The Meaning of the Sun
The sun has been an important symbol across cultures and throughout history. Ancient civilizations worshipped the sun as a god and saw it as central to life on Earth. The sun continues to hold deep meaning for people today, representing concepts like warmth, light, energy, and rebirth. Certain objects, plants, colors, animals and natural phenomena are strongly associated with the sun due to their properties, appearance or connection to solar myths and symbolism. Looking at things that represent the sun provides insight into how humans relate to this vital celestial body.
Objects Representing the Sun
Several manmade objects evoke the sun in their form or function. Here are some of the most prominent:
The Sunflower
The sunflower is one of the most obvious representations of the sun in nature. Sunflowers are tall plants that produce bright yellow flower heads made up of small flowers called florets. The blooms track the sun from east to west during the day, a phenomenon known as heliotropism. This sunny color and solar following behavior gives sunflowers their name and makes them an iconic symbol.
Sundials
A sundial utilizes the sun’s position in the sky to tell time. The shadow cast by a central gnomon falls across marked intervals to indicate the hour. Sundials were amongst the earliest devices used to tell time and directly rely on the sun. Their intricate markings and dependence on light make them a frequently used representation.
Solar Panels
Solar panels directly harness the sun’s radiant energy and convert it to usable electricity. Their photovoltaic cells represent humankind’s innovation in capturing one of the sun’s gifts. Solar farms filled with dark panels absorbing sunlight evoke connections to our star. Their use has made the sun tangibly central to contemporary life.
Windows
Windows are often thought to symbolize the sun. They allow light from the sun to enter an otherwise dark space. Stained glass windows found in churches or other buildings filter sunlight into patterns and colors. This interplay of light speaks to the illumination provided by the sun. Openings in architecture create connections and warmth from outside like the sun.
Colors Linked to the Sun
Certain colors have strong solar associations due to their wavelengths and relationship to the sun. These are some hues connected to our star:
Yellow
The most obviously sun-linked color, yellow mimics the sun’s hue in the sky. Joyful and bright, yellow evokes the warmth and energy of sunlight. Sunflowers, lemons, daffodils and more reflect the color tied to optimism and intellect. It is a tone of awakening, inspiration and happiness.
Gold
Like a gilded solar orb, metallic gold is a color connected to the sun. It implies wealth, prestige and divine status. The Aztecs and Incas decorated their temples and monuments in gold symbolic of the sun’s power. Gold often features in religious iconography and royal regalia due to its brilliant luminosity.
Red
Red symbolizes fire and blood, linking it to the heat and energy of the sun. This intense hue represents action, passion, strength and luck. Red holds ritual meaning in China and India due to its solar associations. The vibrant color echoes the ardent flames produced by our local star.
Orange
Orange sits between yellow and red on the spectrum, blending the energy of red and joy of yellow. It represents sunshine, warmth and tropics in a playful hue. Carrots, oranges, marigolds and leaves changing in autumn reflect orange’s linkage to the sun’s vivid color.
Animals Connected to the Sun
Certain animals feature prominently in solar symbolism across different cultures. Here are some of the main creatures associated with the sun:
Roosters
Roosters herald the dawn with their crowing, making them an emblem of the rising sun. In Chinese astrology, people born in the year of the rooster are thought to be hardworking and independent. Figures of roosters appear on weathervanes watching the sun.
Lions
In ancient Egypt, lions symbolized gods like the sun deity Ra and often flanked images of the pharaohs. The mane surrounding a lion’s head evokes the rays of the sun. Lions feature prominently in solar symbols like Mithraism and Tarot.
Bulls
Like lions, bulls are imposing animals associated with solar gods. A bull pulling the sun across the sky appears in Greek myths about Helios. Statues of bulls, like the Bronze Bull on Wall Street, also align with the constellation Taurus, a zodiac linked to the sun.
Horses
The horse-drawn chariots of gods like Helios and Sol commonly appear in Greco-Roman and Norse myths. Horses represented the swift passage of the sun across the sky. White horses specifically symbolize sunrise in Biblical visions and Hindu myths.
Natural Associations with the Sun
Some natural concepts, cycles and phenomena relate to the sun’s influence on Earth. These include:
Fire
As a source of heat and light energy, fire strongly parallels properties of the sun. Many cultures interpreted the sun as a fiery chariot traveling across the daytime sky. Fire rituals paid homage to the sun’s guiding force.
Lightning
Dramatic flashes of lightning suggest solar flames penetrating the clouds. Ancient people considered thunder and lighting to be related to the sun’s commands. Certain deities like the Aztec god Tlaloc wielded sun-like lightning bolts.
Gold
The shiny yellow hue of natural gold makes it an emblem of the sun on Earth. Ancient kings wore gold jewelry as symbols of solar status. Alchemists tried to transform metals into gold under the sun’s rays. The mineral reflects sunlight like our local star.
Sunrise and Sunset
The sun’s daily rising and setting represents the cycle of birth and death. These solar events flood or deprive the land of life-giving light. Sunrise and sunset remain powerful spiritual metaphors for illumination and darkness.
Plants and Crops
Various plants take on solar symbolism through their seasonal cycles or visual properties. Some examples include:
- Corn – Has ritual meaning for the Hopi tribe as sustenance from the sun
- Grapes – Represent ripening under the autumn sun in Greek mythology
- Pumpkins – The round orange shape suggests the sun in fall harvests
- Sunflowers – Track the sun and reflect its bright golden-yellow hues
- Wheat – Grown in endless amber waves, wheat depends on the sun
Solar Celebrations and Holidays
Cultures around the world mark the sun’s influence through annual rituals and festivals. Some sun-related occasions include:
Winter Solstice
Many societies celebrate the winter solstice as the rebirth of the sun from its darkest, weakest point. Traditions like Yule, Saturnalia and the Chinese Dongzhi Festival mark the pivot back toward longer days.
New Year’s
The dawn of a new year represents the sun’s renewal. Civilizations from ancient Egypt to modern America recognize January 1st as the start of the solar cycle. First light symbolically casts out the old year.
Easter
Christian Easter coincides with the Spring Equinox, epitomizing the ascendance of light over darkness. The sun permeates Easter imagery from eggs to its very name possibly deriving from Eostre, the Germanic goddess of dawn.
Chinese New Year
Based on the lunar calendar, Chinese New Year often aligns with the renewed sunlight of winter’s end. Red lanterns, fireworks and torches amplify sunlight during this celebration centered on renewal.
Solar Deities and Gods
Gods and goddesses associated with the sun appear in myths worldwide. They represent the sun’s creative and destructive capacities while overseeing concepts like sunlight, fire and time. Major solar deities include:
| Ra | Egyptian | Main sun god, often depicted with a solar disc over his head |
| Helios | Greek | Personification of the sun who rides a golden chariot across the sky |
| Sol | Roman | Embodiment of the sun as the divine charioteer who gives life |
| Inti | Inca | Central sun god and ancestor who founded the Inca civilization |
| Amaterasu | Japanese | Shinto goddess of the sun and universe who brings light into the world |
| Surya | Hindu | Major solar deity with many arms and eyes who rides a chariot pulled by seven horses |
Conclusion
The sun upholds life on Earth, so it is no wonder humanity imbues it with deep meaning across cultures. Objects harness its rays just as colors, plants and animals reflect its guiding light. Through holidays, myth and symbol, the sun persists as an emblem of illumination over darkness, renewal against decline and order amidst chaos. Just as it sustains life’s processes, the sun sustains our search for purpose in the universe. Things representing the sun ultimately represent our urge to make sense of nature’s mysteries and humanity’s place within creation.
