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Thewinged sun is asolar symbol associated withdivinity,royalty, and power in theAncient Near East (Egypt,Mesopotamia,Anatolia, andPersia). TheIllyrian Sun-deity is also represented as a winged sun.
In ancient Egypt, the symbol is attested from theOld Kingdom (Sneferu, 26th century BC[citation needed]), often flanked on either side with auraeus.
In early Egyptian religion, the symbol Behdety representedHorus ofEdfu, later identified withRa-Horakhty. It is sometimes depicted on the neck ofApis, the bull ofPtah. As time passed (according to interpretation) all of the subordinated gods of Egypt were considered to be aspects of the sun god, includingKhepri. The name "Behdety" means the inhabitant ofBehdet.[1]
He was thesky god of the region calledBehdet in theNile basin.[2]
His image was first found in the inscription on a comb's body, as a winged solar panel. The period of the comb is about 3000 BC. Such winged solar panels were later found in the funeral picture ofPharaoh Sahure of the fifth dynasty. Behdety is seen as the protector ofPharaoh. On both sides of his picture are seen theUraeus, which is a symbol for the cobra-headed goddessWadjet.[2]
He resisted the intense heat of Egyptian sun with his two wings.[2]
From roughly 2000 BCE, the symbol also appears inMesopotamia. It appears in reliefs withAssyrian rulers as a symbol for royalty, transcribed intoLatin asSOL SUUS (literally, "his own self, the Sun", i.e. "His Majesty").[citation needed]
Early figurative evidence of the celestial cult inIllyria is provided by 6th century BCE plaques fromLake Shkodra, which belonged to theIllyrian tribal area of what was referred in historical sources to as theLabeatae in later times. Each of those plaques portray simultaneously sacred representations of the sky and the sun, and symbolism of lightning and fire, as well as thesacred tree and birds (eagles). In those plaques there is a recurrent mythological representation of the celestial deity: the Sun deity animated with a face and two wings, throwing lightning into a fire altar, which in some plaques is held by two men (sometimes on two boats).[3]
InZoroastrianPersia, the symbol of the winged sun became part of the iconography of theFaravahar, the symbol of the divine power and royal glory in Persian culture.[citation needed]
From around the 8th century BC, the winged solar disk appears onHebrew seals connected to the royal house of theKingdom of Judah. Many of these are seals and jar handles fromHezekiah's reign, together with the inscriptionl'melekh ("belonging to the king").[4] Typically, Hezekiah's royal seals feature two downward-pointing wings and six rays emanating from the central sun disk, and some are flanked on either side with the Egyptianankh ("key of life") symbol.[4] Prior to this, there are examples from the seals of servants of kingAhaz and of kingUzziah.[5]
Compare alsoMalachi 4:2, referring to a winged "Sun of righteousness",
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings...
The winged sun is conventionally depicted as the knob of thecaduceus, the staff ofHermes.[citation needed]
Various groups such asFreemasonry,Rosicrucianism,Thelema,Theosophy, andUnity Church have also used it. The symbol was used on the cover ofCharles Taze Russell's textbook seriesStudies in the Scriptures beginning with the 1911 editions.
The winged sun symbol is also cited by proponents of thepseudoscientificNibiru cataclysm.[6]
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A winged sun is used in the heraldry of the North America Trade Directory.[7]
Variations of the symbol are used as a trademark logo on vehicles produced by theChrysler Corporation,Mini,Bentley Motors,Lagonda (Aston Martin) andHarley Davidson.
Since WW2, military aircraft of the United States have carried the insignia of acircle with stripes extending from each side like wings. Whether this is coincidental or some symbolic resemblance was intended is unknown. A five-pointed star is inscribed within the circle.
Regarding itsvideo game usage, the symbol has become a common motif in theSonic the Hedgehog franchise, most notably featured ontitle screens displaying themain character, as well as a stylized version appearing as a symbol for religious mechanics and buildings inCivilization VI, among others. A stylised version appears in the Delta Rune, a prophetic symbol appearing inUndertale and it's parallel storyDeltarune.
Media related toWinged sun at Wikimedia Commons
