ABSTRACT
The Sun, or rather its god, called Sol by the Romans. Hyperion (‘going above’) and Phoebus (‘shining’) were both once names or titles of his, but became dissociated from him. Hyperion was sometimes said to be Helios’ father, and the name Phoebus was also applied to Apollo, who in later times was made into a sun-god and identified with Helios since the latter, like him, was equipped with arrows (the sun’s rays). As one who saw and heard everything, Helios was called upon to witness oaths; and Demeter consulted him to discover Persephone’s whereabouts. But he was little worshipped and, apart from the story of Phaethon, occurs rarely in myth. In the story of Phaethon, Helios was described as a charioteer drawn by a team of four fiery steeds, traversing the sky by day from east to west, and heralded by Eos, the Dawn, who rode her carriage in front of his. According to later stories he returned to the east by night in a huge golden cup floating round by way of the Ocean, whose stream girdled the earth.
