Amulet sun wheel, bronze

Product description

The exact origin of the sun cross remains unclear, but the symbol appears to share a similar origin with the Tree of Life. These symbols appear across many cultures — from Neolithic farmers in Europe to tribes in North America and Asia. Indigenous tribes in North America used the sun cross in ways that may point to a tradition stretching back over 12,000 years. That tradition dates to the Ice Age, when the ancestors of Native Americans crossed from Asia to America via the Bering Strait. Some researchers suspect the sun cross, like the Tree of Life, may have originated in the Siberian steppes — though this remains speculative.

In Indo-European mythology, the sun often appears as a radiant wheel pulled by a horse-drawn chariot. Another representation is the sun ship, familiar from ancient Egypt. Both images capture the journey of the sun across the sky — a motif that carries deep meaning in many cultures. Neolithic farmers in Europe, living around 8000 BCE, used the sun cross in their art and religion. They worked the symbol into stone monuments, likely to mark the solstices. For these early farmers, the seasons and the power of the sun were central to survival.

By the Bronze Age, the sun cross had become a common symbol in European religious and artistic expression. Sun discs emerged during this period as well, appearing in both Celtic and Viking contexts. Neo-pagan sun crosses carry on traditional designs used long before the Bronze Age. This points to a lasting continuity in solar symbolism — even as modern versions take on new interpretations and meanings.