As you know, in ancient times there was no faith in any one god, people believed in many deities, and also associated with them the forces of nature. And every nation, whether Slavs, Greeks, Romans, Germans, Gauls or other tribes, had their gods.
Ancient Greece
This ancient state is remembered to this day thanks to its rich culture. Hellas became the birthplace of many famous ancient philosophers, writers, whose works are known today, scientists who made a huge contribution to the science of that time. Also, many are interested in ancient Greek mythology. It consists of many interesting stories about gods, titans and heroes, about various exploits, ancient wars and other events. Many deities have moved from Greek mythology to Roman under other names.
The gods of Olympus
Particular attention in the mythology of ancient Greece was paid, of course, to the Olympic gods, that is, the most powerful. The largest number of stories has been written about them.
The gods who lived on the sacred Mount Olympus included Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty; Apollo is the god of art; Artemis - the goddess of fertility, hunting and chastity, the patroness of nature and all living things; Athena is the goddess of wisdom and strategy; Themis, personifying justice; Ares is the god of warfare; Hephaestus - patron saint of blacksmiths and the god of fire; Hermes is the god of cunning and trade; Dionysus - the god of winemaking and fun; Demeter - the goddess of fertility and patroness of farmers; Hades is the patron of the kingdom of the dead; Hestia is the goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire.
Well, the most important of the gods on Olympus were, as you know, Zeus the Thunderer and his wife Hera. According to legend, she guarded a woman during childbirth, and was also the patroness of marriage and family life. Also on Olympus, next to the Hero, there was always the goddess of the rainbow, Irida, her messenger, who at any moment was ready to fulfill any commission of the great goddess. She always stood next to the throne of the mighty Hera and awaited her orders.
How was the Hellenic rainbow goddess portrayed?
Irida, according to Greek mythology, had wings. The rainbow goddess was often portrayed with a mug of water in her hand. She delivered water to the clouds with her.
Iris was considered the messenger of the Olympic gods, a mediator between them and people. The Greeks believed that just as a rainbow connects the earth with heaven, so the goddess Irida connects people with the almighty gods. Since she served as a messenger, most often she was portrayed flying on her large wings. Also, she can often be found in drawings that are dedicated to Hera.
What was named after the goddess of the rainbow?
According to one legend, a beautiful iris flower was named after Irida. This legend says that this plant was named after the famous ancient scientist Hippocrates.
Also in honor of this deity was named an asteroid, which was discovered in 1847.
In addition, the chemical element Iridium was named after the rainbow for the colorfulness of its various compounds. For example, the connection of the atoms of this element with fluorine atoms has a light green color, iodine is black, cesium and iodine are red, sodium and bromine are purple, potassium and fluorine are white, and so on. Iridium itself in its pure form has a silver color.
Myths that mention Irida
The Greek goddess of the rainbow performs the duties of a messenger who transmits to people news from the gods. There is no particular myth in which she would act as the main character. The goddess Irida is present in the myths of the Argonauts, and is also often mentioned in the narrative of the Trojan War. In myths about this war, she repeatedly acts as the messenger of the gods. In particular, the goddess of the rainbow She appeared before Menelaus, the Spartan king, to inform him that his wife Elena had left the palace with Paris, the son of King Troy. Also on behalf of the Olympic gods, Irida brought the Trojans the news that numerous Achaean troops were approaching Troy. The rainbow goddess appeared before Elena in the form of the daughter of Priam - King of Troy. She did this in order to call her to the tower at the Skeyskie Gates, where many gathered to watch the duel between Paris and Menelaus. In addition, at the behest of Zeus, the goddess Irida ordered Poseidon, who spoke on the side of the Achaeans, to stop interfering in the war. Irida is repeatedly mentioned in the cycle of myths about the Trojan War.
Irida Family Tree
The goddess of the rainbow among the Greeks, according to their mythology, was the daughter of Tavmant (the sea deity of miracles) and the oceanic Electra. As the appearance of a rainbow is impossible without rain, so the origin of Irida is associated with water deities.
Her sisters were harpies - the terrible mythical creatures that guarded Tartarus. These creatures, according to ancient Greek beliefs, could abduct souls.
The rainbow goddess was the mother of Eros, the deity of love who served as an assistant to Aphrodite and accompanied her everywhere. He is also present in Roman mythology under the name Cupid.
Irida's husband was Zephyr - one of the four wind gods who dominated the western part of the world. She gave birth to Eros from him.
Goddess Irida in art
The rainbow goddess in Hellas was often depicted in a variety of reliefs and drawings. Basically, these were images dedicated to the most powerful goddess - Hera, whose messenger was Irida. Most often, she was painted flying on rainbow wings or standing near her patroness Hera.
As the main character, the goddess of the rainbow is represented in the play of Achaeus of Eretria, “Irida”.
In addition, this deity also acts as one of the characters in the comedic work of Aristophanes “The Birds”, the tragedy “Hercules”, written by Euripides.
The ancient Greek goddess-messenger is dedicated to the painting of Pierre Narcissus Guerin "Irida and Morpheus", which he created in 1811. It depicts the goddess of the rainbow and the ancient Greek winged god of sleep.
Rainbow in myths and beliefs of other nations
In the mythology of different countries and peoples, an important role is given to the rainbow. It is mainly associated with a kind of bridge between heaven and earth, the connection between ordinary people and immortal gods.
The ancient Slavs believed that the rainbow is the path by which the souls of the dead rise to heaven. The rainbow was given the same meaning in Scandinavian mythology.
There are many other interesting beliefs associated with the rainbow. So, the Celts believed that after a strong storm in place under a rainbow, you can find treasures buried in the ground.
According to Native American legends and traditions, it was a place where all the bright flowers of the planet were located after their short-term flowering on the earth.
Many Slavic peoples also have this sign: if a woman has given birth to children of the same sex repeatedly, for example, only girls, then she should go to a pond over which a rainbow hangs and drink water from there. Then the next child will be of a different gender.
In Christian iconography, the rainbow is a symbol of divine mercy and justice.
Muslim peoples believe that the rainbow consists of four colors (red, yellow, green, blue) and is associated with the four elements.
However, despite its beauty, not all nations have a rainbow as something good. For example, Malaysians believe that if a person passes under it, then he will certainly become seriously ill. The Hungarians have a sign that you can’t point to the rainbow with your finger, as it will dry out. But in Nicaragua and Honduras, it’s not customary to even look at the rainbow, especially for children.