Helios greek mythology6/4/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Hlio is his predecessor, even for being a second. Phaethon – his son – lost control of the chariot and set the Earth on fire, in which Zeus hit him with a lightning bolt and he died. Helios is, in Greek and Roman Mythology, the Ancient God of the Sun and he was often compared to Apollo. He pops in and out of mythology but his most famous tale is that of when he let his son ride his chariot for the day after a long time of nagging. Hesiod informs us in his Theogony that with Perseis, daughter of Ocean, he had two children, Circe and king Aietes, who ruled at Kolchis. His sisters were Selene (the Moon) and Eos (Dawn). Head of Helios, middle Hellenistic Period – Archaeological Museum of Rhodes In Greek mythology, Helios is the offspring of the titans Hyperion and Theia. His role was later passed to Apollo, as he faded away – this is contested in several different versions, where they are either the same person or two separate people. Helios was described as having beautiful golden locks surrounding his handsome face (I think all these greek gods seem to be handsome),piercing eyes and crowned in sunlight. The man spent the majority of his life in a sleep that gave him eternal beauty, several versions have depicted this as either Selene casting the spell on him or Zeus giving him one wish. She doesn’t seem to have much coverage, but the most famous tale is of her love for young mortal man Endymion, who has been emphasised as very handsome. Selene is described as very feminine, with light soft skin, carrying a torch and seen wearing a crescent moon on her brow. Some texts have said that the journey is more like a chase, and that the pair could never catch each other and be together. ![]() Eos would then turn to dawn and Selene would appear to travel the same journey, either side saddled on a mule or also a chariot pulled by shining white horses. He would fly across the sky and at the end of the day, he would return in a golden cup (a cup type boat I assume?) across Oceanus (his uncle, but the whole family is messed up with incest so who knows). Homer states that during darkness Helios would stay with her, so that when the time came she could call on his chariot ready. Eos would start the day by opening the gates of Heaven and letting Helios out on his chariot pulled by four blazing winged steeds. Helios and his sisters Eos and Selene were children of the titans Hyperion and Theia, and were the Gods and Goddesses of the Sun, Dawn and The Moon respectively. But what doesn’t change is the basics of the story. They were married, or just lovers, or just brother and sister. His parents were the Titans Hypherion and Thea, and he had two sisters. I wanted to look through several texts just to compare, since within Greek Mythology everyone seems to write a slightly different version of it. The sun god, who pulled the sun across the sky with his chariot. I spent the day trawling the internet for books, articles, texts, anything that involved the God and Goddess, and found not a hell of a lot, but not enough to confuse me. ![]()
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