In the ancient land of Canaan, amidst a pantheon of powerful deities, the sun and war god YHWH rose to prominence, eclipsing the older gods who once reigned supreme.
Yet, hidden in the celestial expanse, another force was growing in power and ambition—YHWH, the fiery god of the sun and war.
YHWH, the burning sun, clashed with Baal's dark clouds in a battle that shook the heavens and the earth.
No longer just the god of the sun and war, YHWH became the singular, omnipotent deity, guiding his chosen people with a fiery hand and a nurturing heart.
Hyperion: The Titan god of light, father of the sun god Helios, the moon goddess Selene, and the dawn goddess Eos.
Helios: God of the sun.
Transition: Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war, fought and defeated his siblings, the stars and the moon, establishing himself as the primary deity.
Result: The dominance of Huitzilopochtli symbolized the establishment of cosmic order and the importance of the sun in Aztec cosmology.
The summer solstice, or Litha, was a significant time for druids who conducted ceremonies under sacred oaks to honor the peak of the sun's power and the life it brings.
He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.
Description: This term refers to the celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars) that were worshipped as deities or divine beings.
Josiah removed the priests who conducted worship at high places and those who burned incense to Baal, the sun, moon, constellations, and the host of heaven (2 Kings 23:5).
The moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity ( Judges 10:6 ; 1 Samuel 7:4 ; 12:10 ).
He did away with the idolatrous priests appointed by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the towns of Judah and on those around Jerusalem—those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to all the starry hosts.
In Aztec mythology, the creation and destruction of the world are explained through the concept of the "Five Suns." Each sun represents an era or age in which the gods created and then destroyed the world in various cataclysmic events.
Here's a brief overview of each sun:
End: This sun ended when jaguars devoured the giants, leading to the destruction of the world.
Nahui-Ocelotl, also known as the "Jaguar Sun" or the "First Sun," is the first era in Aztec mythology.
Creation: This sun was created by the gods as the very first era of the world.
This destruction marked the close of the First Sun.
The end of the First Sun by jaguars symbolizes the raw, primal power of nature and the gods' influence over the world.
The myth of Nahui-Ocelotl emphasizes the Aztec belief in the cyclical nature of creation and destruction, with each sun or era ending in a dramatic, transformative event.
The jaguar, a symbol of strength and fear, played a crucial role in the transition from the First Sun to the subsequent eras.
Description: The second sun was governed by Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god.
Creation: This sun was created by the gods after the end of the First Sun, Nahui-Ocelotl.
Description: Tlaloc, the god of rain, ruled this sun.
Nahui-Quiahuitl, also known as the "Rain Sun" or the "Third Sun," is one of the ages in Aztec mythology.
Creation: This sun was created by the gods after the end of the Second Sun, Nahui-Ehécatl.
Creation: This sun was created by the gods after the end of the Third Sun, Nahui-Quiahuitl.
Gods: Tonatiuh (the Sun God) and Tezcatlipoca
Description: The current age is ruled by Tonatiuh, who demanded blood sacrifices to ensure the sun would continue to move across the sky.
Future End: It is believed that this sun will end in massive earthquakes.
Gods: The primary deity associated with this sun is Tonatiuh, the Sun God.
According to the myth, the gods gathered at Teotihuacan to create a new sun after the previous four had been destroyed.
Two gods, Tecuciztecatl and Nanahuatzin, sacrificed themselves by leaping into a great fire, becoming the sun and the moon, respectively.
However, it was the sacrifice of other gods, who offered their blood to set the new sun in motion, that ensured Tonatiuh would rise and continue to move across the sky.
Human beings in this age are expected to provide regular blood sacrifices to keep the sun moving.
Conflict: Galileo supported the Copernican theory that the Earth orbits the sun, which was deemed heretical.
1524: Pedro de Alvarado, called the Adelantado, a Spanish title formerly given to a governor of a province, and by his Mexican allies, Tonatiuh, the Sun or Sun-God, reached the city of Gumarcaah, or Utlatlan in the early spring of 1524
Role: The Sun God
Nu is one of the eight deities of the Ogdoad, representing chaos from which the primordial mound arose, giving birth to the sun god Ra.
Different myths depict the sun's emergence from this primordial chaos, either directly from the mound or the lotus.
Depicted as a large figure with water ripples, holding a palm branch, sometimes frog-headed or greeting the sun as a baboon.
Depicted lifting the solar barque with the newborn sun.
By sailing according to these stars at night and the sun by day they felt confident that they could find the wonderful fire-land of Hawaii about which they had been taught in the stories of returned travellers.
who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars;
That was the figure of the sun; precisely such as had before been found amidst the ruins of Nineveh and Memphis, Tanta and Heliopolis; and consequently it spoke, not merely of four thousand five hundred, or five thousand years ago, but it speaks of the early days of the Chaldean empire; of commerce and art; and hints, not merely at the Jebusite reign, but of Ninus and of Nimrod.
They can no longer live on Earth as the sun gets closer, hotter.
Inner Earth is depicted as a beautiful place, with an ocean and a sun that is less intense than our surface sun, combining qualities of the sun and moon.
The inner Earth sun can be looked at directly without being blinding, unlike the surface sun.
The oceans in inner Earth are mentioned to move similarly to surface oceans, although it's not clear if there are tides influenced by the sun and moon as on the surface.
Bear waited until the sun began to set, but not one fish even nibbled at his tail.
By and by, someone noticed that the sun was beginning to go down.
Described as a subterranean haven, Telos is said to be lit by an artificial sun and consists of multiple levels with hydronic gardens, schools, and a pyramid-shaped temple.
The Cherokee refer to them as "Ani'tsutsa," the Daughters of the Sun, while the Lakota Sioux have stories linking the star cluster to creation myths and the spirit world.
We read of Arcturus, Orion—'the sweet belts of Orion,' of Pleiades, and 'the sweet chambers of the South,' and even with eclipses of sun and moon."
Control over Nature: Associated with the sun and had powers over light and health.
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god, often depicted with a falcon head and a sun disk on his head.
He represents the sun, creation, and kingship.
Role of Ra: Ra, another Blue Avian, played a role in amplifying the sun’s light codes to aid in human awakening and consciousness expansion.