Helios (Sun God)
godHelios 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.
The Myth
Each dawn, Helios rose from his golden palace in the east, harnessed his four horses (Pyrois, Aeos, Aethon, Phlegon), and drove across the sky. Each evening, he sailed back in a golden cup along the river Oceanus. Because he saw all, he was the one who told Demeter that Hades had abducted Persephone, and told Hephaestus that Aphrodite was unfaithful with Ares. His son Phaethon borrowed the chariot and lost control. Helios was later conflated with Apollo.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The element helium was named after Helios — 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:
Explore Further
Aphrodite
godGoddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so...
Apollo
godGod of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine...
Ares
godGod of the brutal, savage side of war. Unlike Athena's strategic warfare, Ares represented the raw...
Circe
godA powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine...
Demeter
godGoddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was...
Hades
godRuler of the underworld and lord of the dead. Despite his fearsome reputation, Hades was not evil —...