Helios

Culture: Ancient Greek   Domain: The sun

Helios, a Titan, personifies the sun and drives it across the sky in a golden chariot, seeing everything that happens beneath him, which made him a natural god to invoke as a witness to oaths. His son Phaethon's disastrous attempt to drive the chariot is among the best-known cautionary myths of Greek literature.

Associations

The sun, visibility and clear sight, vitality, oaths (as an all-seeing witness).

Ways people honor him (modern)

• Spend deliberate time in sunlight, safely and in moderation
• Invoke honesty and visibility when making an important promise
• Keep a sun-warmed stone or coin as a personal token
• Read the myth of Phaethon as a caution about overreaching one's role

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.