Iris In Greek Mythology

Little is known about Iris, but there are fragments of stories to create a well-rounded biography. Iris has no specific myths or temples dedicated to her. Although she is not well know, she is found as an important character in almost all of the Greek myths. Iris is the goddess of rainbows and the messenger of the gods. Of many goddesses, she is one of the few who control the sea and the sky. Iris is the goddess that connects the gods and humanity together. It is believed that she travelled by rainbows to carry messages from the gods to the mortals. Iris was often described as the personal messenger of Hera and served nectar to the Gods. Iris’ name comes from two separate Greek words; iris “the rainbow” and eiris “messenger.” Iris often faced many battles, and was

According to a Greek poet who goes by Hesiod, Iris had the job of carrying water from the River Styx (the river of Oaths) to Mount Olympus in a jug for whenever the gods had to take a formal oath. Whenever the gods would argue or anyone of the Olympians lied, Zeus would send Iris to the river in the Underworld to bring in a golden jug. If any god or goddess had lied, the water would give them unconsciousness. After spending a year in sickness, he/she is cut off from the gods’ councils and feasts for nine years and are not allowed to return until the tenth year. Iris came to be the unity of the sky and water, refilling the clouds with water whenever they needed it. She is the messenger of the Gods found in the Iliad. It was Iris’ responsibility to encourage the King of Troy to offer gifts to Achilles. Iris is important in the story of Ceyx and Alcyone, because she was the messenger who brought the dream message to the God of sleep so that Alcyone would know the truth about the journey Ceyx took. Iris joined the mortals to the place of the Gods. She would restore the calming balance to the forces of nature after it had