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sun god

sun god

6 7.2
A god who stands for the sun in religion and stories
  • noun
  • /sʌn ɡɑd/
  • Literature
translation icon : dios del sol
  • Here, archaeologists stand on a platform that was once part of a complex dedicated to the worship of the sun god.

So Helio meaning the sun is in Helios, the sun God in Greek.

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Examples

  • With each new dawn, I see the sun god rise on the far bank of the Nile.

  • He thinks the sun god will protect him.

  • Now he is nothing, nobody less than the sun God himself.

  • The sun god is a patron of Troy, our enemy.

  • I am the descendant of Ra, the sun god.

  • They were symbolic imitations of the sun god, placed at the center of temples dedicated to him.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Scientists, scanning their computers, estimate that 130,000,000 sun-dried adobe bricks went to build this temple to the sun god.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • As one example, thousands of years before the birth of Jesus, the Egyptians worshiped the sun god/sky god they named Horus, a god of divine origin who was "born" during the winter solstice.

    Blog text (5)
  • The major deity most frequently represented in catalogues of Old Babylonian cylinders is the sun god Shamash, shown ascending with his saw with which he cuts decisions.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The ancient Egyptians built temples to honor the sun god Ra.

Synonyms

Ra
vssun god
  • Literature
58 9.9

An ancient Egyptian sun god often shown with a hawk's head

is a general name for any deity representing that celestial light rather than culture specifics
Sol
vssun god
  • Literature
46 9.8

A Roman god who stands for the sun and daylight

is the general term for any deity linked to that celestial light
Helios
vssun god
  • Literature
5 9.0

The ancient Greek sun god who drives his chariot across the sky

is the broader label for any deity tied to that celestial light
Aton
vssun god
  • Literature
2 9.9

The sun god that Pharaoh Akhenaten made the only god in ancient Egypt

is the general idea of a deity linked to that celestial light without exclusivity
Re
vssun god
  • Literature
2 9.9

An ancient Egyptian sun god who travels across the sky

is the general category for deities connected to that celestial light
Sekhmet
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.9

Egyptian goddess with a lion's head who represents the sun's power to destroy

is the neutral term for any deity associated with that same celestial light
Surya
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.5

A Hindu god who is the sun and gives light and warmth

is the general concept for any deity associated with that life-giving light
Khepri
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.9

An ancient Egyptian god shown as a scarab beetle who renews the sun each morning

covers all deities associated with that celestial light rather than a single phase
Khepera
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.9

A god of the morning sun in ancient Egypt who often appears as a beetle

is the general category for deities tied to that celestial light across times of day
Utu
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.9

The sun god in ancient Sumerian stories who brings light and fairness

is the general term for a deity tied to that same celestial light
Savitar
vssun god
  • Literature
1 9.9

A major Hindu god of the sun who gives life

is the wider term for any deity associated with that life-giving celestial light
Utug
vssun god
  • Literature
9.9

A Sumerian sun god who brings light and justice

is the generic label for any deity linked to that shared celestial light
Amon-Ra
vssun god
  • Literature
9.9

A powerful ancient Egyptian sun god seen as creator and ruler of the gods

is the simpler category name for any deity associated with that celestial light
Amun Ra
vssun god
  • Literature
9.9

An Egyptian sun god formed by joining Amun and Ra, worshipped as the main god in Thebes

is the general concept for deities connected to that same celestial light
Savitr
vssun god
  • Literature
9.9

A Hindu sun god often shown riding across the sky and praised for giving life

is the broader concept for deities tied to that same life-giving celestial light

Surface Forms

sun god singular
sun gods plural

Morphology

Sun + god

The meaning 'a god associated with the sun' is directly and compositionally built from the constituents 'sun' (the star) and 'god' (a worshipped supernatural being), so a learner who knows both words can infer the compound meaning. This compound is also cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'dios del sol', French 'dieu du soleil', Japanese '太陽神'), reinforcing its transparency for B1 learners.

Etymology

Sun god comes from a simple picture: ancient people watched the bright, life-giving sun and imagined it as a powerful god. So 'sun god' means a god who 'represents' or is connected to the sun.