> [[steets]]. *The Sun Maiden's Wedding: An Indo-European Sunrise/Sunset Myth". PhD dissertation (Indo-European Studies), UCLA, 1993. > [scribd.com](https://www.scribd.com/document/371069117), [epdf.pub](https://epdf.pub/the-sun-maidens-wedding-an-indo-european-sunrise-sunset-myth-cheryl-steets.html) ## Committee [[schmidt-h]] (chair) [[scharfe]] [[puhvel-j]] [[lattimore]] ## Abstract > There is abundant evidence for a distinctive Indo-European (IE) myth which describes the wedding of a "sun maiden," known variously as the "Daughter of the Sun" or the "Daughter of the Sky," and her subsequent disappearance and rescue; the myth is shown to be a solar allegory for the fleeting sunrise/sunset glow. This dissertation builds upon the early work of Mannhardt and Schroeder as well as several recent studies (Ward, Nagy, Boedeker, Biezais, Clader, O'Brien and Grottanelli) which have discussed Indic, Baltic, Germanic, Greek, and Celtic evidence for the sun maiden figure. Here, the Indic textual evidence is examined in detail, particularly the myths of Saraṇyu, Uṣas, and Sūryā, leading to the conclusion that, despite their differences, all three Indic figures are indeed developments of an original IE goddess who is the personification of the rosy glow in the sky preceding sunrise and following sunset. The parallel Greek figures - namely, the dawn goddess Eos, Helen of Troy, and Aphrodite - are also reexamined in detail, showing them clearly to be reflexes of the same IE myth. Germanic and Celtic evidence for this figure has also been collected and sifted. In many of these traditions, the "substitute maiden" motif is shown to be a common and probably archaic feature of the myth, and new examples are added to Pisani's striking correlation of Saraṇyu's *sávarṇā* Helen's _εἴδωλον_ [*eídōlon*]. This "look-alike" figure represents the sunset glow which mirrors the pre-sunrise sky (following Lammel's allegorical interpretation). The striking similarities in the myths of all of these sun maiden figures make it certain that they are genetically related and not independent developments of a universal myth. Furthermore, an examination of ritual evidence indicates that the myth was in some cases the foundation for human wedding ritual, in which the bride impersonated the sun maiden at her celestial wedding. The same myth also celebrated the annual return of the post-winter-solstice sun, renewed and brighter, beginning with the first dawn of the New Year. ## Contents List of Abbreviations vi Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Dramatis Personae: The Indo-European Sun Maiden Figures 7 1.A. Universal Sun Maidens and Divine Twins 8 1.B. Indo-European Sun Maiden Figures 9 1.C. Summary of Motifs in the Indo-European Myth 27 1.D. Prior Surveys 35 Chapter 2 The Saraṇyū Motifs: Disappearing Brides and Substitute Females 42 2.A. Saraṇyū: A Survey 43 2.B. Disappearing Brides and Substitute Females 69 2.C. Chastity in Question 95 2.D. A Mortal Husband 99 2.E. Equine Characteristics 108 Chapter 3 Uṣas and the Indo-European Dawn Goddess 112 3.A. Uṣas: A Survey 113 3.B. The "Daughter of the Sky" 119 3.C. The Marriageable Maiden and her Dowry 133 3.D. Liberation of the Dawn 143 Chapter 4 Sūryā and the Wedding of the Sun Maiden 151 4.A. Sūryā: the "Daughter of the Sun" as a Sun Maiden 151 4.B. The Sun Maiden's Wedding as Ritual Prototype 154 4.C. The Wedding: a May Day/New Year Celebration? 169 Conclusion 174 Bibliography 178