Helios

Helios, later known as Phoebus Apollo, was the god of the sun in pagan Greek mythology. Portrayed as a relatively young man, Helios was often depicted as traversing the sky in a chariot pulled by four white horses with winged hooves.^[1] It is evident from the various ancient literary sources which have survived that Helios was once one of the Titans, and thus a separate deity from Apollo, but over time the two Gods tended to be combined, with the deceitful Helios the loser. The most famous story of Helios himself regards the death of his son Phaethon, and closely parallels the later legend of Daedalus and Icarus.

The Colossus of Rhodes was meant to depict Helios.

References[edit]

1. ↑ Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book 2, lines 1-400