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#126542 03/29/04 04:32 PM
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This is a pure curiosity question.
Across the world the Sun is called by different names depending on the dialect or region you are in at the time. My question is, what names do you know the sun by, be it religious, scientific or just plain personal choice?

Rev. Alimae


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#126543 03/29/04 05:23 PM
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Sol



formerly known as etaoin...
#126544 03/29/04 06:40 PM
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or Ravi


#126545 03/29/04 06:53 PM
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the currant

cockney rhyming slang: currant bun = sun

e.g. Cor! the currant's bleed'n peasy today, ennit?

cockney rhyming slang: peasy = peas in the pot = 'ot (=hot)


#126546 03/29/04 09:06 PM
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In French Québec we'll call the sun "Galarneau" when it finally pops out after a period of cloudiness - usually in a joking manner...."tiens, Galarneau s'montre le nez" (here, Galarneau is showing his nose) or "tiens, v'la Galarneau." (here, here is Galarneau).

In general it is simply "soleil"


#126547 03/29/04 09:27 PM
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Some Sanskrit names:
Ravi, Bhaskar, Surya, Aditya, Hiranyagarbha, Mitra


#126548 03/29/04 09:51 PM
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raju, do you use these words interchangeably or do you use each in a specific circumstance?


#126549 03/30/04 03:09 AM
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Ravi, Bhaskar, Surya, Aditya, Hiranyagarbha, Mitra

Surya is related to Greek helios, Latin sol, Gothic sauil. (Also from a slightly different root English sun.) Surya is a male god in the Rig Veda (oldest book of hymns written in Vedic Sanskrit) and is part of a triad of gods: Agni 'fire' (cf. Latin ignis) is associated with the earth, Indra is associated with the sky, and Surya with the sun.

Another name for the Sun in the Rigveda is Savitri 'stimulator, rouser, vivifier'. He is less concrete than Surya.

Ravi 'roarer' from the root ru, rauti, raviti 'to howl, roar, yelp, cry aloud'. Related to Latin raucus 'raucus, hoarse, screaming'.

Bhaskara 'shining, glittering, bright'. Literally bhas 'light, ray of light' + kara 'to make'. Cf. Greek phaino 'to shine', Old Irish ban 'white'.

Aditya 'belonging to or coming from Aditi'. Aditi 'boundless, unbroken; free, happy' < a- 'not, un-' + da 'to bind' dyati.

Hiranyagarbha 'golden foetus' actually said of Brahma since he was born of it. Hiranya is related to hari 'blond, golden yellow' and both English yellow (cf. German gelb) and gold. Garbha 'womb, uterus; foetus, embryo'; related Greek delphus 'womb'.

Mitra. Related to the Persian god Mithra who was popular in the Roman Empire and became of a favorite of the soldiers. There's a beautiful Mithraic temple in the basement of a London highrise office building. Also, the Vatican has a splendid collection of Mithraic statues. A title of Mithra was Sol Invictus 'unconquerable sun'. Mitra and Varuna (another Vedic god) are also mentioned in a Hittite manual on horse training which probably predates the Rig Veda's composition.

Many of these names are epithets of Surya the Sun god. Surya is also associated with the divine plant Soma from which was pressed an intoxicating, divine drink (a nectar of the gods). An entire mandala (chapter) of the Rig Veda is composed of Soma hymns. The Zoroastrians had a cognate word, Haoma.


#126550 03/30/04 04:54 AM
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Surya is also used in Indonesian as a literary word for the Sun. The common name for it is matahari -- literally 'the day's eye' -- hence the name of the WW1 wannabe secret agent.

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#126551 03/30/04 11:02 AM
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These are completely interchangeable. In Indian mythology,
Sun is a god, and gods often have dozens, hundreds, or even
thousands of names. Besides, Sanskrit is very rich in synonyms
- precision synonyms rather - words that mean exactly the same.


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