Iris, by Luca Giordano

In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the rainbow unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other^[1], and into the depths of the sea and the underworld. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 445 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2536 × 3412 pixel, file size: 644 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Iris (mythology) ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 445 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2536 × 3412 pixel, file size: 644 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Iris (mythology) ... The creation of man, fresco in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence, 1684-1686. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... For other uses, see Rainbow (disambiguation). ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... This article is about the body of water. ... // In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly dead souls go. ...

In myth

Iris is the personal messenger of Hera, queen of the gods. She is Hera's agent from Mount Olympus to the mortal world. She is also associated with Hermes, another messenger god. For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ... Mount Olympus (Greek: ; also transliterated as Mount Ólympos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 meters high (9,576 feet)[1]. Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe, in real absolute altitude... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ...

Greco-Roman pantheon

Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in the Iliad which is attributed to Homer, but does not appear in the other work attributed to him, the Odyssey, where Hermes fills that role. Like Hermes, also known as Mercury, Iris carries a caduceus or winged staff. By command of Zeus, the king of the gods, she carries a ewer of water from the Styx, with which she puts to sleep all who perjure themselves. She is also represented as supplying the clouds with the water needed to deluge the world, consistent with her rainbow identity. The Iliad is, with The Odyssey, one of the two major Greek epic poems traditionally attributed to Homer, a blind Ionian poet. ... For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation). ... A sculpture of the Roman god Mercury by 17th-century Flemish artist Artus Quellinus. ... The Caduceus Two caduceuses without wings as decoration of door portal in Ztracená street in Olomouc (Czech Republic). ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In Greek mythology, Styx (Στυξ) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, Hades. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ...

According to Apollonius Rhodius, Zetes and Calais who numbered amongst the Argonauts, delivered the prophet Phineas from the attentions of the tormenting Harpies. The Boreads' pursuit of the Harpies ended at the Strophades (`Islands of Turning'), where they were turned back, repelled by Iris. This eventful 'turning' may have resulted in the Islands' name. Apollonius of Rhodes (Apollonius Rhodius), librarian at Alexandria, was a poet, the author of Argonautica, a literary epic retelling of ancient material concerning Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece in the mythic land of Colchis. ... The Boreads, in Greek mythology, were Calais and Zetes. ... The Argo, by Lorenzo Costa In Greek mythology, the Argonauts (Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest for the Golden Fleece. ... In Greek mythology, Phineas (also spelled Phineus) was a King of Thrace, son of Agenor, who had the gift of prophecy. ... In Greek mythology, Harpies (robbers) were first beautiful winged women: Hesiod (Theogony) calls them as two lovely-haired creatures. ...

Iris

They sent the winged heroes, the Boreads, after the harpies. They succeeded in driving the monsters away but did not kill them, as a request from the goddess of the rainbow, Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the harpies again. It is said that the Boreads were turned back by Iris at the Strophades.[1] As thanks, Phineas told the Argonauts how to pass the Symplegades. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 425 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1850 × 2610 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 425 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1850 × 2610 pixel, file size: 3. ...

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and the ocean nymph Electra, an Oceanid. Her sisters are the Harpies, Aello and Ocypete. Iris is married to Zephirus, who is the god of the west wind. Their son is Pothos (Nonnus, Dionysiaca). In some records she is a sororal twin to the Titaness Arkhe (arch), who flew out of the company of Olympian gods to join the Titans as their messenger goddess during the Titanomachy, making the two sisters enemy messenger goddesses. Iris was said to have golden wings, whereas Arkhe had iridescent ones. During the Titan War, Zeus tore Arkhe'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. Achilles was sometimes known as podarkhes, or "wing-footed with Arkhe's wings". Not much is written about Iris' twin sister. Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Theogony (Greek: Θεογονία, theogonia = the birth of God(s)) is a poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks, composed circa 700 BC. The title of the work comes from the Greek words for god and seed. // Hesiods Theogony is a large-scale... In Greek mythology, Thaumas (wonder) was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia. ... In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ... Electra was daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. ... In Greek and Roman mythology, the Oceanids were the three thousand children of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. ... In Greek mythology, Harpies (robbers) were first beautiful winged women: Hesiod (Theogony) calls them as two lovely-haired creatures. ... In Greek mythology,, Aello was one of Hippolytes Amazons. ... In Greek mythology, Harpies (robbers) were first beautiful winged women: Hesiod (Theogony) calls them as two lovely-haired creatures. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see Pothos. ... The Greek epic poet Nonnus (Greek Nonnos), a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Thebaid, probably lived at the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 5th century AD. He produced the Dionysiaca, an epic tale of the god Dionysus, a paraphrase of the Gospel of John... Fraternal twin boys in the tub The term twin most notably refers to two individuals (or one of two individuals) who have shared the same uterus (womb) and usually, but not necessarily, born on the same day. ... For other uses, see Arche (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Greek: Τιτανομαχία), was the eleven-year series of battles fought between the two races of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, fighting from Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus. ... The iridescence of the Blue Morpho butterfly wings. ... In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Greek: Τιτανομαχία), was the eleven-year series of battles fought between the two races of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, fighting from Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus. ... In Greek mythology, the Nereids (NEER-ee-eds) are sea nymphs, the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris. ... This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ...

According to the Dionysiaca of Nonnos, Iris' brother is Hydaspes (book XXVI, lines 355-365). Hydaspes is the ancient Greek name for the modern-day Jhelum river. ...

In Euripides play Heracles Iris appears alongside Madness, cursing Heracles with the fit of madness in which he kills his three sons and his wife Megera. A statue of Euripides. ...

Poetic titles and epithets: Chrysopteron (Golden Winged), Aellopos (storm footed), Podas ôkea (swift footed) or Podênemos ôkea (wind-swift footed), and Thaumantias or Thaumantos (Daughter of Thaumas, Wondrous One). Epithets in Homer. ... For the characters from Greek mythology see Aello. ...

Representation

Iris is represented either as a rainbow, or as a young maiden with wings on her shoulders (see Iris Clipart). The attributes which most often identify Iris in classical art are the wings, the caduceus, and a vase, representing the ewer or urn which holds the Styxian water. The Caduceus Two caduceuses without wings as decoration of door portal in Ztracená street in Olomouc (Czech Republic). ... Chinese vase A vase with a sunflower pattern A modern designed vase The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Derivations and portrayals

• The word iridescence is derived in part from the name of this goddess.

• The 7 Iris asteroid is named after the messenger.

• "Arco iris" and "arco-íris" are the words for "rainbow" in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively.

• In 1946, Iris was depicted on a 50-franc airmail stamp in France. This was accompanied the same year by a 40-franc airmail stamp depicting a centaur shooting an arrow into the sky.

• Iris appears in the Disney movie Fantasia at the end of the segment featuring the Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven.

The iridescence of the Blue Morpho butterfly wings. ... 7 Iris (eye-ris) is one of the largest main belt asteroids. ... 253 Mathilde, a C-type asteroid. ... Airmail imprint on an envelope (Thailand) Airmail (or air mail) is mail that is transported by aircraft. ... In Greek mythology, the Centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race of creatures composed of part human and part horse. ... Disney may refer to: The Walt Disney Company and its divisions, including Walt Disney Pictures. ... Look up Fantasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Fantasia may refer to one of several things. ... Ludwig van Beethovens Symphony No. ... Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. ...

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Iris (mythology)

• Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod (English translation in the Project Gutenberg online book catalog)
• The Iliad by Homer(English translation in the Project Gutenberg online book catalog)
• The Argonautica by c. 3rd cent. B.C. Apollonius Rhodius (English translation in the Project Gutenberg online book catalog)
• Aaron Atsma, The Theoi Project: IRIS Goddess of the Rainbow & Messenger of the Gods
• Greek Mythology Link by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology
• Ancient World Mapping Center Strophades Inss.