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Since we’ve discussed the Sun and the Summer Solstice, it should be mentioned that the sun was considered a God to many people of ancient cultures. Here are some cultures that seriously worshipped the sun, and not just to get a tan!

The Egyptians called their sun god Ra and believed him to be the creator of light and all things. They believed that the human race was born from the tears of Ra, and that he created the first couple, Shu and Tefnut.

They were the parents of the earth and sky. When the ancient Egyptians sculpted or drew their images of Ra, he usually had a human form with a falcon head, crowned with the sun disc and encircled by a cobra. The sun itself was then left to be either his body or his eye.

The Greeks also had a sun god and called him Helios. They believed that he drove the sun across the sky from east to west in his golden chariot every day. Then, when the sun set, it sailed back across the ocean to begin a new day.

The Eskimos believed that the sun was a woman named Malina. Their myth was that she and her brother, the moon-god Anningan, lived together. One day they got into a fight and Malina spread dirty, black grease all over her brother’s face. In fear she ran as far as she could into the sky and became the sun. Her brother chased after her and became the moon.

The Chinese believed that there were 10 suns that each took turns journeying into the sky. After some time they decided to appear together in the sky but the heat became too much for the people to handle. They asked the suns to fly solo, but the suns didn’t listen. Because of their disobedience, the Chinese people sent an archer to reprimand them, but he ended up killing 9 of them. This, they believe, is why there is only one sun left in the sky.

It’s interesting to see all of the different thoughts people had about the sun. What seems to be the common thread in all of these myths, however, is that the sun is a very powerful entity that should be respected and worshipped. Today, not many cultures regard the sun as a god, but if you think about it, we still love seeing and feeling the sun on our skin. So, in a way we still do worship it!