Using the Sanskrit names for deities as a base, he applied Grimm's law to names for similar deities from different Indo-European groups to compare their etymological relationships to one another. Of them, Müller believed Archaic Sanskrit was the closest to the language spoken by the Aryans. Müller's 'solar mythology' was born from the study of Indo-European languages. The theories were the 'solar mythology' of Alvin Boyd Kuhn and Max Müller, the tree worship of Mannhardt, and the totemism of J. Three theories exercised great influence on nineteenth and early twentieth century mythography.

In Proto-Indo-European mythology the sun appears to be a multilayered figure manifested as a goddess but also perceived as the eye of the sky father Dyeus. In Germanic mythology, the solar deity is Sol in Vedic, Surya and in Greek, Helios (occasionally referred to as Titan) and (sometimes) as Apollo. Similarly, South American cultures have a tradition of Sun worship as with the Incan Inti. Mesopotamian Shamash played an important role during the Bronze Age, and 'my Sun' was eventually used to address royalty. Other early Egyptian myths imply that the Sun is incorporated with the lioness Sekhmet at night and is reflected in her eyes or that the Sun is found within the cow Hathor during the night and reborn each morning as her son ( bull). Osiris became the divine heir to Atum's power on Earth and passed his divine authority to his son, Horus. Atum became Ra-Atum, the rays of the setting Sun. As the Old Kingdom theocracy gained influence, early beliefs were incorporated into the expanding popularity of Ra and the Osiris- Horus mythology. Predynasty Egyptian beliefs attribute Atum as the Sun god and Horus as a god of the sky and Sun. Overview A solar representation on an anthropomorphic stele from Rocher des Doms, France, Chasséen culture, 5th-4th millennia BC. The English word sun derives from Proto-Germanic * sunnǭ. The Sun is sometimes referred to by its Latin name Sol or by its Greek name Helios. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Examples of solar deities from different cultures (from top): Ra, Helios, Surya, Tōnatiuh and Amaterasu.Ī solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it.

Goddess of sun greek mythology