Humanities History & Culture Helios - Greek God of the Sun Share Flipboard Email Print Image ID: 1623916 Adulterium in Dijs Punitum. [[Venus and Mars surprised by Vulcan]] Helios, the Sun, looks on. NYPL Digital Gallery History & Culture Ancient History & Culture Mythology & Religion Basics Major Figures & Events Ancient Languages Greece & Sparta Egypt Asia Rome Literature American History African American History African History Asian History European History Genealogy Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More by N.S. Gill's Ancient/Classical History Glossary Updated March 07, 2017 Definition: Helios is the Greek sun god and the sun itself. He is equated with the Roman Sol. Helios drives a chariot led by four fire-breathing horses across the sky each day. At night he is carried back to his starting place in a great divinely-wrought cup. In Mimnermus (fl. 37th Olympiad; Ionian Greek poet), Helios' vehicle is a winged, golden bed. From his lofty traveling vehicle, Helios sees everything that happens during the day, so he acts as tale-bearer to the gods. Persephone StoryHelios saw Hades abducting Persephone. Demeter didn't think to ask him about her missing daughter but wandered the earth morosely for months until her friend, the witchcraft goddess Hekate suggested that Helios might have been an eye witness.Venus and Mars Caught in a Net StoryHelios owed Hephaestus for the cup that carries him to his morning daily starting point, which the smithy god had made for him, so when he witnessed an event of importance to Hephaestus, he didn't keep it to himself. He hurried to reveal the affair between Hephaestus' wife Aphrodite and Ares.Parentage and FamilyAlthough Hyperion may simply be part of Helios' name, usually Helios' parents are the Titans Hyperion and Theia; his sisters are Selene and Eos. Helios married the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, Perseis or Perse, by whom he had Aeetes, Circe, and Pasiphae. By the Oceanid Clymene, Helios had a son Phaethon and maybe Augeas, and 3 daughters, Aegiale, Aegle, and Aetheria. These 3 daughters and two Helios had by Neaera, Lampetie, and Phaethusa, were known as the Heliades.Sun God: Helios to ApolloAround the time of Euripides, the sun of Helios became identified with Apollo.Source: Oskar Seyffert (1894) A Dictionary of Classical AntiquitiesGo to Other Ancient / Classical History Glossary pages beginning with the lettera | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | wxyz Pronunciation: 'hē.lē.osAlso Known As: HyperionAlternate Spellings: Helius citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Glossary, N.S. Gill's Ancient/Classical History. "Helios - Greek God of the Sun." ThoughtCo, Aug. 15, 2016, thoughtco.com/helios-greek-god-of-the-sun-119008. Glossary, N.S. Gill's Ancient/Classical History. (2016, August 15). Helios - Greek God of the Sun. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/helios-greek-god-of-the-sun-119008 Glossary, N.S. Gill's Ancient/Classical History. "Helios - Greek God of the Sun." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/helios-greek-god-of-the-sun-119008 (accessed April 23, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading