Appreciation for the sun existed as far back as the time of the Egyptians! Ra was the Egyptian sun god (also referred to as Re-Horakhty, meaning “Horus of the Horizon”) who the Egyptians believed created the world. For the Egyptians, the rising sun was a symbol of creation. The sun rose and then set, only to rise again the next day, thus representing a sense of renewal. Ra was seen as the force of creation and master of life. During the 5th Dynasty, early worshipers of Ra built pyramids that aligned with the rising and setting sun. They also built solar temples honoring him.

It was believed that while the king ruled the earth, Ra ruled the universe. Because of his association with the both-human-and-god king, Ra's image became embodied in the symbol of a falcon named Horus, resulting in his final image of a winged sun disk. This icon remained constant in the temples and religious monuments up until the end of the Egyptian periods. Ra was worshiped from approximately 2134 BC to 1668 BC!

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Another deity of the sun exists in Greek mythology. Apollo, the son of Zeus, represented the sun, light, clarity, and truth. As a golden haired, extremely athletic Grecian bo-hunk, Apollo was an archer, and a musical master of the lyre. Undoubtedly, all the ladies and nymphs adored Apollo; however, he did experience rejection with the nymph Daphne, his first love. Because Apollo had been teasing Eros (more commonly known as Cupid) about his puniness, Eros plotted to seek revenge upon Apollo. Eros shot Apollo with a gold-tipped arrow. Apollo immediately became inflamed with love for Daphne. Unfortunately, at the same time, Eros shot Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow, infusing her with complete disgust for Apollo. When Daphne was running from Apollo, she summoned Mother Earth to help her. To her satisfaction, Daphne was transformed into a Laurel tree, and Apollo left feeling rejected.

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