Universal Brilliance - Sun Mythologies - Page 2

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Jul 31, 2005

Sun deities need not all be male - a prime example of a sun goddess is Amaterasu of Japanese mythology. Like other sun deities, she is of great importance - likely the most important figure in the Japanese pantheon. Her creation was a result of her parents' argument and divorce. Izanagi was washing himself in order to purify his body after coming in contact with his wife Izanami in the underworld. In washing his eye Amaterasu was born. Shinto mythology tells us that she found herself in competition with her brother Susano (the moon god), in which both attempted to out perform the other in the creation of more male deities. Susano created a greater amount, but only by using items belonging to Amaterasu - thus a dispute arose as to who won. Amaterasu fled and hid when Susano caused grief in her home, and thus the world was without light. It took a poorly performed erotic dance and the resulting laughter of the entire divine community to draw her out again.

The was not always seen as a beneficial deity. Chinese mythology tells us that at one time there were ten suns, each taking turns ruling the sky. However, they became restless and decided to gather together and fill the sky simultaneously. This posed a problem for the people of the world, as the constant and intense heat burned their crops. The immortal archer Yi was sent by the ruler of heaven to deal with this problem. His mission was only to order the suns back into their proper places - however, the danger they posed was too great, and they rudely ignored his requests. Yi then shot down nine of the ten suns. The one that remained is the sun we have today. For his loss of control Yi was stripped of his immortal powers and banished to earth - though for his rescue of the people, he was greeted by humanity as a hero.

After our decidedly unexhaustive examination of sun myths we ought to discuss the importance of this reoccurring theme in mythology. If we were to measure how frequently different objects appear in mythology, the sun would certainly have an unfair advantage. It is universal, in that it has been present for all people in all times. One can speak of the sun and know his or her listeners can relate. It is necessary in order to grow food and give us light to go about our daily activities - especially in times before artificial light. The sun appears in so many myths simply because it was so important in the day to day lives of ancient peoples and was a convenient symbol for expressing growth, warmth and power.

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