Mystical Mythology of the World

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THE SUN AND THE MOON

For thousands of years, the sun and moon have filled man with inspiration, admiration and fear.

The sun, the bringer of light, heat and fire, is one of the most crucial elements needed on Earth for life. Without the sun, life would perish rapidly. It is therefore unsurprising that many human cultures have worshipped the sun, and sometimes the moon, in acknowledgement of their importance, their beauty and their magnificent powers.

Throughout the thousands of religions across the globe, the sun and the moon have been said to be a bewildering range of entities, from the eyes of a giant in Chinese mythology to sparks of fire tossed into the air according to the Norse belief. More often, however, the sun and moon are personified as gods.


 

Sun and Moon

 

Although many sources contend that solar deities are generally male, and the brother, father, husband and/or enemy of the lunar deity (usually female), this is not cross-culturally upheld, as sun goddesses are found on every continent. The dualism of sun/male/light and moon/female/darkness is indeed found in European traditions that derive from Orphic And Gnostic philosophies, but many other European cultures saw the sun as a maternal force, as did many other cultures. In some cultures, such as the Scandinavian, some scholars have misread or misstated the primary texts in order to declare a male divinity the "sun god".

We may know far more about the sun and moon today, but these two celestial bodies do not cease to continue to inspire man with awe, wonder and respect.

Sun Worship THE SUN: A solar deity is a deity who represents the sun. People have worshipped the sun and solar deities for all of recorded history.

 
Moon Worship THE MOON: A lunar deity is a deity who represents the moon. Although the moon has not had great prominence in the history of religion, the worship of it has been known since earliest recorded time—in the oldest literatures of Egypt, Babylonia, India, and China—and still exists today in various parts of the world, particularly among certain African and Native American groups.
 

Night and day
in your worship
I forget myself

Akka Mahadevi, Sunlight made visible (12th century)


 

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