Helios
("sun")
The sun god,
who pulled the sun across the sky with his chariot. His parents were the Titans
Hypherion and Thea, and he had two sisters: Selene, the moon goddess and Eos,
goddess of the dawn.
During the night, Helios traveled back to the east in a golden cup.
He had a son, Phaeto, who died trying to ride his father's chariot. Helios
had cattle on the island Thrinacea (Sicily) and when Odysseus and his crew
came to the island Odysseus made the men swear an oath not to touch the holy
cattle. When he went away the men slaughtered the best oxens and the punishment
was fierce. The boat sunk when they set off and all the men except Odysseus
drowned.
The Colossus of Rhodes was an image of him, and it was considered one of the
seven wonders of the ancient world.
