Helios
The Titan who drove the sun chariot across the sky each day, providing light to the world. Helios saw everything that happened under the sun.
The Myth of Helios
Helios was the son of the Titan Hyperion and the Titaness Theia. Each dawn, he rose from the ocean in the east, driving a golden chariot drawn by four fiery horses across the sky. Each evening, he descended into the western ocean, where a golden cup carried him back to the east during the night.
Because Helios traveled above the entire world each day, he witnessed everything. It was Helios who told Demeter that Hades had abducted Persephone, and Helios who revealed Aphrodite's affair with Ares to Hephaestus.
His most famous myth involves his son Phaethon, who begged to drive the sun chariot for a day. Helios reluctantly agreed, but Phaethon could not control the immortal horses. The chariot veered wildly, scorching the earth (creating the deserts) and nearly destroying the world. Zeus was forced to strike Phaethon down with a thunderbolt to save the earth.
Parents
Hyperion and Theia
Symbols
Fun Fact
The element helium was named after Helios because it was first discovered in the sun's spectrum before being found on Earth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Helios
⚡ godTitan who drove the sun chariot daily
Helios was the Titan god who drove the chariot of the sun across the sky each day — seeing everything that happened on earth from his vantage point above.
Helios
🏔 titanThe all-seeing Titan of the sun
The Titan who drove the sun chariot across the sky each day and saw everything that happened on earth below.
Phaethon
🗡 heroSon of Helios who drove the sun chariot
Phaethon was the son of Helios who insisted on driving the chariot of the sun and lost control, nearly burning the earth to ashes.
God of the Sun
💭 conceptSun, light, truth, cattle of the sun
Helios drives the sun chariot across the sky each day, and Apollo later inherited many solar associations.
Phaethon's Ride
💭 concepthubris, catastrophe
The myth of Helios's son who drove the sun chariot across the sky, lost control, and was struck down by Zeus to prevent the earth from burning.
Selene
⚡ godTitaness of the moon
Selene was the Titaness who drove the silver chariot of the moon across the night sky — she loved the mortal Endymion and visited him each night as he slept eternally.
Zeus
⚡ godKing of gods and men
Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods, ruler of the sky, wielder of the thunderbolt — the supreme deity whose authority held the divine and mortal orders together.
Apollo
⚡ godGod of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, archery
God of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine beauty and was patron of the Oracle at Delphi.
Zeus
⚡ godKing of the gods, sky, thunder, lightning, law, order
Supreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and divided the world among his brothers.
Sol
⚡ godSun, light, oaths
Roman personification of the sun, equivalent to the Greek Helios, later elevated to supreme state deity as Sol Invictus
Apollo
⚡ godGod of light, music, prophecy, and plague
Apollo was the most complex Olympian — god of light, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, plague, and rational thought, the divine embodiment of Greek civilisation.
Selene
⚡ godTitaness of the moon
The Titaness who personified the moon, driving her silver chariot across the night sky. She fell in love with the mortal Endymion and visited him nightly as he slept.