Seh₂ul is the Proto-Indo-European Deity of the sun, they are related to Meh₁not the deity of the moon, they are the eye of Dyēus, their descendants in later Indo-Europeans Religions are Helios, Sulis, Sol, Saule, and others.
Mythology[]
Role[]
Seh₂ul has the same role as that of their descendants has, they are the bringer of the day with a chariot headed by the Divine Twins, when the day ends Seh₂ul uses their chariot to hide the sun and for their brother Meh₁not to bring the moon, they also have the title of the "Eye of Dyēus", because they are always watching the mortals above so that they do not commit various crimes, and by extension calls Dyēus with the purpose of make the law.
This role is based on the functions of various Indo-Europeans solar deities like: The Roman Sol Invictus, The Vedic Surya, and The Persian Hvare-khshaeta, all of them being vigilantes and working as the eyes of their respective King of the Gods and as the one who brings the day with a chariot.
Gender[]
Unlike Dyeus and Dhegom whose gender is consistent through out the names of their descendants, the gender of Seh₂ul is uncertain as their etymological descendants are not consistent on their gender.
The gods who are male are the Albanian Dielli, the Greek Helios, the Hindu Surya, the Persian Hvare-khshaeta, and the Roman Sol.
The gods who are female are the Celtic Sulis, the Norse Sol, the Germanic Sowilo, the Hittite UTU-lliya, and the Baltic Saule.
As you can see it is an even split of women and men therefore it is inconclusive to determine Seh₂ul's gender.
Relationship to Meh₁not[]
The relationship between Seh₂ul and Meh₁not is unclear but they are definitely related in one form or another. The common depictions of the pair in descendant Indo-European mythologies are either siblings or lovers.
In Greek, Roman, Norse, and Slavic tradition states the Sun and the Moon are siblings. While in Albanian and Baltic traditions they are lovers, although the Albanian tradition sometimes make them siblings. The Hittite, Celtic, Hindu, Persian, and Armenian traditions are unclear or are not stated as to the exact relationship the Sun and Moon deity have.
The Sun Maiden[]
A character related to the Sun deity is the 'Sun-maiden', she is Seh₂ul's daughter. It is unclear what relationship she has with the Divine Twins, whether she is her brothers or lovers though it is still present in descendant mythologies. The following figures are descendants of this figure.
Helen of Troy[]
Hellen of Troy is a demigoddess from Greco-Roman mythology and she is a descendant of The Sun Maiden, although Hellen isn't directly related to Helios, she is still however have some characteristics of The Sun Maiden, because Hellen is siblings with Kastor and Polydeukes who are the Divine-Twins (for they are children of the king), which are related to the Solar deity in the Indo-European Cosmogony.
The Saules Meitas[]
The Saules Meitas (Daughters of the Sun in Latvian) are the daughters of the sun goddess Saule. The daughters have a relationship with the Dieva Dēli (Dievas’ Sons, a common epithet of the Divine Twins). Both of them play and work together. Sometimes Dievas and Saule become enraged at each other because of their respective children, as, for example, when the Dieva dēli broke the rings of the Saules meitas or when the Saules meitas shatter the swords of the Dieva dēli. Their enmity lasts three days, which some scholars explain through natural phenomena; i.e., the three days before the new moon when Dievs, a substitute for the moon, is not visible.[1] The Saules meitas were married to the Dieva deli, the twin sons of the Sky god although in another myth, the Dieva deli were members of the bridal party, when the Saules Meita married Meness.[2] And the Ašvieniai are the ones who rides the chariot of Saule.
Sūryā[]
Sūryā is the daughter of the Hindu sun god Surya (or Savitr). In the Rigveda , Surya is sometimes described as the bride of the twin Ashvins, and sometimes the bride of the Moon god, Soma.[2] Also the Ashvins, were the sons of Surya the Hindu descendant of Seh₂ul.
E Bija e Hënës dhe e Diellit[]
In Albanian mythology and folklore, the E Bija e Hënës dhe e Diellit (the Daughter of the Moon and the Sun) is the dauther of Hëna and Dielli. She is the as pika e qiellit ("drop of the sky" or "lightning") which falls everywhere from heaven on the mountains and the valleys and strikes pride and evil. In the legends she helps a hero winning a fight against a kulshedra. Sometimes described with a star on her forehead and a moon on her chest, her victory over the kulshedra symbolizes the supremacy of the deity of the sky over that of the underworld.
The Eye of Dyēus[]
There is an epithet for Seh₂ul and that is The Eye of Dyēus. In Eurpides' play Medea, she calls her grandfather Helios, "the god's lamp" and in general ancient Greek poetry as "the eye of Zeus" to refer to Helios . In Beowulf , the narration describes the sun as ''heaven's candle''. In a Hittite prayer tablet the Sun-goddess of Arinna is called "the land of Hatti's torch". In Zoroastrianism Hvare-khshaeta is called "the eye of Ahura Mazda". The names of Celtic sun goddesses like Sulis and Grian may also allude to this association: the words for "eye" and "sun" are switched in these languages, hence the name of the goddesses. Besas (Albanian solemn oaths) are taken "by the eye of the Sun" (për sy të Diellit), which is related to the Sky-God worship (Zojz).
In Egyptian mythology there exists the concept of the Eye of Ra, that is similar to the Indo-European concept of the Eye of Dyēus, as in the Egyptian cosmogony, the Eye of Ra is referred to as the eyes of the gods, which manifests as a symbol of protection and justice, however Proto-Indo-European mythology is not connected with Egyptian mythology, therefore the similarities between Seh₂ul and the Eye of Ra are pure coincidences.
Legacy[]
Modern Indo-European Languages[]
In many languages derived from Latin like Spanish, French, Italian and many others, they use the Latin word sol or any word derived from sol like the French soleil or the Italian sole. Though English is a Germanic language, it has many influences from Latin, like the word solar is used in both English and Spanish and even has the same meaning "Of or related to the sun".
Christianity[]
When the local pagan Indo-Europeans religions were replaced by Christianity, both angels and saints have gotten some characteristics of those pagan gods, Eijah has characteristics from Helios due to both using a chariot of fire, Saint Michael in his iconography in Christian art has resemblance to the iconography of various solar deities like the Greek Helios and the Roman Sol.
In Popular Culture[]
Many descendants of Seh₂ul appear in many movies, series, video games, books, etc.
- In Hercules the animated series by Disney; Helios has a little cameo and Helen of Troy is a recurring character as a possible potential love for Hercules.
- In the God of War series, Helios is a recurring character and co-protagonist in the video game God of War Ragnarok in the DLC Valhalla.
- Sól is a playable character in the video game Smite.
- The Saules Meitas were featured in the Latvian version of season 2 of The Masked Singer. She was unmasked and revealed to be Anmary.