"Iris (mythology) In Greek mythology, Iris (; ) is the personification and goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. According to Hesiod's ""Theogony"", Iris is the daughter of Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra, and the sister of the Harpies: Aello and Ocypete. During the Titanomachy, Iris was the messenger of the Olympian Gods, while her twin sister Arke betrayed the Olympians and became the messenger of the Titans. She is the goddess of the rainbow. She also serves nectar to the gods and goddesses to drink. Iris is married to Zephyrus, who is the god of the west"
"she was abducted by the god Hades. It has been suggested that the 'agallis' mentioned was a dwarf iris, as described by leaf and root shape,) and identified as Iris attica. Iris (plant) Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris. Some authors state that the name refers to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, ""iris"" is also widely"
"Iris (plant) Iris is a genus of 260–300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of the rainbow, Iris. Some authors state that the name refers to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, ""iris"" is also widely used as a common name for all ""Iris"" species, as well as some belonging to other closely related genera. A common name for some species is 'flags', while the plants of"
"""""Byblis"""" originates from a goddess from Greek mythology, of whom Ovid wrote in his ""Metamorphoses"" (IX, l. 454-664). Byblis, niece of Apollo, fell deeply in love with her twin brother Caunus. At his rejection of her advances, she let forth an endless stream of glistening tears, eventually literally transforming into a spring. The droplets lining the leaves of the ""Byblis"" are said to resemble those tears. The English vernacular name - ""rainbow plants"" - also denotes the mucilaginous droplets which, under the right lighting conditions and viewing angle, sparkle in a rainbow of colors. Much of the content of this"
"Arke In ancient Greek religion, Arke or Arce ( ""Arkē"") was a daughter of Thaumas and fraternal twin sister of Iris. She is sometimes affiliated with the faded second rainbow sometimes seen in the shadow of the first. She is said to have iridescent wings, compared to Iris' golden ones. During the Titanomachy, she betrayed the Olympian gods and joined the Titans against them; she became the messenger for the Titans, while her fraternal twin sister Iris was on the opposite side and became the messenger of the Olympian Gods. When the Olympians won, Zeus punished Arke. She was deprived"
"been seen as being possibly connected with the festival. The name ""Pandia"" is associated with the goddess Selene, the Greek personification of the moon. Originally Pandia may have been an epithet of Selene, but by at least the time of the Homeric Hymn to Selene, Pandia (""all brightness"") had become a daughter of Selene and Zeus, and ""Pandia"" Selene or Selene's daughter Pandia, have been offered as possible origins for the name of the festival. Another mythological figure whose name has been suggested as a possible source for the name of the festival is Pandion, a legendary king of Athens"
"Rainbows in culture The rainbow, a natural phenomenon noted for its design and its place in the sky, has been a favorite component of art and religion throughout history. The rainbow has a place in legend owing to its beauty and the historical difficulty in explaining the phenomenon. In Greco-Roman mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger (Iris) between Earth and Heaven. In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by goddess Nüwa using stones of five different colours. The Irish leprechaun's secret hiding place for his pot of gold"
"Electryone is akin to the word for ""amber"" (Ἠλέκτρα, Elektra), as in the amber color of sunrise (as opposed to sunset, implied by Helios being her father); naturally, either of which would be an appropriate name for a solar goddess. A marble tablet from the 3rd century BC found in Ialyssus contains an inscription about the regulations for visitors to the temple of Alectrona. Electryone In Greek mythology, Electryone (Ancient Greek: Ἠλεκτρυώνην) or Electryo or Alectrona (Doric form) was a daughter of Helios and Rhodos, and sister to the Heliadae. She died a virgin and was worshipped as a heroine"
"of marriage; Athena, goddess of wisdom; Poseidon, god of the sea; Demeter, goddess of the harvest; Apollo, god of the sun, law, healing, plague, reason, music and poetry; Artemis, goddess of the moon, the hunt and the wilderness; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Ares, God of war; Hermes, god of commerce and travelers, Hephaestus, god of fire and metalwork, and Dionysus, god of wine and fruit-bearing plants. Worship, like many other activities, was done in community, in the open. However, by 600 BC, the gods were often represented by large statues and it was necessary to provide a building in which"
"of her cult is the note that the Delians offered cakes, made of wheat, honey and dried figs, as offerings to Iris. Iris is represented either as a rainbow, or as a beautiful young maiden with wings on her shoulders. As a goddess, Iris is associated with communication, messages, the rainbow and new endeavors. This personification of a rainbow was once described as being a link to the heavens and earth. In some texts she is depicted wearing a coat of many colors. With this coat she actually creates the rainbows she rides to get from place to place. Iris's"
"Eos In Greek mythology, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ""Ēōs"", Attic ""Éōs"", ""dawn"", or ; Aeolic ""Aúōs"", Doric ""Āṓs"") is a Titaness and the goddess of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home at the edge of the Oceanus. Eos had a brother and a sister, Helios, god of the sun, and Selene, goddess of the moon. Eos is cognate to the Vedic goddess ""Ushas"", Lithuanian goddess ""Aušrinė"", and Roman goddess ""Aurora"" (Old Latin ""Ausosa""), all three of whom are also goddesses of the dawn. All four are considered derivatives of the Proto-Indo-European stem ""*h₂ewsṓs"" (later *""Ausṓs""),"
"of Zeus who were daughters of Tethys and Oceanus; she is described as beautiful in the ""sacred books of Orpheus"". She was one of the goddesses assembled to witness the birth of Apollo. The Greek goddess of love sometimes takes the name Dione: this may identify her with Aphrodite, though Homer calls Dione the mother of Aphrodite. Károly Kerényi notes in this context that the name Dione resembles the Latin name Diana, and is a feminine form of the name Zeus (cf Latin ""deus"", god), hence meaning ""goddess of the bright sky"". This association does not prevent her, however, from"
"by at least the time of the late ""Homeric Hymn"", Pandia had become a daughter of Zeus and Selene. Pandia (or Pandia Selene) may have personified the full moon, and an Athenian festival, called the Pandia, usually considered to be a festival for Zeus, was perhaps celebrated on the full-moon and may have been associated with Selene. Selene In Greek mythology, Selene (; ""Moon"") is the goddess of the moon. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens."
"Flora (mythology) In Roman mythology, Flora () is a Sabine-derived goddess of flowers and of the season of spring – a symbol for nature and flowers (especially the may-flower). While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime, as did her role as goddess of youth. Her Greek counterpart is Chloris. Her name is derived from the Latin word ""flos"" which means ""flower"". In modern English, ""Flora"" also means the plants of a particular region or period. Her"
"Harmonia In Greek mythology, Harmonia (; ) is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. Her Roman counterpart is Concordia. Her Greek opposite is Eris, whose Roman counterpart is Discordia. There was also a nymph called Harmonia. According to Apollonius of Rhodes, she was a naiad of the Akmonian Wood who was mother of the Amazons. According to one account, she is the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite. By another account, Harmonia was from Samothrace and was the daughter of Zeus and Electra, her brother Iasion being the founder of the mystic rites celebrated on the island. Almost always, Harmonia"
"Cuchavira Cuchavira or Cuchaviva was the god of the rainbow, protector of working women and the sick in the religion of the Muisca. The Muisca and their confederation were one of the four advanced civilizations of the Americas and in the fertile intermontane valley that forms the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the Andes rain and sun were both very important for their agriculture. Moreover, in those days the Bogotá savanna consisted of various swamps and floodings were regular. Cuchavira, who was called ""shining air"", appeared before the Muisca when Bochica, the messenger of the supreme being Chiminigagua was sent to the"
"Pandia In Greek mythology, the goddess Pandia or Pandeia (, meaning ""all brightness"") was a daughter of Zeus and the goddess Selene, the Greek personification of the moon. From the ""Homeric Hymn to Selene"", we have: ""Once the Son of Cronos [Zeus] was joined with her [Selene] in love; and she conceived and bare a daughter Pandia, exceeding lovely amongst the deathless gods."" An Athenian tradition made Pandia the wife of Antiochus, the eponymous hero of Antiochis, one of the ten Athenian tribes (phylai). Originally Pandia may have been an epithet of Selene, but by at least the time of"
"Aphrodite Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus, which is named after the Roman goddess , with whom Aphrodite was extensively syncretized. Aphrodite's major symbols include myrtles, roses, doves, sparrows, and swans. The cult of Aphrodite was largely derived from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, a cognate of the East Semitic goddess Ishtar, whose cult was based on the Sumerian cult of Inanna. Aphrodite's main cult centers were Cythera, Cyprus, Corinth, and Athens. Her main festival was the Aphrodisia, which was celebrated annually in midsummer. In"
"had relationships with mortal lovers. Both goddesses were associated with the colors red, white, and gold. Michael Janda etymologizes Aphrodite's name as an epithet of Eos meaning ""she who rises from the foam [of the ocean]"" and points to Hesiod's ""Theogony"" account of Aphrodite's birth as an archaic reflex of Indo-European myth. Aphrodite rising out of the waters after Cronus defeats Uranus as a mytheme would then be directly cognate to the Rigvedic myth of Indra defeating Vrtra, liberating Ushas. Another key similarity between Aphrodite and the Indo-European dawn goddess is her close kinship to the Greek sky deity, since"
"July 26 every year, and her devotees would don beautiful clothing and would set out a mortar and pestle as a representation of sexual union. Elsie also explains how the rainbow is sacred to ""Veneranda"", a Latin term for the goddess Venus, and the rainbow is referenced as ""Lady Prende's Belt"". When Albania became Christianized in antiquty, Prende was identified by the Catholic Church as Saint Anne, mother of Virgin Mary , known in Gheg dialect as ""Prenne"" or ""Perende"". There is one other Albanian Christian saint thought by some to have a non-Christian origin: Gjin. As is usual in"
"""iridescence"" is derived in part from the Greek word ἶρις ""îris"" (gen. ἴριδος ""íridos""), meaning ""rainbow"", and is combined with the Latin suffix ""-escent"", meaning ""having a tendency toward"". Iris in turn derives from the goddess Iris of Greek mythology, who is the personification of the rainbow and acted as a messenger of the gods. ""Goniochromism"" is derived from the Greek words ""gonia"", meaning ""angle"", and ""chroma"", meaning ""colour"". Iridescence is an optical phenomenon of surfaces in which hue changes with the angle of observation and the angle of illumination. It is often caused by multiple reflections from two or"
"those of the Greeks and the Babylonians. In ancient Greece, the two great luminaries the Sun and the Moon were called ""Helios"" and ""Selene""; the farthest planet (Saturn) was called ""Phainon"", the shiner; followed by ""Phaethon"" (Jupiter), ""bright""; the red planet (Mars) was known as ""Pyroeis"", the ""fiery""; the brightest (Venus) was known as ""Phosphoros"", the light bringer; and the fleeting final planet (Mercury) was called ""Stilbon"", the gleamer. The Greeks also made each planet sacred to one among their pantheon of gods, the Olympians: Helios and Selene were the names of both planets and gods; Phainon was sacred to"
"Astrape and Bronte Astrape and Bronte (Ancient Greek: """" (""Astrapē"", lit. ""Lightning""); & """" (""Brontē"", lit. ""Thunder"") are twin goddessess in Greek Mythology. Astrape and Bronte are the twin goddessess of lightning and thunder; as members of Zeus' entourage, they were his attendants/handmaidens/shield bearers/shieldmaidens, and were given the task of carrying Zeus' thunderbolts, along with Pegasus. Astrape's Roman counterpart is Fulgora. Philostratus the Elder, ""Imagines"" 1. 14 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician 3rd century AD): [From a description of an ancient Greek painting depicting the death of Semele:] In the Apulian vase painting, Astrape (labelled) stands beside the throne of Zeus"
"at Amyklai and at Olympia, upon looking at statues and illustrations where Eos (Hemera) is present. Hemera In Greek mythology Hemera (; ""Day"") was the personification of day and one of the Greek primordial deities. She is the goddess of the daytime and, according to Hesiod, the daughter of Erebus and Nyx (the goddess of night). Hemera is remarked upon in Cicero's ""De Natura Deorum"", where it is logically determined that ""Dies"" (Hemera) must be a god, if Uranus is a god. The poet Bacchylides states that Nyx and Chronos are the parents, but Hyginus in his preface to the"
"Elpis In Greek mythology, Elpis () is the personification and spirit of hope (usually seen as an extension to suffering by the Greeks, not as a god), perhaps a child of Nyx and mother of Pheme, the goddess of fame, renown and rumor. She was depicted as a young woman, usually carrying flowers or a cornucopia in her hands. In Hesiod's ""Works and Days"", Elpis was the last item in Pandora's box (or jar). Based on Hesiod's description, the debate is still alive to determine if Elpis was only ""hope"", or more generally ""expectation"". Her equivalent in Roman mythology was"
"Uenuku In Māori mythology, Uenuku or Kahukura is the god of rainbows. He is particularly special to the Tainui and Ngai Tahu Māori. Kahukura, after whom the rock, Te Tihi o Kahukura or Castle Rock on the Banks Peninsula in Canterbury is named was also known as Uenuku in the North Island. He was the spirit guardian invoked by tribal tohunga and appealed to for advice and omens in times of war. Each hapū had an image of Kahukura, often a small carved wooden figure, which was kept in a tapu place. A literal translation of Kahukura is a red"
"depiction and use of poppies in the Greco-Roman myths is the symbolism of the bright scarlet colour as signifying the promise of resurrection after death and that the poppy was the emblem of the goddess Demeter. According to Theocritus for the Greeks Demeter was still a poppy goddess bearing sheaves and poppies in both hands (""Idyll"" vii 157). Karl Kerenyi asserted that poppies were connected with a Cretan cult which was transmitted to the Eleusinian mysteries in Classical Greece: ""It seems probable that the Great Mother Goddess who bore the names Rhea and Demeter, brought the poppy with her from"
"and ""Daybright"". She was the Mother of several notable offspring, including the Winds, Zephyrus, Boreas, and Notus, and the Morning Star, Eosphoros, all of whom she bore to the Titan Astraeus (""of the Stars""), and Memnon, her son by Tithonus. This rosy-fingered, saffron-robed and golden-throned goddess, who goes up to Olympus to announce the light to the immortals, fell in love several times, and some say it was Aphrodite who cursed her to be perpetually in love, because once had Eos lain with Aphrodite's sweetheart Ares, the god of war. Eos is the daughter of Hyperion and Theia and sister"
"the late ""Homeric Hymn"", Pandia had become a daughter of Zeus and Selene. Pandia (or Pandia Selene) may have personified the full moon, and an Athenian festival, called the Pandia, probably held for Zeus, was perhaps celebrated on the full-moon and may have been connected to her. Pandia In Greek mythology, the goddess Pandia or Pandeia (, meaning ""all brightness"") was a daughter of Zeus and the goddess Selene, the Greek personification of the moon. From the ""Homeric Hymn to Selene"", we have: ""Once the Son of Cronos [Zeus] was joined with her [Selene] in love; and she conceived and"
"Aglaea Aglaea () or Aglaïa (; ""splendor, brilliant, shining one"") is the name of several figures in Greek mythology, the best known of which is one of the three Charites or Graces. Aglaea is the Greek goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence, and adornment. She is the youngest of the Charites or Graces, although Homer knew of a younger Charis or Grace named ""Pasithea"" (""Hallucination""). Aglaea is one of three daughters of Zeus and either the Oceanid Eurynome, or of Eunomia, the goddess of good order and lawful conduct. Her two sisters are Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy or mirth,"
"peacock ""symboliz[ed] the starry firmament"" for the Greeks, and the goddess Hera was believed to drive through the heavens in a chariot drawn by peacocks. The peacock and the ""Argus"" nomenclature are also prominent in a different myth, in which Io, a beautiful princess of Argos, was lusted after by Zeus (Jupiter). Zeus changed Io into a heifer to deceive his wife (and sister) Hera and couple with her. Hera saw through Zeus's scheme and asked for the heifer as a gift. Zeus, unable to refuse such a reasonable request, reluctantly gave the heifer to Hera, who promptly banished Io"
"far before it was introduced to Rome via Carthage, and it figures in multiple myths and artworks. In Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was known as the ""fruit of the dead"" and believed to have sprung from the blood of Adonis. The myth of Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, prominently features the pomegranate. In one version of the myth, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and taken off to live in the underworld as his wife. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of the harvest), went into mourning for her lost daughter; thus all green things ceased to grow. Zeus, the highest-ranking"
"Selene In Greek mythology, Selene (; ""Moon"") is the goddess of the moon. She is the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, and sister of the sun-god Helios, and Eos, goddess of the dawn. She drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Several lovers are attributed to her in various myths, including Zeus, Pan, and the mortal Endymion. In classical times, Selene was often identified with Artemis, much as her brother, Helios, was identified with Apollo. Selene and Artemis were also associated with Hecate, and all three were regarded as lunar goddesses, but only Selene was regarded as the"