Sol - The Driver of the Sun Chariot

The sun, the sister of the moon, from the south

Her right hand cast over heaven's rim.

No knowledge she had where her home should be,

The moon knew not what might was his,

The stars knew not where their stations were.

Norse mythology personifies the sun, which is one of the most powerful forces on earth to a goddess. This is somewhat contradictory to most mythologies such as Egyptian and Greek, which consider the sun to be a god. Norse mythology identifies this goddess as Sol, or as some texts mention Sunna. The goddess is said to drive across the sky each day, pulled by the horses Allsvinn which has the meaning Very Fast and Arvak which has the meaning Early Rising. The goddess is believed to possess the power of creating life and sustaining it. She is also worshiped for her healing powers.

The origin of the goddess is unclear, even though all stories strongly agree with the fact, that the sun and the moon are siblings. Some stories, especially those related to the origin story of Norse mythology, state that the sun, the moon, and the stars are created by Odin and his brothers. After slaying the giant Ymir, the three creator gods, Odin, Vili, and Ve, created the world from the body of the dead giant. The Sun, Moon, and Stars were made from the gathered sparks that shot forth from Muspellsheim, which is the realm of fire. But the Sun stood still without a driver. On seeing the beautiful Sol who is radiant just like the sun, the gods decided to task her with the role of driving the sun across the heavens.

In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, Sol is described as the daughter of Mundilfari. As for the text, Mundilfari had two children, a son, and a daughter. The children were so beautiful, so they were named after the celestial bodies, the sun, and the moon. Their names became Sól and Maani. Mundilfari was arrogant about his children’s beauty. The gods were angered when his daughter Sol married a man named Glenr. The marriage angered the gods, even though the literature does not clearly state what caused the anger of the gods. Regardless of the reason, the gods took both Sol and Maani from their father and made them drive the chariots of the celestial bodies. Most argue that this is the punishment Mundilfari received for his arrogance.

In the poem Vafþrúðnismál it is mentioned,

Mundilferi is he who began the moon,

And fathered the flaming sun;

The round of heaven each day they run,

To tell the time for men.

Little is known about Glenr and Mundilfari, to know about their contribution to the wrath of gods. According to Gylfaginning, Glenr is also an alternative name for Glær, one of the horses listed among those ridden by the gods. So many are inclined to believe, that while Sol was turned into the sun, her husband is turned into a horse by the gods.

Sol’s sun Chariot is drawn by two golden horses, Allsvinn and Arvak. Unlike the moon, the sun is too bright and hot, for the two horses. So the gods placed talismans called the Isarnkol, which hangs above their shoulders to constantly spread cool mists, protecting them from heat as they rode. Both horses are only mentioned in the poems Gylfaginning and Grimnismal, but in them, their names are frequently associated with descriptions of the Sun. In the poem Grímnismal, Odin describes the sun as the shining god. In it, Odin explains that the sun is covered by the magical shield named Svalinn. Odin further explains that without the shield, all mountains and seas would burn up. The name Svalinn means cold or chill. Just as the name suggests, Svalinn would cool the brightness of the sun, before its scorching rays reach the human world. On days the Svalinn grows weak, the days become hotter.

Legends also explain the reason why the sun moves so quickly, almost as if she is running away from something she fears. That is because the goddess is chased by the fearsome wolf named Sköll, who intends to devour her. The goddess has no power to defeat the wolf, so she runs across the heavens every day to escape from it. It is said that sometimes the wolf comes so close that he is able to take a bite out of the Sun, which causes a solar eclipse. But with her healing powers, the goddess would heal herself, and so would restore the powers of the sun. As for some legends, Skoll is a son of Fenrir. Despite her best efforts, during Ragnarok, the wolf is destined to devour Sol, and join his father Fenrir for the final battle. The legends also add, that before her prophesized death, Sol would give birth to a daughter, who is just as beautiful and powerful as Sol herself. After the events of Ragnarök, Sól's legacy will be continued by her daughter.

The text Merseburg charms, mentions that the sun goddess has a sister named Sinthgunt. Sinthgunt is almost unknown since her existence is only mentioned in Merseburg charms. It is said, the two sisters together performed a healing ritual, to heal a fallen horse. Other than in the healing ritual, the role of Sinthgunt is unknown. So many theories and arguments have formed around her placement in the realm of gods. Some claim that Sinthgunt is the opposite of Sol, and thereby represents darkness and cold. In relation to these attributes, Sinthgunt is said to be the creator of the shield Svalinn, which covers the sun. So the appearance of Sinthgunt in the healing story is not to contribute to the healing ritual but to protect the horse from her sister's brightness. Also there is a theory that suggests Sinthgunt is a personification of a star. Others argue that Sinthgunt is only another aspect of Sol and not a separate entity. This is based on the theory that even though Fulla and Frigg as mentioned as separate entities, Fulla is considered just an aspect of Frigg. But unlike the case of Fulla and Frigg, there is not enough evidence to say the same about Sinthgunt and Sol. In fact, there is not enough evidence for any of the claims on Sinthgunt to suggest her role in Norse mythology.

Even though little is known about the goddess Sol, she has played an important role in the lives of people. This is backed by many archeological findings that were found during this era which bear the image of the goddess. The god Thor himself was curious about the sun goddess. In the poem Alvíssmál, the god Thor questions the dwarf Alvíss, about the Sun goddess. He asked the dwarf how the Sun is called in each of the worlds. Alvíss responds that it is called sun by mankind, sunshine by the gods, Dvalinn's deluder by the dwarves, everglow by the jötnar, the lovely wheel by the elves, and all-shining by the sons of the Æsir. This suggests that every realm referred to the sun in a positive manner, suggesting that the goddess was not just respected in the realm of the humans, but also played an important role in other realms as well.