Helios is the sun god in Greek mythology. His parents were the titans Hyperion and Fairy. He was considered a pre-Olympic god and he ruled high over people and gods. From there, he watched all and at any time I can punish or encourage. The Greeks often called him "all-seeing". By the way, other gods turned to him to learn the secrets of each other. Helios was considered a god who measures the course of time and patronizes the days, months and years.
Who is the sun god in Greece?
According to the myths, Helios lives on the eastern side of the Ocean in a huge palace, which is surrounded by four seasons. His throne is made of precious stones. Every day Helios roused the cock, which is his sacred bird. After this, he sat in a chariot of fire, harnessed by four fire-breathing horses, and began his journey across the sky to the east, where he also had a beautiful palace. At night, the god of light and sun came home on the ocean on the golden cup that Hephaestus made. Several times Helios had to retreat from his schedule. So one day Zeus ordered not to leave the sun god to heaven for three days. It was during this period that the wedding night of Zeus and Alcmene took place, as a result of which Hephaestus appeared. After the Titans were overthrown, all the gods began to share power and all forgot about Helios. He began to complain to Zeus and he created in the sea the island of Rhodes, dedicated to the sun god .
The ancient Greek god of the sun most often depicted in a chariot, and around his head were the sun's rays. In some sources, Helios is represented in a dazzling sowing with burning terrible eyes, and on his head he has a gold helmet. In his hands, the sun god usually held a whip. On one of the statues of Helios there is a dressed young man. In one hand he has a ball, and in another horn of plenty. According to the existing legends, Helios had many mistresses. One of the mortal girls was turned into a heliotrope, the flowers of which always turned, following the movement of the sun. Another mistress was turned into incense. It was these plants that were considered sacred for Helios. As for animals, for the sun god in Ancient Greece the most significant were the rooster and the nut.
Wife Helios - oceanic Persian, who gave birth in the east to him a son who was king of Colchis, and on the west side she gave him a daughter and she was a strong sorceress. According to the information available, Helios had another wife of Rod, who is the daughter of Poseidon. The myths tell us that Helios is a gossip who often gave out the secrets of other gods. For example, he told Hephaestus about the betrayal of Aphrodite with Adonis. That is why the god of the sun in ancient Greek mythology was hated by the goddess of love. Helios owned seven herds of fifty cows and as many sheep. They did not breed, but they were always young and lived forever. The sun god loved to spend time watching them.
In Greece, there were not enough temples dedicated to Helios, but there were many statues. The most popular of these is the Colossus of Rhodes, which was considered one of the wonders of the world. This statue is made of an alloy of copper and iron, and it is located at the entrance to the Rhodes port. By the way, in height it reaches about 35 m. In hands the god held a torch which always burnt and carried out a role of a beacon.
She was engaged in construction for 12 years, but eventually she collapsed during one of the earthquakes. It happened 50 years after the completion of the construction. The Greek cult of Helios was adopted by the Romans, but they were not so popular and widespread.