The winged sun is a solar symbol associated with divinity, Royal family, and power in the Ancient Near East (Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Ancient Persia). The Illyrian Sun-deity is also represented as a winged sun.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, the symbol is attested from the
Old Kingdom (
Sneferu, 26th century BC ), often flanked on either side with a
uraeus.
Behdety
In early Egyptian religion, the symbol Behdety represented
Horus of
Edfu, later identified with
Ra-Horakhty. It is sometimes depicted on the neck of Apis, the bull of
Ptah. As time passed (according to interpretation) all of the subordinated gods of Egypt were considered to be aspects of the sun god, including
Khepri. The name "Behdety" means the inhabitant of
Behdet.
He was the sky god of the region called Behdet in the Nile Basin.
His image was first found in the inscription on a comb's body, as a winged solar panel. The period of the comb is about 3000 BC. Such winged solar panels were later found in the funeral picture of Sahure of the fifth dynasty. Behdety is seen as the protector of Pharaoh. On both sides of his picture are seen the Uraeus, which is a symbol for the cobra-headed goddess Wadjet.
He resisted the intense heat of Egyptian sun with his two wings.
Mesopotamia
From roughly 2000 BCE, the symbol also appears in
Mesopotamia. It appears in reliefs with
rulers as a symbol for royalty, transcribed into
Latin as SOL SUUS (literally, "his own self, the Sun", i.e. "His Majesty").
Illyria
Early figurative evidence of the celestial cult in
Illyria is provided by 6th century BCE plaques from
Lake Shkodra, which belonged to the
Illyrians tribal area of what was referred in historical sources to as the
Labeatae in later times. Each of those plaques portray simultaneously sacred representations of the sky and the sun, and symbolism of lightning and fire, as well as the
sacred tree and birds (eagles). In those plaques there is a recurrent mythological representation of the celestial deity: the Sun deity animated with a face and two wings, throwing lightning into a fire altar, which in some plaques is held by two men (sometimes on two boats).
Iran
In
Zoroastrian Persia, the symbol of the winged sun became part of the iconography of the
Faravahar, the symbol of the divine power and royal glory in Persian culture.
Judah
From around the 8th century BC, the winged solar disk appears on
Hebrews seals connected to the royal house of the Kingdom of Judah. Many of these are seals and jar handles from
Hezekiah's reign, together with the inscription
l'melekh ("belonging to the king").
Typically, Hezekiah's royal seals feature two downward-pointing wings and six rays emanating from the central sun disk, and some are flanked on either side with the Egyptian
ankh ("key of life") symbol.
Prior to this, there are examples from the seals of servants of king
Ahaz and of king
Uzziah.
Compare also Malachi 4:2, referring to a winged "Sun of righteousness",
Greece
The winged sun is conventionally depicted as the knob of the
caduceus, the staff of
Hermes.
Modern use
Various groups such as
Freemasonry,
Rosicrucianism,
Thelema, Theosophy, and
Unity Church have also used it. The symbol was used on the cover of Charles Taze Russell's textbook series
Studies in the Scriptures beginning with the 1911 editions.
The winged sun symbol is also cited by proponents of the Pseudoscience Nibiru cataclysm.
Implied Secular use
A winged sun is used in the heraldry of the North America Trade Directory.
Variations of the symbol are used as a trademark logo on vehicles produced by the Chrysler Corporation, Mini, Bentley, Lagonda and Harley Davidson.
Since WW2, military aircraft of the United States have carried the insignia of a circle with stripes extending from each side like wings. Whether this is coincidental or some symbolic resemblance was intended is unknown. A five-pointed star is inscribed within the circle.
Regarding its video game usage, the symbol has become a common motif in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, most notably featured on Title sequence displaying the main character, as well as a stylized version appearing as a symbol for religious mechanics and buildings in Civilization VI, among others.
See also
Bibliography
-
R. Mayer, Opificius, Die geflügelte Sonne, Himmels- und Regendarstellungen im Alten Vorderasien, UF 16 (1984) 189-236.
-
D. Parayre, Carchemish entre Anatolie et Syrie à travers l'image du disque solaire ailé (ca. 1800-717 av. J.-C.), Hethitica 8 (1987) 319-360.
-
D. Parayre, Les cachets ouest-sémitiques à travers l'image du disque solaire ailé, Syria 67 (1990) 269-314.
External links
