Khione was the goddess of snow, while the Boreades were a pair of heroes with wings.

Boreas had multiple children with her, including Khione and the Boreades. At the time, the girl had been playing by the riverside in a meadow. He chose to carry off Oreithyia, whose name translates as “mountain gale.” She was the daughter of a king of Athens, King Erekhtheus. Beyond his home in the mountains was Hyperborea, which was a mythological land where spring lasted forever, untouched by the icy breath of the god.Īt one point, Boreas wanted a wife. According to mythology, he would sweep down from the Thrake mountains and bring the cold with him, causing the air to chill through the use of his icy breathing. His name translates directly to “north wind.” He was one of four seasonal wind gods. He symbolized the dramatic change of winter and the chilling effects that came with it.īoreas was the Greek god of the wind from the north. They were subject to the god Aeolus, the “Keeper of the Winds.” The Anemoi are minor gods who acted as the personification of the winds and changing seasons. One of those gods was Boreas.īoreas is one of four Anemoi. While most are familiar with the famous Twelve Olympians, many lessers gods shaped culture and symbolized many core concepts of nature. Heliopolis was the seat of worship of God Helios, therefore its name means the Sun City in Greek.Ancient Greek mythology features many recognizable figures that inspired legends we continue to tell today.

In Ancient Egypt, there was a city, Heliopolis, built in honor of the Sun God. Helios was worshiped in many cities, states and countries. It is said that the huge statue Colossus broke and collapsed after a massive earthquake that hit the island of Rhodes in the ancient years. Called the Colossus of Rhodes, it later made the prestigious list of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

They honored him as the subject of the huge bronze statue they erected circa 280 B.C. Still, Rhodes is called the Island of Sun. This myth was the basis of the Rhodians’ worship of Helios as their national god. There, the sun god’s three grandsons - Camirus, Lindus, and Ialyssus-ruled and gave their names to the three largest cities. Rhodes is a Greek island located off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor, in the complex of the Dodecanese islands. To compensate for the oversight, Zeus gave Helios dominion over the newly created island of Rhodes. In another story, one day Zeus made each of the gods the patron deity of one or another earthly land or city-all except for Helios, that is, who at the time was fulfilling his daily duty of driving his chariot across the sky. However, Phaethon was unable to control his father’s horses, and the chariot ran wild through the heavens until Zeus intervened and struck the young man dead. The boy demanded that his father Helios allow him to drive his gleaming chariot across the sky for a day. The most famous myth in which Helios takes part is that of his mortal son, Phaethon. For example, the goddess Demeter consulted him after her daughter, Persephone, disappeared Helios told her that Hades, ruler of the Underworld, had abducted the girl. There are many Greek myths about Helios, the Sun God. Helios is mentioned in numerous philosophic texts and poetic or fictional texts for instance, Homer is the one who refers to Helios as the Sun God, claiming that he was the God who could hear and understand everything that was happening on Earth. There are historians and followers of the Greek mythology that denote the role of god Apollo, as God of the Sun, although it is evident that Greeks believed in a separate Sun God. There is a confusion in Greek Mythology regarding the identity of the god of the Sun. Sisters: Eos (Dawn) and Selene (Moon) Who was the god of the Sun? Helios or Apollo The characteristic chariot was drawn by four winged horses. Helios was usually depicted as a beardless and very handsome man in purplish robes, crowned with a golden aureole, which accented his role as the Sun God. Most often, people viewed or portrayed Helios as a mighty charioteer, driving his flaming chariot (or gleaming horses) from east to west across the sky each day.Īt night, according to the legend, Helios crossed back to the east by floating in a golden cup on the stream of Ocean, the mythical river thought to encircle the flat earth.īecause Helios was in the sky all day looking down on the earth, people assumed he saw and heard everything that went on in that domain thus, both gods and humans called on him as a witness to various events or oaths sworn. Helios is the Greek Sun god, whom the Romans called Sol.

Helios symbol greek