Solstice Reawakening: The Everlasting Cycle of Sol

In a realm where celestial beings roamed, Sol, the Sun Deity, was an embodiment of warmth and light. As the year waned, Sol's luminosity diminished, signaling the approach of the winter solstice.

Each day, Sol's path across the sky shortened, and the nights grew long and frigid. The people on Earth watched as their days lost brightness. On the eve of the solstice, exhausted from a year-long journey, Sol descended to Earth in human form, seeking solace under a grand evergreen tree. This tree, ageless, steadfast and a guardian and friend to humanity, symbolized life's persistence even through the harshest winters.

Beneath the evergreen, Sol rested, its light fading to a mere glow. The people, fearing Sol had vanished, taking the world's warmth and light, gathered at the tree's base. They offered songs and prayers, hoping to revive the celestial being. The tree seemed to embrace Sol, sheltering it during it’s most vulnerable time in the depth of transmutation and in stillness.

For three days, the sun barely rose, and the world was engulfed in cold and darkness. However, on the fourth day's morning, a miraculous change occurred. The people, clustered in the early morning cold, saw a faint light under the evergreen.

As dawn's first light appeared, Sol awoke. Its rest was not an end, but a time for renewal. On the 25th, a day celebrated as Christmas or Sol Invictus, the “Unconquered Sun,” Sol rose again, renewed. Its light, initially weak, grew stronger day by day.

The people's spirits lifted, their beliefs reaffirmed. They recognized the sun's cycle as one of ebb and flow, of light fading and returning. The evergreen tree, under which Sol had rested, became a symbol of unyielding life and hope, a reminder that even in the depths of winter and in the darkest of days, life endures and will thrive anew.

Thus, each year, as the winter solstice nears and passes, the tale of Sol's decent to Earth and resurgence under the evergreen tree is recounted. It's an ancient narrative, interweaving celestial patterns of death and rebirth, celebrating the return of everlasting light to the world.

The sun appears to pause at its lowest point on the horizon around the time of the winter solstice before gradually moving northward again, is due to the Earth’s tilt and its elliptical orbit around the sun.

1. Earth’s Axial Tilt: The Earth is tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees. This tilt is responsible for the changing seasons as the Earth orbits the sun. During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, around December 21st, the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the sun. This results in the shortest day and longest night of the year.

2. Elliptical Orbit: The Earth’s orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. This means the speed at which the Earth moves around the sun varies slightly over the year.

3. Apparent Solar Motion: Due to this tilt and the shape of the Earth’s orbit, the apparent motion of the sun in the sky changes speed over the course of the year. Around the solstices, this motion slows down, making it seem like the sun “pauses” in its north-south progression.

The period around the winter solstice, when the sun appears to halt its southward motion and then start moving northward, is often perceived as lasting for about three days. This is a subtle observational effect; the sun does continue its path, but the change in its declination (its height above the horizon at noon) is so slight around the solstice that it appears to stand still.