Helios

Ἥλιος

The Greek sun god, charioteer of the dawn, all-seeing guardian of oaths

Helios (Ἥλιος) is the Greek word for the sun and the god who is the sun. In Greek tradition he is the son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and the brother of Selene, the Moon, and Eos, Dawn. Each dawn he rises from Ocean in a golden chariot drawn by four horses and crosses the whole sky to the far west. Nothing escapes his gaze, so he was counted a guardian of oaths.

On the island of Rhodes he was the chief god, and the Colossus of Rhodes stood in his honour. Elsewhere in classical Greece his cult was modest. The Homeric Hymn to Helios is the main early portrait of him. Today Hellenic polytheists still honour him, including at the solstices.

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Ἥλιος

No. 270

How to recognise Helios

Radiant crownA crown or halo of straight sun-rays around the head is his key mark, though the Homeric Hymn instead describes a golden helmet with bright rays beaming from him.
Youthful face and golden hairHe is a handsome, beardless young god with bright golden locks streaming from his temples, and his face is calm and far-seeing.
Glowing, fluttering garmentThe Hymn describes a fine-spun garment that glows and flutters in the wind, and the Troy relief shows a floating mantle that stresses the speed of the sun's rise.
Golden chariotHe drives a golden chariot, usually shown with him standing and holding the reins, which carries the sun across the sky.
Four horsesFour horses run abreast, usually said to be white and often winged in Greek vase painting, and their names vary by author (Ovid gives Pyrois, Eous, Aethon and Phlegon).
Rising from the seaThe Parthenon east pediment and a metope from Troy both show his team surging out of the waves at dawn, and the Parthenon horses toss their heads back as the chariot dashes up.
Rooster and whipThe rooster was sacred to him because it announces the sunrise, and a whip for the horses is an optional attribute.

Names and titles

The Tireless OneThe Homeric Hymn calls Helios tireless, as he drives across the sky each day
Who Gives Joy to MortalsHomer describes Helios as a god who gives joy to mortals
Patron God of RhodesOn Rhodes he was the chief god, to whom the island belonged
The All-Seeing SunHe was the god of sight and a guardian of oaths, because his gaze takes in everything
Rising from OceanAt dawn his chariot rises from the sea, as shown on the Parthenon east pediment and the Troy metope

Feast days

Iliouyænna / Heliogenna22 December, every year

A modern Hellenic polytheist solstice festival, the name meaning roughly 'birth of the Sun'. Devotees honour Helios as the days begin to lengthen again after the winter solstice. It is also called Heliogenna.
How it's celebrated. Observers light candles, burn incense, pray and pour libations to Helios, Selene and Eos at dawn and sunset. Some keep a night of remembrance and then greet the sunrise. Length varies: the original outline ran nine days, and Hellenion's version takes two. Southern Hemisphere devotees keep it after the June solstice. Communities disagree over whether it is ancient or modern.
Sources: HellenicGods.org: Iliouyænna / Heliogenna · Hellenion: Heliogenna Festival · Patheos (Hearth Witch Down Under): Heliogenna
Summer Solstice Festival of Helios21 June, every year

A modern observance in which some Hellenic polytheists honour Helios at the midsummer solstice, when the Sun is at its height. Little is recorded about a fixed form, and it is not the same as the winter Iliouyænna.
How it's celebrated. Some calendars list a Festival of Helios on 21 June. Practice is mostly individual: dawn greetings to the Sun, incense, libations, sun-shaped honey cakes, and sometimes a feast, music and dancing. Some also honour other gods at the solstice, such as Demeter, Dionysos or Apollo. The ancient Rhodian Halieia for Helios was a separate summer festival.
Sources: Temple of the Greek Gods: Hellenic Calendar/Holy Days · A Hellenic Herald: Summer Solstice (Litha) · Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities: Halia