Sun myths and legends

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The Sun Birds Plummeting to Earth as Three-Legged Crows

🐉 Chinese MythologyKunlun Mountains, Xinjiang, ChinaHou Yi • Xihe • Di Jun

In ancient times, ten sun birds rose simultaneously, threatening to incinerate the Earth with their combined heat. The divine archer Hou Yi was dispatched to the heights of the Kunlun Mountains to save humanity, shooting down nine of the rogue suns. As each arrow struck its mark, the blazing suns transformed into three-legged golden crows and plummeted to the earth, leaving only one sun to...

Sinfjötli Dying After Being Poisoned by the Vengeful Queen Borghild

🪓 Norse MythologyBorg Chieftain's Hall, Lofoten, NorwaySinfjötli • Sigmund • Borghild

Following a dispute over a woman that led to the death of Queen Borghild’s brother, the hero Sinfjötli is targeted by his stepmother in a deceptive funeral feast. Despite his father Sigmund's attempts to protect him by drinking the poisoned ale himself, Sinfjötli is eventually forced by pride and circumstance to consume the final toxic draft. This tragic end to the fiercest of the Völsung...

The Jade Emperor Granting Sun Wukong the Mocking Title of Protector of the Horses

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Tai (Heaven Proxy), Shandong, ChinaSun Wukong • Jade Emperor • Taibai Jinxing

Seeking to pacify the rebellious Monkey King, the Jade Emperor invites Sun Wukong to Heaven and grants him the title of Bimawen, or Protector of the Horses. Sun Wukong initially accepts the role with great pride, diligently tending to the celestial stallions and improving the efficiency of the stables. However, upon discovering that the position is actually the lowest possible rank in the...

Gunnar Playing a Harp with His Toes to Charm the Serpents

🪓 Norse MythologyGran (Esztergom), HungaryGunnar • Hogni • Atli

Following the betrayal of the Niflung brothers by Atli, King Gunnar is thrown into a pit of venomous serpents to meet a slow, agonizing death. With his hands bound and his executioners watching, Gunnar uses his feet to play a harp sent by his sister Gudrun, creating a melody so hauntingly beautiful that it lulls the snakes to sleep. Only a single, ancient adder remains awake, eventually...

Erlang Shen Fighting Sun Wukong in an Epic Shapeshifting Duel

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Huaguo, Jiangsu, ChinaSun Wukong • Erlang Shen • Jade Emperor

The rebellious Sun Wukong faces his most formidable opponent, Erlang Shen, in a legendary battle that shifts from martial arts to a high-stakes shapeshifting duel. The conflict showcases their mastery of seventy-two transformations as they chase each other through the landscapes of Mount Huaguo. This clash eventually requires the intervention of the highest celestial powers to bring the...

Sun Wukong Born from a Magical Stone Nurtured by Heaven and Earth

🐉 Chinese MythologyMount Huaguo, Jiangsu, ChinaSun Wukong • Jade Emperor • Thousand-Mile Eye

The legend recounts the miraculous birth of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, from a mystical stone atop the Flower Fruit Mountain. After emerging as a stone monkey and earning the respect of his peers by discovering the Water Curtain Cave, he is crowned the Handsome Monkey King. Driven by a sudden fear of mortality, he eventually departs his idyllic home to seek the secrets of eternal life from...

Sigurd Awakening the Valkyrie Brynhild from the Ring of Fire

🪓 Norse MythologyHelagsfjället, SwedenSigurd • Brynhild • Grani

Following his victory over the dragon Fafnir, the hero Sigurd journeys to the mountain Hindarfjall, where he braves a wall of magical fire to reach a sleeping Valkyrie. Bound by Odin’s curse for her disobedience, Brynhild is awakened by Sigurd's blade and shares profound runic wisdom with him. Their meeting marks a moment of high romance and tragic foreshadowing in the Völsunga saga.

Thoth Halting the Sun Boat to Descend and Cure Poisoned Baby Horus

🏺 Egyptian MythologyChemmis (Akhmim), EgyptThoth • Horus • Isis

When the infant god Horus was lethally poisoned by a scorpion in the marshes of Chemmis, his mother Isis let out a cry of such profound grief that it reached the heavens. In response, the wise god Thoth halted the Barque of Millions of Years, stopping the sun in its tracks to descend and heal the child. Using supreme magical incantations, Thoth expelled the venom and restored the future king,...

The Deception of Princess Iron Fan and the Flaming Mountains

🐉 Chinese MythologyFlaming Mountains, Turpan, ChinaSun Wukong • Princess Iron Fan • Tang Sanzang

Sun Wukong and his companions encounter the impassable Flaming Mountains during their journey to the West. To extinguish the fire, Wukong seeks the magical Plantain Fan from Princess Iron Fan, who seeks revenge for her son's capture. She tricks the Monkey King with a fake fan that causes the inferno to grow, leading to a series of magical battles and clever transformations.

Ra Taking Pity on Humanity and Ordering a Lake of Beer Dyed Red with Ochre

🏺 Egyptian MythologyElephantine (Aswan), EgyptRa • Sekhmet • Hathor

When the sun god Ra grew old and faced a human rebellion, he sent the goddess Sekhmet to punish the conspirators. However, her bloodlust became uncontrollable, threatening to wipe out all of mankind until Ra intervened with a clever ruse involving thousands of jars of beer dyed red. By tricking the goddess into drinking the beer, which she mistook for blood, Ra saved humanity and transformed...