The Horse is sacred to the sun. In the Hindu Pantheon Surya) the sun, is shown drawn by seven horses with Aruna, the Dawn, as charioteer. In another representation the chariot of the Great Aum is portrayed drawn by seven green horses (green typifying renewal, eternal life). The ancient Greeks depicted the sun as a charioteer driving four horses across the sky. The Rhodians, who were sun worshippers, annually dedicated to the sun a chariot and four horses which they flung into the sea for his use. The Persians and Spartans sacrificed horses to the sun. In Japan a black horse was sacrificed to the god of rain.
Phrebus Apollo, the Roman god of light, is depicted in a chariot drawn by four horses. The chariot and horses of fire which bore aloft the prophet Elijah were presumably the horses and chariot of the sun.
The Kings of Judah who had forsaken Jehovah dedicated chariots and horses to the sun. Hence Josiah, renewing the covenant with the Lord, "took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun. . . and burned the chariots of the sun with fire." (II. Kings, 23: II.)
