Helios was the Sun god in Greek mythology. As the god of the
Sun, Helios was thought to ride a chariot drawn by horses through
the sky, bringing light to the earth. The journey of the Sun,
naturally, began in the East and ended in the West, at which point
Helios completed his daily rounds and floated back to his Eastern
palace in a golden bowl. Details of this compelling description of
Helios's role as Sun god appear in myth, literature, poetry, and
art.
According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Helios was the son of two
Titans - Theia and Hyperion. In Hesiod's Theogony, therefore,
Helios was also the brother of Eos (the goddess of Dawn) and Selene
(the goddess of the Moon). It is interesting to note that the Dawn
goddess Eos began the procession of morning, followed closely by
her brother Helios.
There are several myths in which Helios plays a part. One of the
most memorable of these tales is the legend of Phaethon. The Sun
god also appears in the sad story of the ill-fated nymph Clytie.
However, Helios is at his best as a sort of heavenly spy, from whom
not much can be kept secret. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, the
goddess Demeter asks Helios for assistance in locating her daughter
Persephone. Likewise, it is the Sun god who first notices the
affair that is taking place between the Olympians Aphrodite and
Ares in the Odyssey.
Helios was also the father to some important mythical
characters. With his wife, the Oceanid Perseis, Helios had three
legendary children - Circe, Pasiphae, and Aeetes (incidentally, the
couple had a number of other, less illustrious, children). The god
also had numerous relationships with women that resulted in the
birth of offspring. The aforementioned Phaethon, for example, was
the product of such a union. These "children of the Sun" were
sometimes referred to as Heliades in Greek mythology and
literature.
Helios is also sometimes known by the name of Apollo
Helios was known by the name Sol in Roman mythology.
