I love
Iris! who - as Mirfak stated, is the Goddess of the
Rainbow. She also seems to serve as messenger and assistant to Hera/Juno in Greek/Roman mythology. Rather than a mere subordinate to the higher goddess,
Iris often conveyed her cunning craft to convince
Hera of her own opinion, or even manipulate or alter her perception. These myths mostly concerned
Hera's vengeance against the infidelities of
Zeus / Jupiter--and imposing penalties upon the lesser goddesses or mortals--mostly victims of her jealousy due to his uncontrollable & ever unfaithful lust.
Here is a quotation from
Ceres (as Goddess of Agriculture & Maternal Relationships) addressing
Iris (as Goddess of the
Rainbow) in Shakespeare's "The
Tempest". I love this utterly beautiful text. Sorry for getting carried away here...
Hail, many-coloured messenger, that ne'er
Dost disobey the wife of
Jupiter;
Who with thy saffron wings upon my flowers
Diffusest honey-drops, refreshing showers:
And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown
My bosky acres, and my unshrubb'd down,
Rich scarf to my proud earth; why hath thy queen
Summon'd me hither, to this short-grass'd green?
Then again, who would not be "carried away" when
Ceres compares the "saffron wings" of
Iris with a nurturing & nourishing scarf to
Ceres' earthly garden!
This message was edited 4/2/2016, 5:03 AM