Sun Goddesses

The sun Goddesses represent the power and force of the light of the sun.  Today we are more likely to associate the Goddess with the energy and phases of the moon.

This perhaps represents the power shift away from he ancient matriarchal society. This shift in power is represented in many of the myths of the sun deities, like the story of Akycha who fled to the sky after she was raped by her own brother and the myth of the Djanggawul Sisters whose power objects were stolen from them by their brothers.

Below you will find a list of sun deities from around the world. These Goddesses directly reflect the power of the sun rather than the nurturing powers of the Mother and Earth Goddesses.

Why not also look into the sun deities heavenly counterparts the mysterious Moon Goddesses

The are also solar deities that are associated with the sun at a specific time of day, these are the Dawn Goddesses who personify the first rays of the morning sun.

List of the Sun Goddesses

Aditi - a Hindu Goddess from India, keeper of the light that illuminates all life and ensures consciousness. She gave birth to the universe and the heavenly bodies.

Aine - Irish Goddess who represented the spark of life.  Her festival was celebrated on Midsummer’s eve.  Later she was remembered in Christian times as the fairy queen.

Akycha - An Alaskan solar Goddess who once lived on earth as a beautiful woman. She fled into the sky after her brother raped her.

Amaterasu - Japanese Shinto Goddess, her name means great shinning heaven. She is the head of the Japanese pantheon and her emblem, the rising sun, appears on the Japanese flag.

Bast - The Lion Goddess of sunset, among her many roles she symbolized the fertilizing rays of the sun.

Beiwe - Sámi Goddess of Lapland, she was celebrated at the summer solstice for providing the light the plants needed to grow. These in turn fed the reindeer that were vital source of food, clothing and tools for the people.

Bila – The cannibal, Aboriginal Goddess, provided light for the world by cooking her victims over a giant flame. She was chased away but the world was then plunged into darkness, so Bila was captured and tethered to the earth.

Brigid - A Celtic fire Goddess, as a solar deity her attributes are light, inspiration and all skills associated with fire.

Chup-Kamui  - The modest, Japanese, moon Goddess.  Chup-Kamui traded places with the sun God as she was so embarrassed by the adulterous and lecherous behaviour that was occurring at night.

Djanggawul Sisters – Aboriginal Goddesses from Arhemland. These daughters of the sun gave birth to all the plants and animals. Their magical power objects were stolen from them by their brothers.

Hathor - Egyptian Goddess of the sky. Hathor is depicted with the solar disk indicating that this is one of her many areas of influence.

Hekoolas  - Native American Goddess, with the help of the trickster Coyote, man was able to convince her to light up this world.

Medusa - The Greek Goddess is said to derive from an earlier Anatolian deity. This theory is supported by images of her with a lion that symbolized the power of the sun.

Pattini - A Sri Lankan solar deity who represents the heat of the sun's rays. 

Olwen - Welsh sun Goddess,  her name means “golden wheel.”

Saule – Lithuanian, golden haired Goddess. She rode across the sky in a chariot pulled by two white horses with golden manes, battling with the powers of darkness.

Sekhmet - A Lion headed Goddess of Egypt, she represented the destructive qualities of the sun’s rays causing drought and famine.

Shapash - Phoenician Goddess whose name meant “torch or light of the Gods." In addition to being a solar Goddess she was also able to travel through the realms of the dead.

Solntse - Slavic sun Goddess.

Sunna - Nordic Goddess of the Sun, also known as Sol, her chariot was  pulled across the sky by two horses.

Uelanuhi - Cherokee Goddess of the Sun, her name meant "apportioner", as she was responsible for dividing time into units. Her warmth was captured for man by Grandmother Spiderwoman's web.

Walo - Aboriginal Goddess who travelled across the sky with her daughter, Bar. One day Walo realized that the reason the earth was parched was due to their combined heat, she then sent her daughter back to the east so that the earth could become fertile and bloom.

Wuriupranili - Another Aboriginal sun deity who lit a bark torch and carried the flame through the sky from east to west. At the western sea, she dipped it in the water, then used the embers to guide her under the earth to reach her starting point again.

Wurusemu - Ancient Hittite sun Goddess. She is also known as Arinna.

Xatel-Ekwa - Hungarian Goddess, like many other ancient European solar Goddesses she is linked with horses as she rode through the air on her three steeds.

The solar deities are one aspect of the Goddessses associated with heat. I have also written another page dedicated to the fire Goddesses.

Discover the other seasonal Goddesses by following the links to the following pages: spring Goddesses to find the Goddesses that represent the rebirth and renewal of spring time. 

In traditional societies Autumn/Fall was not considered to be a separate season, it was the harvest at the end of summer. The section of this site that most closely reflects this aspect of the Goddess is the page on fertility Goddesses.