31

HELIOS
God of the Sun
 32

Edrian: Descendants of Helios

Helios (also Helius) was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology. He was thought to ride a
golden chariot which brought the Sun across the skies each day from the east (Ethiopia) to the
west (Hesperides) while at night he did the return journey in leisurely fashion lounging in a
golden cup. Most often, people viewed or portrayed Helios as a mighty charioteer, driving his
flaming chariot (or gleaming horses) from east to west across the sky each day. At night,
according to the legend, Helios crossed back to the east by floating in a golden cup on the stream
of Ocean, the mythical river thought to encircle the flat earth. Because Helios was in the sky all
day looking down on the earth, people assumed he saw and heard everything that went on in that
domain; thus, both gods and humans called on him as a witness to various events or oaths sworn.
Helios was usually depicted as a beardless and very handsome man in purplish robes, crowned
with a golden aureole, which accented his role as the Sun God. The characteristic chariot was
drawn by four winged horses. Helios considered as a powerful, fiery, bright, tireless god. But he
has also his weakness, his intense fire can burn.
I chose Helios out of all other gods, because I found out that there are some
characteristics of Helios that we both shared. Like for example, because Helios known to have a
characteristic of “The All Seeing Eye” Greeks believed that he could witness anything in the
heavens or on earth. Like him I am a keen observant and I consider myself as an ambivert
person, but most of the time I am silent, maybe because I am I know to myself that I am a
sensitive person in a way that I empathize others, I consider the feelings of other before I act or
make decisions. That is why I became a keen observant to my surroundings. I really don’t want
to hurt the feelings of others nor judge them especially to my family and friends, because I know
how it feels like to be judged just because of their false accusations and spiteful act towards me.
On the other hand, Helios considered to be mysterious, that’s according to the Greek Mythology
because he is rarely seen by the people because he is always above the sky. Like Helios I also
consider myself as a powerful and bright person, I can say that I am powerful enough because of
those problems, struggles, and losses that I’ve encountered that honed me to become a person I
am right now. Those challenges in the past up until now, I find it as an inspiration for me to
move forward and face them with fierce and determination, and try my very best to be careful
and smart when it comes in making decisions. However, like Helios I believe that I am weak
when it comes in managing my anger sometimes, that is why when I am angry I chose to be quiet
and just keep my anger, problems, and frustration to myself so that I will not hurt the feelings of
others.
I conclude, that in life we don’t need to become a god or superhero for us to be who we
want to be, failures don’t make us less of a person, instead failure is an indication that we are
human. That it means it’s okay to commit mistakes sometimes and learn from it. That in life
challenges are a part of our everyday life. They make us stronger and without them life becomes
somewhat meaningless because we have nothing to compare the good times to. These challenges
come in many forms. For some, the challenge is doing well at school, for others it is getting to
grips with financial worries. But, regardless of the challenge, facing up to it is the key. Doing so
will make you feel like you can take care of yourself, it will also make you understand the value
of what you have now. Facing up to challenges and living through them give us the experiences
 33

that make up our life. Facing challenges is a way to push ourselves and see what we are capable
of.