The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s3.6

v1.c16.s3.6

The chariot of the sun is drawn by a single horse, Etaça, or by seven horses, or seven mares, or by an indefinite number of either. But the more primitive view that the sun himself is a steed is found in one passage,¹ where he is said to be the white and brilliant steed brought by Uṣas. But he is also a flying bird,² or an eagle, and a mottled bull.³ He is also, however, a gem of the sky,⁴ the variegated stone set in the midst of heaven, a brilliant weapon obscured by Mitra and Varuṇa with cloud and rain, the felly of Mitra and Varuṇa, a brilliant car, or a wheel. In the ritual the horse and the wheel appear as sun fetishes.