The goddess of the rainbow in ancient Greece according to mythology. Who did the ancient Greeks call the rainbow goddess?

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 due to its rich culture. Ellada 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 people 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 passed from Greek mythology to Roman under other names.

The gods of Olympus

Particular attention in the mythology of ancient Greece was given, of course, to the Olympic gods, that is, the most powerful. About them written the greatest number of narratives.

Among the gods who lived on the sacred mountain 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 military affairs; Hephaestus is the patron of blacksmiths and the god of fire; Hermes is the god of cunning and trade; Dionysus is the god of winemaking and merriment; Demeter - 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 the beliefs, she guarded the woman during childbirth, and also was the patroness of marriage and family life. Also on Olympus next to the Hero was always the goddess of the rainbow Iris, her messenger, who at any moment was ready to carry out any errand of the great goddess. She always stood next to the throne of the powerful Hera and waited for her orders.

How was the goddess of the rainbow depicted in the Hellenes?

Iris, according to Greek mythology, had wings. The goddess of the rainbow was often depicted with a mug of water in her hand. She delivered water to the clouds.

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 the sky, so the goddess Irida connects people with all-powerful gods. Since it performed the function of the messenger, it was most often portrayed flying on its large wings. Also, it can often be found in the drawings that are dedicated to Hera.

What was named after the rainbow goddess?

According to one of the legends, in honor of Iris, a beautiful iris flower was named. This legend says that this plant was named so by the famous ancient scholar Hippocrates.

Also in honor of this deity was named an asteroid, which was discovered in 1847.

In addition, in honor of the rainbow called the chemical element Iridium for the colorfulness of its various compounds. For example, the combination of atoms of this element with fluorine atoms has a light green color, iodine - black, cesium and iodine - red, sodium and bromine - violet, potassium and fluorine - white and so on. Iridium itself is silver in its pure form.

Myths in which Iris is mentioned

The Greek goddess of the rainbow fulfills the duties of the messenger, which conveys news from the gods to people. There is no special myth in which she would act as the protagonist. The goddess Irida is present in the myths of the Argonauts, and is also often mentioned in the narrative of the Trojan War. In the myths about this war, she repeatedly acts as a messenger of the gods. In particular, the goddess of the rainbow Appeared before Menelai, the Spartan king, to inform him that his wife Elena had left the palace along with Paris, the son of the king of Troy. Also on behalf of the Olympic gods, Irida brought to the Trojans the news that numerous troops of the Achaeans were approaching Troy. The goddess of the rainbow appeared before Elena in the form of Priam's daughter, the king of Troy. She did this in order to call her to the tower at Skye Gate, where many gathered to look at the duel between Paris and Menelaus. In addition, at the behest of Zeus, the goddess Irida ordered to stop interfering in the war with Poseidon, who was on the side of the Achaeans. Iris is repeatedly mentioned in the cycle of myths about the Trojan War.

The family tree of Irida

The goddess of the rainbow among the Greeks, according to their mythology, was the daughter of Tavmant (the sea god of miracles) and the oceanographers of Elektra. As the appearance of the rainbow is impossible without rain, so the origin of Irida is associated with water deities.

Her sisters were harpies - terrible mythical creatures who guarded Tartarus. These creatures, according to ancient Greek beliefs, could abduct souls.

The goddess of the rainbow was the mother of Eros - the deity of love, who served as Aphrodite's assistant and accompanied her everywhere. He is also present in Roman mythology under the name Cupid.

Her husband was Zephyr, one of the four wind gods that dominated the western part of the world. From it, she gave birth to Eros.

Goddess Iris in art

The goddess of the rainbow in Hellas was often depicted in a variety of reliefs and drawings. Mostly these were images dedicated to the most powerful goddess, Hera, whose messenger was Iris. Most often it was painted flying on the rainbow wings or standing next to its patroness Hera.

As the main character, the rainbow goddess is represented in the play of Achaeus of Eretria "Iris".

In addition, this deity also acts as one of the actors of Aristophanes' comedy "Birds", the tragedy "Heracles" written by Euripides.

Ancient Greek goddess-messenger dedicated to the canvas of Pierre Narcissus Guérin "Iris and Morpheus", which he created in 1811. It depicts the goddess of the rainbow and the ancient Greek winged god of sleep.

Rainbow in the myths and beliefs of other peoples

In the mythology of different countries and peoples, the rainbow is given an important role. It is mainly associated with a kind of bridge between heaven and earth, the connection between ordinary people and immortal gods.

Among the ancient Slavs there was a belief that a rainbow is the path by which the souls of the dead rise to the sky. The same significance was attached to the rainbow in Scandinavian mythology.

Many other interesting beliefs are connected with the rainbow. Thus, the Celts believed that after a violent storm in the place under the rainbow, treasures buried in the ground could be found.

According to Indian legends and legends, it was the place where all the bright flowers of the planet were after their short-term flowering on the earth.

Many Slavic peoples also have this sign: if a woman has repeatedly given birth to children of the same sex, 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 symbolizes divine mercy and justice.

The Muslim people consider that the rainbow consists of four colors (red, yellow, green, blue) and is associated with the four elements.

However, despite its beauty, not all people have a rainbow considered something good. For example, the Malaysians believe that if a person passes under it, then he will certainly fall seriously ill. Hungarians have a sign that you can not point to the rainbow with your finger, as it withers. And in Nicaragua and Honduras on the rainbow is not even considered, especially children.