The Sun drawn across the sky
The Trundholm Chariot of the Sun has a prominent place in the Danish Prehistory exhibition. It was found in 1902 during ploughing in a bog in the Trundholm Marsh near Odsherred in Sealand, where it had been placed as an offering. The sun image consists of two fused circular discs one, one gold plated. The hollow-cast figure of a horse stands before the golden sun disc carrying it across the sky from left to right.
The sun’s daily journey across the sky is a motif known from other Bronze Age images, often engraved in bronze or carved in stone. They depict that the sun in the morning is transported on a ship, accompanied by a fish, and then at noon is freed form the ship and carried across the sky by the horse, and then lands on the ship again, where a snake accompanies the sun back at night. The figures of the sun and the horse are placed on a six-wheeled chariot enabling the picture to be drawn around during the ceremonies.
Sun worship
Sun worship was a central element in the religion of the Bronze Age peasant communities. Magical ceremonies and offerings were to ensure the continuation of life. The Sun Chariot depicts this worship of the sun. The chariot might just be a small model of a large cult chariot able to be moved around during ceremonies. The golden disc is decorated with a spiral ornament, which dates it back to 1400 B.C.
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