Solar myths are myths about the sun in the ancient world. This may include the mythological origin of the celestial body, its role, the cult of the sun, the determination of the place of the sun. Also examples of solar myths are the deification of the celestial body and the representation of the moon and the sun as a pair of lovers, as well as the idea of the sun as a divine ocean or a chariot, which was widely used in ancient mythological consciousness.
Mythological picture of the world
When human society was just in its infancy, the first method of cognition was myth. A man tried to explain to himself the phenomenon of the phenomena surrounding him. Mythological consciousness feeds on fantasies about how the world works. There is not yet a logical connective. But at the same time, this is a huge leap on the path to becoming a society as we are used to seeing it.
The mythological picture of the world may seem bizarre and surprisingly fabulous to a modern person. However, it should be understood that at the dawn of mankind such a picture was unique. Unlike later folklore, which was not necessary to perceive as truth, the content of the myth was accepted unconditionally.
Types of Myths
A myth is, in fact, a folk legend about natural phenomena, legendary heroes, gods, expressed in a metaphorical figurative language. All myths can be divided into several types, depending on the phenomena described by them:
- Cosmogonic myths are myths about the origin of the universe and this world.
- Calendar myths are myths about the end of the world.
- Heroic myths are tales of the exploits of various heroes, superhumans, or demigods.
- Cult myths - myths that explain the significance of a particular cult or rite.
- Astral myths are legends associated with celestial bodies and astronomical phenomena.
The so-called solar and lunar myths that explain the origin or existence of the sun and moon in this world belong to the astronomical ones.
Myths in the Ancient World
Solar myths appeared in the ancient world, and the interaction of the sun and the moon as a relationship of a married couple that cannot be together was often played out in them. Moreover, in the most ancient myths, no matter how surprising it sounds now, the moon played the role of a man, and the sun was a woman. The sign of the sun is the definition of the word solar. Myths about the moon, respectively, are called lunar.
In this case, the ancient people simply associated the sun with the day and did not identify them as a separate object. At first, the moon appeared in the minds of the ancients as a separate object. Much later, from the whole picture of the world, the sun also began to be singled out as a heavenly star. Later, with the strengthening of the cult of the monarch, a cult of the sun also appeared among different peoples. Moreover, in many cultures it was considered one of the main gods in the pantheon.
Myths about the sun in Ancient Russia
The Slavs were adherents of the solar cult for a very long time, right up to the introduction of Christianity. The Slavs always worshiped the sun and idolized it, while also considering themselves to be involved in it. This identity also explains the further development of Russian mythological thought. Also, the sun was considered the fiery chariot of life, from which the Slavs themselves began. Moreover, he was called by different names. The first pagan god of the sun is Svarog. In the future, his role in Slavic mythology changed. And the place of the god of the sun was taken by Ra. Also, Dazhbog, the son of Svarog, personifying light and fertility, was also considered the god of the sun.
Myths about the Sun in Day China
China's solar myths are also of interest. Myths of Celestial Empire consistently talk about the creation of the world and people. At the same time, the world arose in Chinese mythology from an egg, in which there was the great Pan Gu, hatched from it and dividing heaven and earth with its body. At the same time, he was tired of holding heaven and earth, and as soon as the earth hardened, it crumbled into thousands of small pieces. His left eye became the sun, and his right - the moon.
The sun in the earliest Chinese mythology was an inanimate object, a divine eye and was associated with heat and drought, as evidenced by the myth of the giant Kua Fu, who chased the sun to save people from drought and hunger. The solar and lunar myths of China also formed the basis of ancient Japanese mythology.
Japanese myths about the sun
Japan's solar myths are central to ancient Japanese mythology and culture. The origin of the sun and moon echoes the mythology of ancient China. The god of creation Izanagi after staying in the underworld of the dead, Yemi decided to perform a rite of purification. He, taking off his clothes, dropped the jewelry. At the same time, jewelry, falling to the ground, gave birth to the gods of the Japanese pantheon. When the face of Izanagi was washed, the gods of the moon and the sun appeared. The sun goddess, Amaterasu, appeared from her left eye. The moon god, Tsukuemi, appeared from his right eye. Also, when washing the nose, the lord of the sea Susanoo appeared.
At the same time, the god of creation divided the whole world between the gods generated by him. Amaterasu becomes the goddess of the high sky, Tsukuemi - the god of the moon, and Susanoo became the master of all earthly and water elements.
Amaterasu
Amaterasu is the most famous sun goddess in Japan, the head of the Japanese pantheon of gods. At her appearance, she took possession of the whole day's sky, but her brother, Susanoo, began to resist the will of his father and refused to rule the sea waters, deciding to return to his mother in the world of the dead. When he went to say goodbye to his sister, a conflict ensued between them, as a result of which Susanoo destroyed fertile lands and crops, and also frightened one of the goddess's assistants.
The goddess decided to take refuge in the grotto. At the same time darkness fell on the earth. But the gods came up with a way to return Amateras. They set a mirror opposite the grotto and found a rooster whose singing foreshadowed the dawn. The goddess Amaterasu, hearing the singing, was unable to restrain her curiosity and looked out of the grotto. She saw her reflection in the mirror and went out, unable to restrain her desire to contemplate her own beauty.
Eclipse and mirrors in eastern mythological cultures
Interesting importance in Japanese and Chinese mythology was given to mirrors, which also symbolized the gods of the sun and moon, as they were able to reflect their light. The mirror often appears in the solar myths of China and Japan as a way to evoke a heavenly star. It has both solar and lunar symbolism, personifying the solar disk and at the same time reflected moonlight.
The eclipse scared ancient people, in China it was considered a harbinger of disaster. Mirrors were taken out to the streets during eclipses, thereby trying to quickly return the sun to the sky. In China, it was believed that a huge dragon devours the sun and moon during an eclipse, and then spits it out.
In ancient India, an eclipse was also associated with devouring the sun and moon. An interesting myth about the eclipse in ancient India, when the demon Rahu steals the elixir of immortality. But he is seen behind the sinful deeds of the Moon and the Sun, having reported to all the supreme god. He chopped off the demon's head. But he, having already managed to become immortal, is forced to continue to live with his severed head. And Rahu devours the moon and the sun. It is at this moment that an eclipse occurs. It ends at the moment when the Sun and Moon fall out of the severed neck of the demon.
In some cultures, an eclipse, on the contrary, symbolizes a meeting. This is especially pronounced in those myths in which the sun and moon are portrayed as a married couple. In this case, an eclipse most often symbolizes a meeting of two lovers or a date.