Iris, is the goddess and personification of the rainbow in Greek Mythology. Also, associated with the sea, the sky, clouds, messages, communication, oaths, heraldry and colours, she is the official messenger of the Olympian gods and the handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera too.
Genealogy and Family[]
Iris' parents are the marine-god, Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra, a goddess of clouds. She has a twin sister, Arke the goddess of the faded second rainbow, as well as a brother, Hydaspes, a river god and three to five other sisters, The Harpies. Iris' maternal grandparents are Oceanus and Tethys and her paternal grandparents are Gaia and Pontus.
She married to Zephyrus, God of the west wind, with whom she had, a son, Pothos, the god of longing and an eventual member of The Erotes.
Role[]
Iris is the official messenger of the Olympian Gods with Hermes and sent to give messages on behalf of the Olympians, to other gods and humans.
Iris was described as the "joiner or conciliator, or the messenger of heaven, who restores peace in nature." in the Homeric poems. She was also regarded as "the swift minister of the gods".
Iris would use her pitcher to scoop up water from the ocean and carry it into the clouds to maintain them and would also use her pitcher to collect water from the River Styx, and because of this, the ancient Greeks viewed Iris as an important link between mortals and the realm of the gods. In some accounts, Iris was also tasked with distributing nectar and ambrosia to the Olympian Gods , like Hebe.
Synopsis[]
In the Titanomachy (Titan Wars) Iris allied with the Olympian Gods (Zeus and his siblings) and became their official messenger, whereas her twin sister, Arke allied with the Titans and became their messenger and ever since the Olympians victory in the war, Iris continued her loyal work.
She appears in other myths such as:
The Trojan Wars- Where she would appear to transport an injured Aphrodite back to Mount Olympus, after she had been wounded by Diomedes.
The Tale of Heracles- Iris was said to have been present when Hera made madness descend upon Heracles. With this madness being the cause of Heracles killing his own wife, Megara and sons, Therimachus, Creontiades, and Deicoon.
Jason and The Argonauts- Iris was also present during the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts, and the goddess appeared to Jason when the Argonauts were about to rescue Phineus from his punishment. As Phineus' punishment involved the Harpies harassing him, Iris asked that her sisters should not be harmed, and so the Boreads simply drove the Harpies off.
Appearance[]
In mythology, Iris is described as a beautiful, youthful woman, with long hair, feathery golden wings, dressed in Greek Robes.
Iris was depicted in ancient Greek vase paintings as a beautiful young woman with golden wings, a herald's rod (kerykeion), and sometimes a water-pitcher (oinochoe) in her hand, dressed in robes. In these pieces, she was usually depicted standing beside Zeus or Hera, sometimes serving nectar from her jug. As cup-bearer of the gods Iris is often indistinguishable from Hebe in art.
Renaissance and 1800's artists generally depicted Iris, as a beautiful, slender, fair-skinned, youthful lady with long brown or blonde hair, usually worn in an up-do, if not loose, either fully dressed, nude or semi nude, with or without wings, (with either butterfly or feathery bird wings) depending on the artist's interpretation of her. Showing the different imaginative ways, people imagined and presented her image.
Iris is also a continual subject throughout modern art, with countless portrayals by artists, with different appearances, depicted in different styles.
Personality[]
She is the humble and loyal messenger of the Olympians and handmaiden of Hera.
Skills and Abilities[]
Iris is a goddess of the sea and sky. She possesses eternal youth, immortality and perfect health- she is immune to tiredness, old age and any illnesses and disorders humans may get like the other Gods. Other abilities and skills unique to her include:
Underwater breathing and swimming- Iris is the daughter of marine deities and before moving to the land and travelling in the sky, she was born and raised in the sea, thus was and is able to effortlessly live down there, breathing and travelling underwater like second nature.
Flight- Iris can levitate herself off the ground up to the sky and maintain stability travelling long distances in air thanks to her wings,
Superhuman Speed- Iris was described as swift footed like a storm wind in the accounts and can travel very quickly from Mount Olympus to Earth, and even journey quickly into Hades.
Control over Clouds- Iris maintains clouds by filling them with water from her pitcher, this water being collected from the ocean.
Rainbow Creation- Iris is the creator of rainbows, when delivering messages from the gods to mortals she travels on a rainbow, each time.
Symbols[]
Iris' symbols include the rainbow, a caduceus and pitcher (water carrier).
Titles and Epithets[]
Iris had numerous poetic titles and epithets, including Asschups ("Golden Winged"), Podas ôkea ("swift footed") or Podênemos ôkea ("wind-swift footed"), and Thaumantias or Thaumantos ("Daughter of Thaumas, Wondrous One"). Under the epithet Aellopus, she was described as swift-footed like a storm-wind.
Relationships[]
Thaumas and Electra- Iris' parents.
Arke- Iris' twin sister.
Zephyrus- Zephyrus, god of the west wind and spring, became the husband of Iris and the father of their son, Pothos, the god of longing.
Pothos- Pothos is the beloved son of Iris and Zephyrus.
Hera- Iris' close friend, queen and boss. Hera and Iris see each other regularly with Iris serving as her handmaiden and personal messenger, likely since the Titan Wars, when they first met. Hera was said to have a rare soft spot for Iris and rarely got angry with her.
Zeus- Zeus is Iris' friend, boss and king, she joined his team, The Olympians during the Titanomachy (Titan Wars) helping them defeat Cronus and his allies, for which she was rewarded for with honours and a place as an Olympian deity.
Hermes- Hermes is Iris' fellow messenger to the Olympian gods, as such the two often work together.
Significance[]
Unlike the other prominent messenger god of the Greeks, Hermes, Iris did not play a large part in the ancient Greek religion and was rarely worshipped. There are no known temples, shrines, or sanctuaries to Iris, or festivals held in her honour.
Gallery[]
To view Iris' Gallery click here.
Trivia[]
Her name combined the Greek words for “messenger” and “the rainbow” to signify her dual role.
Ἶρις, is the Greek spelling of her name.
Iris' Roman counterpart is named Arcus.