As Goddess of the rainbow she joined the human realm to the place of the Gods. very few traces have come down to us, and we only know that the Delians Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in The Iliad, which is attributed to Homer. Iris is also mentioned in the third “Homeric Hymn to Apollo” in connection with the delayed birth of Apollo and Artemis. Del. Respecting the worship of Iris

Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Iris frequently appears in Homer’s “Iliad,” relaying messages to Helen, scolding gods for meddling in the Trojan War against Zeus’ orders (especially Poseidon) or encouraging Achilles to retrieve the body of his dead friend Patroclus from the battlefield. the distance betewen cloud and sea, and so the goddess was believed to
She restored calm and balance to the forces of nature after a storm. Probably because of the connection between rainbows and rain, Iris was sometimes said to have been the wife of Zephyrus, the rainy West Wind. She was often described as the handmaiden and personal messenger By command of Zeus, the king of the gods, she carries an ewer of water from the River Styx, with which she puts to sleep all who perjure themselves. de Plac. She restored calm and balance to the forces of nature after a storm. "I join," whence eirênê ; so that Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, IRIS was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian 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. 168, Hymn. Areas of Influence: Iris Goddess of the rainbow and messenger to the Gods. She The Most works of art depict her either in the form of a beautiful rainbow, or as a lovely maiden. gods, and from gods to men. and which therefore appears whenever the goddess wants it, and vanishes coastal-dwelling Greeks, the rainbow's arc was most often seen spanning She further performs her services not only when commanded,

For other uses, see, Goddess of the Rainbow, Messenger of the Gods, The Iliad, Book II, "And now Iris, fleet as the wind, was sent by Jove to tell the bad news among the Trojans.". Elektra and Thaumas, a minor god sometimes associated with the sea. 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. sandals, with the staff and a pitcher in her hands. Aen.

Her sisters were the Harpies, and her husband was sometimes said to be Zephyrus. Her Roman counterpart is Arcus. Since she could move with the speed of the wind, Iris acted also like the messenger of the gods.She took the orders of Zeus and the other deities from the "eye of heaven" and, sliding down the curve of the rainbow,she appeared in front of the people in a human form and revealed the orders to them. of Hera. She is the goddess of the rainbow. During theTitanomachy, Iris was the messenger of …

Iris also appears several times in Virgil's Aeneid, usually as an agent of Juno. errand-running messenger and was usually described as a virgin goddess. AELLOPUS (Aellopous), a surname of Iris, the messenger of the gods, was the more prevalent one in antiquity. also hold she used her pitcher to collect water from the River Styx, She was often described as the handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera.Iris was a goddess of sea and sky--her father Thaumas "the wondrous" was a marine-god, and her mother Elektra "the amber" a cloud-nymph. Iris links the gods to humanity. Iris was a goddess of sea and sky--her father Thaumas "the wondrous" was a marine-god, and her mother Elektra "the amber" a cloud-nymph. 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. Iris was a messenger goddess who helped remove the body of the Nameless. [9], While Iris was principally associated with communication and messages, she was also believed to aid in the fulfillment of humans' prayers, either by fulfilling them herself or by bringing them to the attention of other deities. According to the Roman poet Ovid, after Romulus was deified as the god Quirinus, his wife Hersilia pleaded with the gods to let her become immortal as well so that she could be with her husband once again. (Il. Many ancient Greeks considered Iris one of the most regarded as the swift minister of the gods. Plant database entry for Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Mythology') with 14 images, 2 comments, and 35 data details. whole in the same capacity as in the Iliad, but she occurs gradually According to Hesiod's Theogony, Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra and the sister of the Harpies: Aello and Ocypete. Iris does appear to have been the object of at least some minor worship, but the only trace preserved of her cult is the note that the Delians offered cakes, made of wheat, honey and dried figs, as offerings to Iris. Iris is also mentioned in the third “Homeric Hymn to Apollo” in connection with the delayed birth of Apollo and Artemis.See Also: Hermes, Lyssa, Phineus, Anemoi 201. xviii. The ancient Greeks described her as “swift footed”,

IRIS (Iris), a daughter of Thaumas (whence she is called Thaumantias, Virg. 2. She is the goddess of the rainbow. replenish the rain-clouds with water from the sea.

She later married God of the West Wind, Zephyros and they may have been the parents of Pothos,the personification of Yearning or Longing, who is part of The Erotes. According to the Dionysiacao… Hymn. A startling case in point can be found in the last book of the “Iliad,” when Zeus sends Iris to inform Priam about his merciful decision concerning his son’s dead body, and Hermes to merely conduct the Trojan king unnoticed to Achilles. In legends, she Iris was both a personification of the rainbow and a divine messenger. the opinion that Iris was originally the personification of the rainbow.

role. would be the joiner or conciliator, or the messenger of heaven, who

Aen. She is also said to travel on the rainbow while carrying messages from the gods to mortals. (Eustath. 5) and Electra, and sister of the Harpies. 409.). She also serves nectar to the gods and goddesses to drink.
During this period, Iris is reported as performing many vital tasks, such as informing Menelaus of Helen’s abduction or even autonomously granting Achilles’ prayers and summoning the winds to ignite the funeral pyre of his friend Patroclus. Their son is Pothos (Nonnus, Dionysiaca). In Book XXIII, she delivers Achilles's prayer to Boreas and Zephyrus to light the funeral pyre of Patroclus.[3]. This personification of a rainbow was once described as being a link to the heavens and earth. In the earlier poets, and even in Theocritus (xvii. In Greek mythology, Iris (/ˈaɪrɪs/; Greek: Ίρις Ancient Greek: [îːris]) is the personification and goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. Described as “wind-footed” and “storm-footed,” as well as “golden-winged” and “dewy,” just like her male counterpart Hermes, Iris was often portrayed with winged sandals (talaria) and a messenger’s staff (kerykeion). She had gold wings attached to her shoulders and winged sandals on her feet. Tall Bearded Iris (Iris 'Mythology') in the Irises Database - Garden.org New and Unread Tree-Mails In book 5, Iris, having taken on the form of a Trojan woman, stirs up the other Trojan mothers to set fire to four of Aeneas' ships in order to prevent them from leaving Sicily. In Hesiod’s works, at least, she had the additional duty of carrying water from the River Styx in a ewer whenever the gods had to take a solemn oath.

In Ancient Greece, Iris was the Goddess of the Rainbow, and according to most ancient sources, Iris was the daughter of the river god Thaumas, and his partner, the Oceanid Electra.The parentage also meant that Iris had some famous sisters, for the three Harpies, Ocypete, Celaeno and Aello, were also born to the same parents. Iris, Athenian red-figure lekythos C5th B.C., Rhode Island School of Design Museum IRIS was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods.

As well as creating rainbows, and delivering messages, she was tasked with maintaining the clouds, by pouring water into them. Areas of Influence: Iris Goddess of the rainbow and messenger to the Gods. p. 645; comp. Iris is the Greek goddess of the Rainbow and the messenger for the gods. No statues of Iris have been preserved, but we find her frequently by which she is described as swift-footed like a storm-wind. 78, 95, ii. Legends Philos. She occasionally delivers messages for demigods as well. Iris was the daughter of the sea god Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra. 288, 432; Ov. She would use her pitcher to During the Titan War, Zeus tore Arke's iridescent wings from her and gave them as a gift to the Nereid Thetis at her wedding, who in turn gave them to her son, Achilles, who wore them on his feet. She along with Bacchus, Aengus, and Heka became gods after sealing and bounding a stone that contained the power of a god into themselves. With this coat she actually creates the rainbows she rides to get from place to place. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. shoulders and usually carried a pitcher in one hand. Müller, Aegin. Many Greeks viewed Iris as an important link between mortals https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iris-Greek-mythology. She was usually depicted standing beside Zeus or Hera, (Il. ancient Greece. Olympian gods, who carries messages from Ida to Olympus, from gods to Iris, in Greek mythology, the personification of the rainbow and (in Homer’s Iliad, for example) a messenger of the gods.According to the Greek poet Hesiod, she was the daughter of Thaumas and the ocean nymph Electra. In fact, in Homer’s “Iliad,” she is the only one relaying messages from Zeus – and, once, Hera – to other gods or mortals, with Hermes being given the much smaller role of guide and guardian. 1 Greek Mythology 2 God of War 2.1 God of War II 3 Powers & Abilities 4 Trivia According toHesiod'sTheogony, Iris is the daughter ofThaumasand theOceanidElectra, and the sister of theHarpies:AelloandOcypete. 197. xxiv. © Copyright 2020 Greek-Gods.info All rights reserved. Like Hermes, Iris carries a caduceus or winged staff. Rainbows always stand for hope. " served as a messenger from Mount Olympus. hand; or she appears flying with wings attached to her shoulders and Iris was the daughter of Thaumas, a son of Pontos (the Sea), and Elektra, a daughter of Okeanos (Ocean).