The Greek goddess Iris was the personification of the rainbow, and served as a bridge between earth and the heavens. Iris had no distinctive mythology of her own. Iris was one of the few Olympians who was able to travel to the underworld. Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in The Iliad, which is attributed to Homer. By some accounts, the ancient Greeks believed the rainbow was actually the flowing, multi-colored robes of Iris. She does not, however, appear in The Odyssey, where her role is instead filled by Hermes. Today we take a look at another of the lesser known and under appreciated Goddesses of Greek mythology. She is a beautiful young woman described as wearing a multi-hued gown. Sie ist die Personifikation des Regenbogens und kann nach der physikalischen Vorstellung der damaligen Griechen Winde erzeugen. In ancient times, the Iris was considered a symbol of power and majesty, the three petal segments representing faith, wisdom and valor. "Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Routledge", Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iris_(mythology)&oldid=991836066, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 December 2020, at 01:54. Their son is Pothos (Nonnus, Dionysiaca). Most works of art depict her either in the form of a beautiful rainbow, or as a lovely maiden. Its looped form bears a resemblance to an Ankh. Interestingly enough, even though Hermes ended up being the more famous one of the two messengers, it seems that it was Iris who monopolized the function in the earlier days. As a goddess, Iris is associated with communication, messages, the rainbow, and new endeavors. According to the legend, the name iris is derived from Eiris, the Greek goddess, whose task is as a messenger between the gods in heaven and those of creatures of the earth. Iris's symbol is the rainbows. Please follow this link to the Archetypes page to discover which other Goddess Archetypes resonate with you. As Goddess of the rainbow she joined the human realm to the place of the Gods. She restored calm and balance to the forces of nature after a storm. [2] She also watered the clouds with her pitcher, obtaining the water from the sea. She carried messages from heaven to earth on the arc of the rainbow, and was a … Since January is themed Iris (also known as free trial), anyone is free to add a page of the themed goddess, depending on the theme. Eris's Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Roman counterpart is Concordia. A goddess named “Iris” personified the rainbow in the mythology of ancient Greece. Iris was the messenger to the gods and mortals. Illustration de "Histoires des météores" (1870), Morpheus awakening as Iris draws near by René-Antoine Houasse (1690), Iris and Jupiter by Michel Corneille the Younger (1701), Several terms redirect here. She was represented as the messenger of Hera and Zeus. In Euripides' play Herakles, Iris appears alongside Lyssa, cursing Heracles with the fit of madness in which he kills his three sons and his wife Megara. Symbolism. The cruel and fearsome Harpies were her sisters. She was often described as the handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera. With a single finger, Iris touched Hersilia and transformed her into an immortal goddess. According to the Dionysiaca of Nonnos, Iris' brother is Hydaspes (book XXVI, lines 355-365). Followed by 1010 people on Pinterest dual role same status as the messenger iris greek goddess symbol! 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