HELIOS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

In Greek mythology Helios was the Titan god of the Sun, and as such, Helios was one in a line of Greek gods and goddesses that dealt with light and the sun, starting with the Protogenoi Aether and Hemera, the Titan Hyperion and the Olympian Apollo.

Helios SOn of Hyperion

Helios was the son of the Titan god of Light, Hyperion, and his wife, Theia, the goddess of sight, and thus, Helios was brother to Eos (Dawn) and Selene (Moon).

Born in the Golden Age of Greek Mythology, Helios would become the sun god, with responsibility for bringing light to the world.

Helios the Greek Sun God

Man would see the sun traversing across the sky, and to the ancient Greeks this was explained by the daily actions of Helios. Helios would have a magnificent palace in the domain of Oceanus at the furthest eastern extreme of the world, and each morning Helios would leave his palace and climb on board his chariot, a golden chariot pulled by four winged steeds, Aethon, Aeos, Pyrois and Phlegon.

Helios and his chariot would fly across the sky, before, at the end of the day, they descended to earth at the furthest western extremes of the earth, near to the Island of the Hesperides, again in the realm of Oceanus.

Helios as Personification of Midday - Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779) - PD-art-100

Overnight, Helios and his chariot would be transported in a golden cup through the northern streams of Oceanus back to Helios’ palace. Although some writers claim that Helios was transported in a golden ship, or upon a golden bed.

Helios After the Titanomachy

Whilst, with the rise of the Olympians, the importance of Helios diminished, with Apollo increasingly associated with the sun, in Greek mythology, Helios continued to appear in tales, for the god was not punished, as so many other Titans were, after the Titanomachy.

Helios the All-Seeing

It was said that as Helios crossed the sky he observed and heard everything that occurred on earth. This omniscience saw Helios appear in two famous Greek mythological tales; and it was Helios who eventually revealed to the goddess Demeter that her daughter Persephone had been abducted by Hades.

It was also Helios who revealed to Hephaestus that Aphrodite, the metalworking god’s wife, was having an affair with Ares; a revelation that saw Aphrodite and Ares caught in a net.

Helios in Greek Mythology

Helios would appear in many tales from Greek mythology, including an appearance in one of the most famous stories, the Odyssey. Having survived many trials and tribulations Odysseus and his men arrived on the island of Helios, but despite prior warning, Odysseus’ men started to feed upon the cattle of Helios. Helios soon found out about the sacrilege, and going to Zeus, Helios asked for vengeance. Vengeance would come when Odysseus put to see once again, for the ship was struck by a thunderbolt, leaving Odysseus as the lone survivor.

Helios would also be encountered by Heracles as the Greek hero sought to steal the Cattle of Geryon. Crossing the desert, the heat of Helios greatly annoyed Heracles, and so Heracles started to shoot arrows at the god. Helios agreed to help Heracles if he would but stop shooting arrows at him, and so the sun god loaded to Heracles the Golden Cup so that he could cross the final stretch of water to get to the Cattle of Geryon.

Helios would also, on occasion, give willing assistance, for Helios rescued Hephaestus from the battlefield during the Gigantomachy, and also restored the eyesight of Orion, when the hunter had been blinded by Oenipion.

The Competitive Helios

Helios though was also a competitive god, as indeed where most deities of the Greek pantheon, with two tales are told of his competition with other gods.

Firstly, there was a time when Helios and Poseidon competed for the sacrifices of Corinth, and so fierce was this competition that violence was expected. To mediate, Briareus, a Hecatonchire, was brought in to reach a decision; thus, Briareus declared that the Isthmus of Cornith would be sacred to Poseidon, and the Acrocorinth, the acropolis of Corinth would be Helios’.

Famously, Helios is also appears in Aesop’s Fables, where the Greek sun god competes with Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind. Both gods sought to get a passing traveller to remove his clothing, Boreas sought to do so by might, and the wind god blew and blew, but this simply caused the traveller to wrap his clothing more tightly around him. Helios though tried gentle persuasion, and by causing the traveller to get warmer, the traveller willing removed his clothing.

Lovers and Children of Helios

As with many other gods, Helios was also famous for his lovers and children. Helios was not necessarily thought to have a wife, although the Oceanid Perse might fit into this category, but he had a number of lovers in addition to Perse, including the Oceanid Clymene, and the nymphs Crete and Rhodes.

Helios was also father to many famous children, including nymph daughters, Lampetia and Phaethusa, who tended Helios’ cattle upon Thrinacia.

By Perse, Helios was also father to Aeetes, Perses, Circe and Pasiphae. Aeetes and Perses would be famous kings, ruling Colchis and Persia respectively; and so Helios was also grandfather to the sorceress Medea through Aeetes.

The Colossus of Rhodes straddling over the Harbour - Ferdinand Knab (1834-1902) - PD-art-100

Helios’ daughters Circe and Pasiphae were also famous sorceresses, with Circe a onetime lover of Odysseus, and Pasiphae the wife of King Minos of Crete.

Phaethon Son of Helios

Arguably the most famous child of Helios though, was born to the Oceanid Clymene, for Clymene bore Helios a son named Phaethon.

When grown up Phaethon would seek assurances that he was indeed the son of Helios, and not even the words of his mother would reassure him.

Thus Phaethon visited Helios to seek confirmation; Helios would rashly promise Phaethon whatever he desired, swearing an unbreakable oath to do so. Phaethon though, asked to be allowed to guide Helios’ chariot for one day.

Helios saw the folly in such a request, but could not get Phaethon to change his mind, but with Phaethon is charge, the chariot veered wildly across the sky.

Flying too close to the ground, the earth became scorched, and flying too high caused other parts of the world to freeze.

Zeus was forced to intervene to stop the devastation that was being caused by the son of Helios, and Phaethon was killed by a thunderbolt. It would take much cajoling from other gods afterwards to have Helios remount his chariot.

Helios - Sergey Panasenko-Mikhalkin - CC-BY-SA-3.0

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