| The Man in the Sun | |
|---|---|
 The Man in the Sun as seen in The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon (1907) | |
|
Other Names |
Inti, Sol Invictus |
|
First Appearance |
World Mythology/Heraldry |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
The Man in the Sun is, for all extents and purposes, the daytime equivalent to the Man in the Moon. Anthropomorphic interpretations of the Sun date back to the Inca sun god Inti or may be a symbol of the Roman deity Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun).
It has inevitably - given the ubiquity of the Sun - manifested in a variety of forms, typically depicted as a god, but has also manifested as a piece of tarot card iconography, a rubberhose cartoon trope, and a common piece of imagery for summer and beach-related brands (in the case of the latter, usualy wearing sunglasses and/or a toothy grin).
The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon depicts what appears to be a homosexual encounter between the Sun (who bears a passing resemblace to Orlok) and the Moon.
The Aesop Fable The North Wind and the Sun shows the Sun getting into a competition with the North Wind to take off a man's cloak first.
Photographed by NASA, Oct. 2022.
The Man in the Sun has been used as an anti-nuclear energy propaganda logo. In 2022, NASA found what looked like a smiley face in the Sun, created by solar winds.