Apollo _became_ a sun-god in later Greco-Roman mythology, usurping
Helios to include what little myth he had - as with Pheaton. He was
originally probably associated with light in general.
Mithra also became recognized (at least today) as a sun-god, though
his myth shows he was much more: 10,000 eyes and ears suggests a god
of the stars and night sky. His orb/disc is not the sun, but, IMO,
the world egg of Zurvan. He had seven attendants (planets) and seven
messengers with fiery tails (comets). Yet, he also had a horses-drawn
solar chariot.
Apollo, IMO, is tracable to Gaul, found as the 'shining god' at
healing springs though with no specific identity with the sun. He is
often a curer of eye diseases, so vision and light are part of his
mythos. His Gaulish cognates come from bel-, 'to shine': Belinus,
Belenus, Belenos, Bellinus, Belco, Belgoni, Boluinnus, Belatucadrus,
Abellio, Abellioni deo, Abilius.
--- In cybalist@..., "Joseph S Crary" <pva@...> wrote:
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> What happened to Apollo the sun god?
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> JS Crary