Albanian paganism ) and Fire (
Zjarri) symbols in
Albanian traditional tattoo patterns (19th century). The cross (also
swastika in some tattoos) is the Albanian traditional way to represent the deified Fire – Zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym
Enji. before 1928. They are representations of the Sun (
Dielli) and the Moon (
Hana), sometimes also rayed, symbolizing their light, which is favored within the
dualistic struggle between light and darkness. The Sun () holds the primary role in
Albanian pagan customs, beliefs, rituals, myths, and legends. Albanian major traditional festivities and calendar rites are based on the Sun, worshiped as the god of
light,
sky and
weather, giver of life, health and energy, and all-seeing eye. In Albanian tradition the
fire –
zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym
Enji – worship and rituals are particularly related to the cult of the Sun. Ritual calendar fires or bonfires are traditionally kindled before sunrise in order to give strength to the Sun and to
ward off evil. Many rituals are practiced before and during
sunrise, honoring this moment of the day as it is believed to give energy and health to the body. As the wide set of cultic traditions dedicated to him indicates, the Albanian Sun-god appears to be an expression of the
Proto-Indo-European Sky-god (
Zot or Zojz in Albanian).
Albanians were firstly described in written sources as worshippers of the Sun and the Moon by German humanist
Sebastian Franck in 1534, but the Sun and the Moon have been preserved as sacred elements of Albanian tradition since antiquity.
Illyrian material culture shows that the Sun was the chief cult object of the
Illyrian religion. Finding correspondences with Albanian folk beliefs and practices, the Illyrian Sun-deity is figuratively represented on Iron Age plaques from
Lake Shkodra as the god of the
sky and
lightning, also associated with the
fire altar where he throws lightning bolts. The symbolization of the cult of the Sun, which is often combined with the
crescent Moon, is commonly found in a variety of contexts of Albanian folk art, including
traditional tattooing, grave art, jewellery, embroidery, and house carvings. Solemn oaths (
Besa), good omens, and curse formulas, involve and are addressed to, or taken by, the Sun. Prayers to the Sun, ritual
bonfires, and
animal sacrifices have been common practices performed by Albanians during the ritual pilgrimages on mountain tops. In Albanian pagan beliefs and mythology the Sun is a personified male deity, and the Moon () is his female counterpart. In pagan beliefs the fire hearth () is the symbol of
fire as the offspring of the Sun. In some folk tales, myths and legends the Sun and the Moon are regarded as husband and wife, also appearing as the parents of
E Bija e Hënës dhe e Diellit ("the Daughter of the Moon and the Sun"); in others the Sun and the Moon are regarded as brother and sister, but in this case they are never considered consorts.
Nëna e Diellit ("the Mother of the Sun" or "the Sun's Mother") also appears as a personified deity in Albanian folk beliefs and tales. Albanian beliefs, myths and legends are organized around the
dualistic struggle between
good and evil,
light and
darkness, which cyclically produces the
cosmic renewal. The most famous representation of it is the constant battle between
drangue and
kulshedra, which is seen as a mythological extension of the cult of the Sun and the Moon, widely observed in Albanian traditional art. In Albanian traditions, kulshedra is also fought by the Daughter of the Moon and the Sun, who uses her light power against pride and evil, or by other heroic characters marked in their bodies by the symbols of celestial objects, such as
Zjermi (), who notably is born with the Sun on his forehead.
Baltic mythology Those who practice
Dievturība, beliefs of traditional
Latvian culture, worship the Sun
goddess Saule, known in traditional
Lithuanian beliefs as Saulė. Saule is among the most important
deities in
Baltic mythology and traditions.
Celtic mythology The sun in
Insular Celtic culture is assumed to have been feminine, and several goddesses have been proposed as possibly solar in character. In
Continental Celtic culture, the sun gods, like
Belenus,
Grannus, and
Lugus, were masculine. In
Irish, the name of the Sun,
Grian, is feminine. The figure known as
Áine is generally assumed to have been either synonymous with her, or her sister, assuming the role of Summer Sun while Grian was the Winter Sun. Similarly,
Étaín has at times been considered to be another
theonym associated with the Sun; if this is the case, then the pan-Celtic
Epona might also have been originally solar in nature. The British
Sulis has a name cognate with that of other Indo-European solar deities such as the Greek
Helios and Indic
Surya, and bears some solar traits like the association with the eye as well as epithets associated with light. The theonym
Sulevia, which is more widespread and probably unrelated to Sulis, is sometimes taken to have suggested a pan-Celtic role as a solar goddess. with the wheel and the colors gold, white and red. First century historian
Tacitus, in his book
Germania, mentioned that "beyond the
Suiones [tribe]" a sea was located where the sun maintained its brilliance from its rising to its sunset, and that "[the] popular belief" was that "the sound of its emergence was audible" and "the form of its horses visible". In Norway, Sun worship was common until the last century, usually as a simple ritual of leaving butter in a saucer on a windowsill, so the Sun can melt it, when its light comes into the window. Alternatively, the glass on the window itself could be smeared by butter, or the butter could be put on the roof or wall. Similar rituals are attested among the
Sami people. Usually, the ritual was connected to the day, when the sun shows up from horizon or mountain (or in the eastern window of the main house of the farm) after the period of
polar night, when there is no sun at all, or the sun is so low, that it is hidden behind mountains. Because of these reasons, the date of the ritual varied from farm to farm, or wasn’t practiced at all (e.g. in Oslo area, which is flat and has no real polar night). A ritual of greeting the first sun after the polar night while standing on top of a mountain is mentioned by
Procopius in his description of the Northerners, but is also attested in modern time in area of
Glomfjord, and a similar one in southern
Vest-Agder. Another ritual is known from southern Vest-Agder, when small round stones are supposed to be taken up to a mountain top and put in a heap as an offering to the Spring Sun. The stone offering heaps itself are very common in Scandinavia, but only in Vest-Agder they are connected to the Sun worship. Among famous people, who were practicing the butter-in-saucer ritual were poets
Ivar Mortensson-Egnund and
Astrid Krog Halse.
Greco-Roman world Hellenistic mythology In
Greek mythology,
Helios, a
Titan, was the personification of the
Sun; however, with the notable exception of the island of
Rhodes and nearby parts of southwestern
Anatolia, he was a relatively minor deity. The
Ancient Greeks also associated the Sun with
Apollo, the god of enlightenment, and
Hyperion, father of Helios. The Greek astronomer
Thales of Miletus described the scientific properties of the Sun and Moon, making their godship unnecessary.
Anaxagoras was arrested in 434 BC and banished from Athens for denying the existence of a solar or lunar deity.
The titular character of
Sophocles'
Electra refers to the Sun as "All-seeing".
Hermetic author
Hermes Trismegistus calls the Sun "God Visible".
Roman mythology During the
Roman Empire, a
festival of the birth of the
Unconquered Sun (or
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) was celebrated on the
winter solstice—the "rebirth" of the Sun—which occurred on 25 December of the
Julian calendar. In
late antiquity, the theological centrality of the Sun in some Imperial religious systems suggests a form of a "solar
monotheism". The religious commemorations on 25 December were replaced under Christian domination of the Empire with the birthday of Christ. Much more ancient was the cult of
Sol Indiges, supposed to have been introduced among Roman deities by the
Sabines at the times of
Titus Tatius.
Modern influence Copernicus describing the Sun mythologically, drawing from Greco-Roman examples: == World religions ==