the Inca people and bring bad luck to everybody.

Inti was also known as Apu Punchau, which means "leader of the daytime", and he was often represented as a golden disc of the Sun with a human face surrounded by rays and flames.

Every June the Incas honored Inti in a special festival, that included dancing and the sacrifice of animals.

Throughout the Inca empire stood stone posts or columns called intihuatanas, "hitching posts of the sun." These structures were probably solar calendars, like sundials, used for observing and predicting the sun god's motion through the heavens. Likewise in the remains of the city of Machu Picchu, it is possible to see a shadow clock which describes the course of the Sun personified by Inti.

In Peru even today Inti is celebrated during the Festival of Inti Raimi in Cuzco city. The festival attracts thousands of tourists each year to the ancient capital of the Inca empire.