Editing Solar deity (section)

=== Celtic mythology ===
The sun in [[Insular Celts|Insular Celtic culture]] is assumed to have been feminine,<ref name="Monaghan-2014">{{cite book |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |author-link=Patricia Monaghan |year=2014 |title=The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=978-1438110370 |page=433}}</ref><ref>Koch, John T., ''Celtic Culture: Aberdeen breviary-celticism'', page 1636.</ref> and several goddesses have been proposed as possibly solar in character.<ref>"(...) the Celtic Sun-deities, however, were often (perhaps originally) feminine". Jones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (1995). ''A History of Pagan Europe''. [[Routledge]]. p. 88. {{ISBN|978-1-136-14172-0}}.</ref> In [[Continental Celts|Continental Celtic culture]], the sun gods, like [[Belenus]], [[Grannus]], and [[Lugus]], were masculine.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise : une approche linguistique du vieux-celtique continental|last=X.|first=Delamarre|date=2003|publisher=Errance|isbn=9782877723695|edition=2e éd. rev. et augm|location=Paris|pages=72 & 183 & 211|oclc=354152038}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xyWvBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA31|title=The Celtic and Scandinavian Religions|last=MacCulloch|first=J. A.|date=1 August 2005|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=9781613732298|pages=31|language=en}}</ref>

In [[Irish language|Irish]], the name of the Sun, ''[[Grian]]'', is feminine. The figure known as [[Áine]] is generally assumed to have been either synonymous with her, or her sister, assuming the role of Summer Sun while Grian was the Winter Sun.{{sfn|MacKillop|1998|pp=10, 70, 92}} Similarly, [[Étaín]] has at times been considered to be another [[theonym]] associated with the Sun; if this is the case, then the pan-Celtic [[Epona]] might also have been originally solar in nature.{{sfn|MacKillop|1998|pp=10, 70, 92}}

The British [[Sulis]] has a name cognate with that of other Indo-European solar deities such as the Greek [[Helios]] and Indic [[Surya]],<ref>Delamarre, Xavier, ''Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise'', Errance, 2003, p. 287</ref><ref>Zair, Nicholas, ''Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Celtic'', Brill, 2012, p. 120</ref> and bears some solar traits like the association with the eye as well as epithets associated with light. The theonym [[Sulevia]], which is more widespread and probably unrelated to Sulis,<ref>Nicole Jufer & Thierry Luginbühl (2001). ''Les dieux gaulois : répertoire des noms de divinités celtiques connus par l'épigraphie, les textes antiques et la toponymie.'' Editions Errance, Paris. pp. 15, 64.</ref> is sometimes taken to have suggested a pan-Celtic role as a solar goddess.<ref name="Monaghan-2014"/>

The [[Welsh mythology|Welsh]] [[Olwen]] has at times been considered a vestige of the local sun goddess, in part due to the possible etymological association<ref>Simon Andrew Stirling, The Grail: Relic of an Ancient Religion, 2015</ref> with the wheel and the colors gold, white and red.<ref name="Monaghan-2014"/>

[[Brighid]] has at times been argued as having had a solar nature, fitting her role as a goddess of fire and light.<ref name="Monaghan-2014"/>