Amulet sun wheel, bronze

Product description

The exact origin of the sun cross remains unclear, but the symbol seems to share a similar origin with the Tree of Life. These symbols appear in various cultures, from Neolithic farmers in Europe to tribes in North America and Asia. The use of the sun cross by indigenous tribes in North America may point to a tradition that goes back over 12,000 years, to the Ice Age, when the ancestors of Native Americans migrated from Asia to America via the Bering Strait. Some researchers suspect that the sun cross, like the Tree of Life, may have originated in the Siberian steppes. However, this remains speculative.

In the mythology of Indo-European peoples, the sun is often depicted as a radiant wheel, drawn by a horse in a chariot. An alternative representation is that of a sun ship, as also known from ancient Egypt. Both images emphasize the journey of the sun through the sky, a motif with deeper meaning in many cultures. Neolithic farmers in Europe, living around 8000 BCE, used the sun cross in their art and religion. They incorporated the symbol into stone monuments, likely to honor the solstices. For these early farmers, the seasons and the influence of the sun were crucial to their existence.

During the Bronze Age, the sun cross became a common symbol in the religious and artistic expressions of Europe, and sun discs also emerged, as seen in both Celtic and Viking times. Neo-pagan sun crosses can be seen as continuations of traditional designs used even before the Bronze Age. This suggests a continuity in the use of solar symbolism, although modern variants often carry new interpretations and meanings.

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