Sun

This week’s word, selected by Delo together with the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, is “sonce,” the Slovenian word for sun.

The word carries both concrete and symbolic weight. The Slovenian Dictionary of Standard Language lists the Sun as the celestial body around which Earth and the other planets of our star system orbit. It also defines the light and rays arriving directly from that body, as well as a celestial body at the center of other star systems.

The noun appears in familiar proverbs. “Nothing new under the sun” expresses a lack of surprise, while “After the rain, the sun always shines” conveys the belief that improvement follows a difficult period. Older and dialectal forms also appear in folk songs, including “Shine, shine, little sun” and “The little sun shines in the mountains.”

Science gives the Sun a central role in the solar system. Its gravity binds celestial bodies together, while nuclear fusion in its core produces the light and heat that make the biosphere possible. The article also recalls that the Slavs worshipped the Sun as the original source of life, light and warmth. In world mythology, it has appeared as a supreme deity representing life, justice and cosmic order.

Whether viewed through science, mythology or language, the Sun remains an irreplaceable source of existence. The feature was written by Dr. Tjaša Jakop of the Fran Ramovš Institute for the Slovenian Language.