sun god Shamash was a
disc, from which flowed streams of water; his rays apparently were
"fertilizing tears", like the rays of the Egyptian sun god Ra. Horus,
the Egyptian falcon god, was symbolized as the winged solar disc.

It is necessary to accumulate these details regarding other deities
and their symbols before dealing with Ashur. The symbols of Ashur must
be studied, because they are one of the sources of our knowledge
regarding the god's origin and character. These include (1) a winged
disc with horns, enclosing four circles revolving round a middle
circle; rippling rays fall down from either side of the disc; (2) a
circle or wheel, suspended from wings, and enclosing a warrior drawing
his bow to discharge an arrow; and (3) the same circle; the warrior's
bow, however, is carried in his left hand, while the right hand is
uplifted as if to bless his worshippers. These symbols are taken from
seal cylinders.

An Assyrian standard, which probably represented the "world column",
has the disc mounted on a bull's head with horns. The upper part of
the disc is occupied by a warrior, whose head, part of his bow, and
the point of his arrow protrude from the circle. The rippling water
rays are V-shaped, and two bulls, treading river-like rays, occupy the
divisions thus formed. There are also two heads--a lion's and a
man's--with gaping mouths, which may symbolize tempests, the
destroying power of the sun, or the sources of the Tigris and
Euphrates.

Jastrow regards the winged disc as "the purer and more genuine symbol
of Ashur as a solar deity". He calls it "a sun disc with protruding
rays", and says: "To this symbol the warrior with the bow and arrow
was added--a despiritualization that reflects the martial spirit of
the Assyrian empire".[368]

The sun symbol on the sun boat of Ra encloses similarly a human
figure, which was apparently regarded as the soul of the sun: the life
of the god was in the "sun egg". In an Indian prose treatise it is set
forth: "Now that man in yonder orb (the sun) and that man in the right
eye truly are no other than Death (the soul). His feet have stuck fast
in the heart, and having pulled them out he comes forth; and when he
comes forth then that man dies; whence they say of him who has passed
away, 'he has been cut off (his life or life string has been
severed)'."[369] The human figure did not indicate a process of
"despiritualization" either in Egypt or in India. The Horus "winged
disc"