Sól is the much-revered goddess of the sun, and she was worshiped widely throughout Germany and Scandinavia. Her worship has ancient roots, and extends far back into the Bronze Age. In Eastern Europe she was known as Saulė or Saul, and is one of the principal deities in Latvian, Lithuanian, and Baltic pagan traditions.

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Her epithets include the shining god and bright bride of heaven. Also known as Sunna in Old High German, Sunday is named after her. Her companion is her brother Máni, god of the moon.

Sól is worshiped in all Nine Realms and has different nicknames accordingly: Sun by mankind in Miðgarðr, Sunshine by the gods in Ásgarðr, Dvalinn’s Deluder by the dwarfs in Svartálfheim, Everglow by the Jötnar, Lovely Wheel in Álfheim, and All-Shining by the Æsir.

She is described as being both the sun herself and the deity who steers the orb in a chariot drawn by celestial fire-horses. The orb and her team of heavenly steeds are born of the fiery realm of Muspelheim, which existed long before Miðgarðr was created. In a more euhemerized version of the tale, Sól was once a mortal who, along with her brother, was assigned the dreadful task of steering the sun orb chariot, eternally outrunning the wolf that chased her. Her horses are named Árvakr, meaning early riser, and Alsviðr, meaning swift. The speed of the sun’s movement through the sky is attributed to her outrunning the wolf, and at darker times of the year, the wolf is said to be close. Solar eclipses represent times when Sól’s wolf, Sköll, is gaining on her.

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She is attested to in the Merseburg Incantations as well as the Poetic and Prose Eddas. Her father is Mundilfari (also known as Alfrodull), a god associated with timekeeping. She is said to have a mysterious sister named Sinthgunt, who may be a goddess of the morning star, Venus, or perhaps her daughter. Either way, in a charming tale, Sól and Sinthgunt help Óðinn to heal Baldr’s horse from injury.

Like their father, both Sól and Máni are gods of timekeeping, and together they help gods and men account for the passing of the hours, days, and years. They follow predetermined routes, assigned to them by the gods.

It is said that at Ragnarök, Sól will be caught and devoured by Sköll or Fenrir. After the event, Sól is prophesied to give birth to a second sun—a daughter also named Sól—who will take her mother’s power and light the new world, Gimlé. Sól thus bears archetypal ties to the mythical divine bird, the Phoenix of Persian mythology.

In Grímnismál, Óðinn explains that there is a shield between Sól and the worlds below, without which the earth and seas would burn.

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Thoughts on Sól

In addition to Saulė of Baltic Europe, Sól was worshiped by the Celts by the name Sulis, a goddess who presided over thermal springs thought to be heated by the power of the sun. She further bears a resemblance to Amaterasu, the sun goddess of Japan, and of course the demi-goddess figure of the Phoenix in Persian myth. She shares the same roots as the Hindu sun goddess, Surya.

According to some lore, Sól regards her eternal race across the sky from the wolf that chases her as a fun game.

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Signs and Symbols
Sun and solar images. Flaming swords. Horse-drawn chariots, bellows, and wheels. Thermal springs. Summer, Midsummer, and the day Sunday. Gold. The rune Sól.

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Associated Names
Sunna, Sun, Sunnu, Gull, Surya, Sulis, Saulė, Saul, Tsar, Solniste.