Norse Sun Gods: Sol/Sunna by Raven Ebonywing

Sol has two different names and your ancestry is what determines how you would address her as either Sunna or Sol. Northern European Vikings addressed her as Sol whereas Southern addressed her as Sunna. I will be calling her Sol considering I come from Norwegian and northern European descent. The modern English word “Sun” derives from the goddess in her “Sunna” aspect.

Most pagan pantheons see the sun as masculine and the moon as feminine. However, much like the Shinto religion the sun is seen as receptive and the moon projective. The reason for this is because, in the ancient Asatru regions winters were harsh. So, when the sun came, she was nurturing as a receptive mother energy is. Sol brings life, happiness, motivation, enthusiasm, joy and growth of all living things. The Vikings saw her as a goddess to turn to in a time of distress as she is seen to help with depression and shadow work. When calling upon her, she fills your heart with warmth and assists in showing you how to lift the dark clouds from your path.

In relation, the rune in which represents Sol is Sowilo. Working with this rune brings life, success and empowerment to the person rune crafting. It much like the sun and Sol are a positive natural life force. The goddess prefers offerings of fruit and fruit juice, but I have also found that she loves vanilla. Colors in which represent her in altar space are gold, yellow, white, red and those of summer tones. You may also want to have live plants on your altar to show respect to living beings much smaller than you. Sol is a deity who does not require much as far as materialism. She does though require that we respect the Earth and all her living things for each plant, animal and blade of grass is her child; she is the mother goddess in Asatru. To disrespect and pollute our home would be to harm the things Sol cares about the most, this is the worst form of disrespect to any of the Asatru sky deities. As far as time of worship, Sol is usually worshiped in bonfire rituals during the midsummer solstice when night and day are equal.

The lore of Mani and Sol in Norse Mythology is one of my favorite stories. In the creation story, the sun, moon and starts were created by the fire sparks of fire giants in Muspelheim. It is said that she carries the sun across the sky while riding a golden chariot pulled by the golden horses Arvakr and Alsvidr. She is pursued by the wolf Skoll, when this wolf bites Sal it causes a solar eclipse. Bringing us to the story of Ragnarök in The Poetic Edda, the end of times starts when mother goddess is devoured by Skoll bringing forth a period of eternal darkness. But, this is not the absolute end, only the end of a cycle. Rebirth will happen gifting us a new world and new beginnings.

 

Works Cited:

Arith Härger. “Introduction to: The Goddess Sunna.” YouTube, uploaded by Arith Härger, 17 July 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjuYfHMPUNA

RavenzCraft Arts. “Goddesses Of The Norse Series Episode 4 Sunna Goddess of the Sun.” YouTube, uploaded by RavenzCraft Arts, 30 June 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hElF6h_Feu4.

Crawford, Jackson. The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes (Hackett Classics). Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2015.

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