Editing Iris (mythology)

{{Short description|Ancient Greek goddess of rainbows}}
{{redirect-several|Iris}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Greek
| name = Iris
| image = Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien 2016 Kunstkammer Gaetano Matteo Monti Iris als Regenbogengöttin KK 5503 b.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = [[Gaetano Matteo Monti]], ''Iris as goddess of the rainbow'' (1841, marble) at [[Kunsthistorisches Museum]] in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]].
| god_of = Goddess of the Rainbow
| abode = [[Mount Olympus]]
| symbol = [[Rainbow]], [[caduceus]], [[Pitcher (container)|pitcher]]
| consort = [[Zephyrus]]
| parents = [[Thaumas]] and [[Electra (Oceanid)|Electra]]
| siblings = [[Arke]], [[Harpies]], [[Hydaspes (mythology)|Hydaspes]]
| offspring = [[Pothos (mythology)|Pothos]]<ref name="Pothos">{{cite book |author=Nonnus |author-link=Nonnus |title=Dionysiaca |at=47.340}}</ref>
| mount = 
| Roman_equivalent = 
}}
{{Ancient Greek religion}}

In [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]], '''Iris''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|r|ᵻ|s}}; {{respell|EYE|riss}}; {{langx|grc|Ἶρις|Îris|rainbow,}}<ref name="Liddel">{{cite web|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0073%3Aentry%3Di%29%3Dris |title=ἶρις |last1=Liddell |first1=Henry George|last2=Scott|first2=Robert |work=A Greek-English Lexicon |publisher=Perseus Digital Library |date= 1940 }}</ref><ref>Etymology of [https://archive.org/details/BaillyDictionnaireGrecFrancais/page/n975/mode/1up?view=theater ἶρις] in Bailly, Anatole (1935) ''[[:fr:Dictionnaire grec-français d'Anatole Bailly|Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français]]'', Paris: Hachette.</ref> {{IPA|grc|îːris|lang|link=yes}}) is a daughter of the gods [[Thaumas]] and [[Electra (Oceanid)|Electra]],<ref>In some rarer traditions, she is the daughter of [[Zeus]].{{cn|date=September 2022}}</ref> the [[personification]] of the [[rainbow]] and messenger of the gods, a servant to the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympians]] and especially Queen [[Hera]].<ref>Smith, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DI%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Diris-bio-1 s.v. Iris].</ref> 

Iris appears in several stories carrying messages from and to the gods or running errands but has no unique mythology of her own. Similarly, very little to none of a historical cult and worship of Iris is attested in surviving records, with only a few traces surviving from the island of [[Delos]]. In ancient art, Iris is depicted as a winged young woman carrying a [[caduceus]], the symbol of the messengers, and a pitcher of water for the gods. Iris was traditionally seen as the consort of [[Zephyrus]], the god of the west wind and one of the four [[Anemoi]], by whom she is the mother of [[Pothos (mythology)|Pothos]] in some versions.<ref name="Pothos" />

== Etymology ==
The [[ancient Greek]] noun {{lang|grc|Ἶρις}} means both the [[rainbow]]<ref name="Liddel"/> and the halo of the [[Moon]].{{sfn|Beekes|2009|page = 1:598}} An inscription from [[Corinth]] provides evidence for an original form {{lang|grc|Ϝῖρις}} (''wîris'') with a [[digamma]] that was eventually dropped.{{sfn|Beekes|2009|page = 1:598}} The noun seems to be of [[Pre-Greek substrate|pre-Greek]] origin.<ref>Fur.: 356.</ref> A [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] pre-form ''*uh<sub>2</sub>i-r-i-'' has been suggested, although [[Robert S. P. Beekes|Beekes]] finds it 'hard to motivate.'{{sfn|Beekes|2009|page = 1:598}}

== Family ==
According to [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]'', Iris is the daughter of [[Thaumas]] and the [[Oceanid]] [[Electra (Oceanid)|Electra]] and the sister of the [[Harpies]]: [[Arke]] and [[Ocypete]].<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/4#265 265]; cf. [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022%3Atext%3DLibrary%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D2%3Asection%3D6 1.2.6].</ref> During the [[Titanomachy]], Iris was the messenger of the [[Olympian gods]] while her sister [[Arke]] betrayed the Olympians and became the messenger of the gods' enemy, the [[Titan (mythology)|Titans]]. She is the goddess of the rainbow. She also serves nectar to the goddesses and gods to drink.

[[Zephyrus]], who is the god of the west wind, is often said to be her consort. Together they had a son named [[Pothos (mythology)|Pothos]],<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca03nonnuoft/page/396/mode/2up?view=theater 47.340]</ref> or alternatively they were the parents of [[Eros]],<ref>[[Alcaeus of Mytilene|Alcaeus]] frag [https://books.google.com/books?id=4uhBArQUknYC&pg=PA82 149]</ref> the god of love, according to sixth century BC Greek lyric poet [[Alcaeus of Mytilene|Alcaeus]], though Eros is usually said to be the son of [[Ares]] and [[Aphrodite]]. According to the ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' of [[Nonnus]], Iris' brother is [[Hydaspes (mythology)|Hydaspes]].<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/529#26.351 26.355&ndash;365]</ref>

She is also known as one of the goddesses of the sea and the sky. Iris links the gods to [[human]]ity. She travels with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other<ref name="The Iliad">The Iliad, Book II, "And now Iris, fleet as the wind, was sent by Jove to tell the bad news among the Trojans."</ref> and into the depths of the [[sea]] and the [[underworld]].

== Mythology ==
=== Titanomachy ===
[[File:Winged goddess Cdm Paris 392.jpg|thumb|right|222px|Winged female figure holding a caduceus: Iris (messenger of the gods) or [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]] (Victory)]]

Iris is said to travel on the rainbow while carrying messages from the gods to mortals. In some records, Iris is a sister to fellow messenger goddess [[Arke]] ("swift", "quick"); both sisters originally sided with the Olympian gods during the Titanomachy, but Arke eventually flew out of the company of Olympians to join the [[Titans]] as their own messenger goddess, so the two sisters found each other on opposite camps during the battle.<ref name="ptoly"/>

After the war was won by the Olympian leader Zeus and his allies, Zeus punished Arke by tearing her wings from her and in time gave them as a gift to the [[Nereid]] [[Thetis]] at her wedding to [[Peleus]], who in turn gave them to her son, [[Achilles]], who wore them on his feet.<ref name="ptoly">[[Ptolemy Hephaestion]], ''New History'' Book 6; epitomized in [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]]' ''[[Bibliotheca (Photius)|Bibliotheca]]'' [http://topostext.org/work.php?work_id=237#190.46 190]</ref> Achilles was sometimes known as ''podarkes'' (feet like [the wings of] Arke). Podarces was also the original name of [[Priam]], the king of [[Troy]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Andrews |first1=P. B. S. |title=The Falls of Troy in Greek Tradition |journal=Greece & Rome |date=1965 |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=28–37 |doi=10.1017/S0017383500014753 |jstor=642402 |s2cid=162661766 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/642402 |access-date=27 October 2022 |issn=0017-3835}}</ref> Iris on the other hand maintained her position as the messenger of the gods alongside Hermes; often Iris served specifically as Hera's personal messenger and servant.

=== Messenger of the gods ===
[[File:Pompeii - Casa dei Vettii - Ixion.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Iris stands behind the seated [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] (right) in a [[Pompeii]] fresco]]

Following her daughter [[Persephone]]'s abduction by [[Hades]], the goddess of agriculture [[Demeter]] withdrew to her temple in [[Eleusis]] and made the earth barren, causing a great famine that killed off mortals, and as a result sacrifices to the gods ceased. [[Zeus]] then sent Iris to Demeter, calling her to join the other gods and lift her curse; but as her daughter was not returned, Demeter was not persuaded.<ref>''[[Homeric Hymns]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D2 2.314&ndash;325]</ref>

In one narrative, after [[Leto]] and her children pleaded with Zeus to release [[Prometheus]] from his torment, Zeus relented, and sent Iris to order [[Heracles]] to free the unfortunate Prometheus.<ref>[[Valerius Flaccus (poet)|Valerius Flaccus]], ''Argonautica'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/valerius_flaccus-argonautica/1934/pb_LCL286.191.xml 4.60-78 ff]</ref>

After [[Alcyone and Ceyx|Ceyx]] drowned in a shipwreck, Hera made Iris convey her orders to [[Hypnos]], the god of sleep. Iris flew and found him in his cave, and informed him that Hera wished for Ceyx's wife, Alcyone, to be informed of her loved one's death in her dreams. After delivering Hera's command, Iris left immediately, not standing to be near Hypnos for too long, for his powers took hold of her, and made her dizzy and sleepy.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 11.585</ref>

In [[Aristophanes]]'s comedy ''[[The Birds (play)|The Birds]]'', the titular birds build a city in the sky and plan to supplant the Olympian gods. Iris, as the messenger, goes to meet them, but she is ridiculed, insulted, and threatened with rape by their leader Pisetaerus, an elderly Athenian man. Iris appears confused that Pisetearus does not know who the gods are and that she is one of them. Pisetaerus then tells her that the birds are the gods now, the deities whom the humans must sacrifice to. After Pisetaerus threatens to rape her, Iris scolds him for his foul language and leaves, warning him that Zeus, whom she refers to as her father, will deal with him and make him pay.{{sfn|Welsh|2014|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=RiN8AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 29]}}

Iris also appears several times in [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'', usually as an agent of [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]]. In Book 4, Juno dispatches her to pluck a lock of hair from the head of Queen [[Dido (Queen of Carthage)|Dido]], so that she may die and enter Hades.<ref>[[Virgil]], ''[[Aeneid]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/245#4.630 4.696]</ref> 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.<ref>[[Virgil]], ''[[Aeneid]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/245#5.604 5.606]</ref>

[[File:IrisGuyHead.jpg|thumb|right|235px|''Iris Carrying the Water of the [[Styx|River Styx]] to [[Mount Olympus|Olympus]] for the Gods to Swear By'', by [[Guy Head]] (c. 1793)]]

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. Juno heard her plea and sent Iris down to her. With a single finger, Iris touched Hersilia and transformed her into an immortal goddess. Hersilia flew to Olympus, where she became one of the [[Horae]] and was permitted to live with her husband forevermore.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://ovid.lib.virginia.edu/trans/Metamorph14.htm#487618623 14.829&ndash;851]</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=McLeish|first=Kenneth|author-link=Kenneth McLeish|title=Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth|url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/bloommyth/hersilia/0|journal=Credo Reference}}</ref>

=== Trojan War ===
According to the lost epic ''[[Cypria]]'' by [[Stasinus]], it was Iris who informed [[Menelaus]], who had sailed off to [[Crete]], of what had happened back in [[Sparta]] while he was gone, namely his wife [[Helen of Troy|Helen]]'s elopement with the [[Troy|Trojan]] Prince [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]] as well as the death of Helen's brother [[Castor and Pollux|Castor]].<ref>[[Proclus]]' [https://web.archive.org/web/20091009120320/http://www.stoa.org/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Stoa:text:2003.01.0004 summary] of [[Stasinus]]' ''[[Cypria]]''.</ref>

Iris is frequently mentioned as a divine messenger in ''[[The Iliad]]'', which is attributed to [[Homer]]. She does not, however, appear in ''[[The Odyssey]],'' where her role is instead filled by [[Hermes]]. Like Hermes, Iris carries a [[caduceus]] or winged staff. By command of [[Zeus]], the king of the gods, she carries a [[ewer]] of water from the [[River Styx]], with which she puts to [[sleep]] all who [[perjury|perjure]] themselves. In Book XXIII, she delivers Achilles's prayer to [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] and Zephyrus to light the funeral pyre of [[Patroclus]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mackie|first=Christopher John|date=2011|title=The Homer Encyclopedia|url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileyhom/winds/0|journal=Credo Reference}}</ref> In the last book, Zeus sends Iris to King [[Priam]], to tell him that he should go to the Achaean camp alone and ransom the body of his slain son [[Hector]] from [[Achilles]]. Iris swiftly delivers the message to Priam and returns to Olympus.<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Iliad]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/2#24.140 24.144]–[https://topostext.org/work/2#24.185 189]</ref>

=== Other myths ===
[[File:Iris Louvre L43 n2.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Iris, Attic lekythos in Six's technique (superposed colours), circa 500–490 BC, found in [[Tanagra]], now in [[Louvre]].]]

According to the "[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn to Apollo]]", when [[Leto]] was in labor prior to giving birth to her twin children [[Apollo]] and [[Artemis]], all the goddesses were in attendance except for two, Hera and [[Eileithyia]], the goddess of childbirth. On the ninth day of her labor, Leto told Iris to bribe Eileithyia and ask for her help in giving birth to her children, without allowing Hera to find out.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Grant|first=Michael|date=2002|title=Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Routledge|url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routwwcm/leto/0|journal=Credo Reference}}</ref> According to [[Callimachus]], Iris along with [[Ares]] ordered, on [[Hera]]'s orders, all cities and other places to shun the pregnant [[Leto]] and deny her shelter where she could bring forth her twins.<ref>[[Callimachus]], ''Hymn to Delos'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/callimachus-hymns_hymn_iv_delos/1921/pb_LCL129.89.xml 67&ndash;69]</ref> After [[Asteria]], now transformed into the island of [[Delos]], offered shelter to Leto, Iris flew back to Hera to inform her that Leto had been allowed to give birth due to Asteria defying Hera's orders, and took her seat beside Hera.<ref>[[Callimachus]], ''Hymn to Delos'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/callimachus-hymns_hymn_iv_delos/1921/pb_LCL129.103.xml 110–228]</ref>

According to [[Apollonius Rhodius]], Iris turned back the [[Argonauts]] [[Boreads|Zetes and Calais]], who had pursued the [[Harpies]] to the [[Strophades]] ("Islands of Turning"). The brothers had driven off the monsters from their torment of the prophet [[Phineus]], but did not kill them upon the request of Iris, who promised that [[Phineus]] would not be bothered by the Harpies again.

After King [[Creon (king of Thebes)|Creon]] of Thebes forbade the burial of the dead Argive soldiers who had raised their arms against Thebes, Hera ordered Iris to moisturize their dead bodies with dew and ambrosia.<ref>[[Statius]], ''[[Thebaid (Latin poem)|Thebaid]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/statius-thebaid/2004/pb_LCL498.259.xml 12.138 ff]</ref>

In a lesser-known narrative, Iris once came close to being raped by the [[satyr]]s after she attempted to disrupt their worship of [[Dionysus]], perhaps at the behest of [[Hera]]. About fifteen black-and-red-figure vase paintings dating from the fifth century BC depict said satyrs either menacingly advancing toward or getting hold of her when she tries to interfere with the sacrifice.{{sfn|Sells|2019|page =[https://books.google.com/books?id=4nt7DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA112 112]}} In another cup, Iris is depicted being assaulted by the satyrs, who apparently are trying to prevent Iris from stealing sacrificial meat from the altar of Dionysus, who is also present in the scene. On the other side, the satyrs are attacking Hera, who stands between Hermes and Heracles.{{sfn|Antonopoulos|Christopoulos|Harrison|2021|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=y108EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT628 627–628]}} The ancient playwright [[Achaeus of Eretria|Achaeus]] wrote ''Iris'', a now lost [[satyr play]], which might have been the source of those vases' subject.{{sfn|Antonopoulos|Christopoulos|Harrison|2021|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=y108EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT628 627–628]}}

In [[Euripides]]' play ''[[Herakles (Euripides)|Heracles Gone Mad]]'', Iris appears alongside [[Lyssa]], the goddess of madness and insanity, cursing [[Heracles]] with the fit of madness in which he kills his three sons and his wife [[Megara (mythology)|Megara]].<ref>[[Euripides]], ''[[Herakles (Euripides)|Heracles]]'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0102%3Acard%3D822 822]</ref> Iris also prepared the bed of Zeus and Hera.<ref>[[Theocritus]], ''Idylls'' [https://archive.org/details/theocritusidylls00theo/page/66/mode/2up?view=theater 15.135]</ref>

== Worship ==
=== Cult ===
[[File:Weber-Laborde head Louvre Ma740.jpg|thumb|left|Weber-Laborde head Louvre, possibly the head of Iris.]]
[[File:West pediment N Parthenon BM.jpg|thumb|right|Iris, sculpture from the [[Pediments of the Parthenon#West Pediment|west pediment]] of the Parthenon, now at the [[British Museum]].<ref>British museum [https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1816-0610-96] Marble statue from the West pediment of the Parthenon.</ref>]]

Unlike the other prominent messenger god of the Greeks, Hermes, Iris did not play a large part in the ancient Greek religion and was rarely worshipped. There are no known temples, shrines, or sanctuaries to Iris, or festivals held in her honour. While she is frequently depicted on vases and in bas-reliefs, few statues are known to have been made of Iris during antiquity. She was however depicted in sculpture on the [[Pediments of the Parthenon#West Pediment|west pediment]] of [[Parthenon]] in [[Athens]].

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 by [[Athenaeus]] in ''[[Deipnosophistae|Scholars at Dinner]]'' that the people of Delos sacrificed to Iris, offering her cheesecakes called ''basyniae'', a type of cake of wheat-flour, suet, and honey, boiled up together.<ref>[[Athenaeus]], ''[[Deipnosophistae|Scholars at Dinner]]'' [http://www.attalus.org/old/athenaeus14c.html#645 14.53]; comp. Müller, Aegin. p. 170.</ref>

=== Epithets ===
Iris had numerous poetic titles and [[Homeric epithet|epithets]], including ''chrysopteros'' ({{lang|grc|χρυσόπτερος}} "golden winged"), ''podas ōkea'' ({{lang|grc|πόδας ὠκέα}} "swift footed") or ''podēnemos ōkea'' ({{lang|grc|ποδήνεμος ὠκέα}} "wind-swift footed"), ''roscida'' ("dewy", Latin), and ''Thaumantias'' or ''Thaumantis'' ({{lang|grc|Θαυμαντιάς}}, {{lang|grc|Θαυμαντίς}}, "Daughter of Thaumas, Wondrous One"), ''aellopus'' ({{lang|grc|ἀελλόπους}} "storm-footed, storm-swift).<ref>[[Homer]] uses the alternative form ''aellopos'' ({{lang|grc|ἀελλόπος}}): ''[[Iliad]]'' viii. 409.</ref> She also watered the clouds with her pitcher, obtaining the water from the sea.

== Representation ==
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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Greek Legends and Stories |last=Seton-Williams |first=M.V. |publisher=Rubicon Press |year=2000 |pages=75–76}}</ref>

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' wings were said to be so beautiful that she could even light up a dark cavern, a trait observable from the story of her visit to [[Somnus]] in order to relay a message to [[Alcyone]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Bulfinch's Mythology: the Age of Fable, the Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne: Complete in One Volume |last=Bulfinch |first=Thomas |publisher=Thomas Y. Crowell Co. |year=1913}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Greek Legends and Stories |last=Seton-Williams |first=M.V. |publisher=Rubicon Press |year=2000 |pages=9}}</ref>

== Genealogy ==
{{chart top|Descendants of Gaia and Pontus<ref>''Theogony'' 233&ndash;297, 333&ndash;335 (Ladon) (Most, pp. [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.23.xml 22, 23], [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.29.xml 28, 29]); Caldwell, p. 7, tables 6&ndash;9; Hard, p. 696.</ref>|collapsed=no}}
{{chart/start}}
{{chart|}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | |GAI |y|PON |GAI = [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]]|PON=[[Pontus (mythology)|Pontus]]}}
{{chart| |,|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart|NER |y|DOR | |THA |y|ELE| |PHO |y|CET | |EUR |NER=[[Nereus]]|DOR=[[Doris (Oceanid)|Doris]]<ref>One of the [[Oceanid]] daughters of [[Oceanus]] and [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]], at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.31.xml 350].</ref> |THA=[[Thaumas]]|ELE=[[Electra (Oceanid)|Electra]]<ref>One of the [[Oceanid]] daughters of [[Oceanus]] and [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]], at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.31.xml 349].</ref> |PHO=[[Phorcys]]|CET=[[Ceto]]|EUR=[[Eurybia (mythology)|Eurybia]]}} 
{{chart| | | |!| | | | |,|-|-|+|-|-|.| | | | |!}}
{{chart| | |NER| |IRI | |AEL | |OCY  | | |!|NER=<small>The [[Nereids]]</small><ref>The fifty sea nymphs, including: [[Amphitrite]] ( [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.23.xml 243]), [[Thetis]] ( [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.23.xml 244]), [[Acis and Galatea (mythology)|Galatea]] ( [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.23.xml 250]), and [[Psamathe (Nereid)|Psamathe]] ( [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.23.xml 260]).</ref>|IRI='''IRIS'''|AEL=[[Aello]]|OCY=[[Ocypete]]}}
{{chart|border=0 | | | | | | |  | |  |L|~|~|HAR |~|~|J| |!|HAR=<small>The [[Harpies]]</small>}}
{{chart| | |,|-|-|-|v|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|^|v|-|-|.}}
{{chart| |PEM | |ENY | |!| | | |!| | | |!| |ECH | |LAD |PEM=[[Pemphredo]]|ENY=[[Enyo]]|ECH=[[Echidna (mythology)|Echidna?]]<ref>Who Echidna's mother is supposed to be, is unclear, she is probably Ceto, but possibly Callirhoe. The "she" at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.27.xml 295] is ambiguous. While some have read this "she" as referring to Callirhoe, according to Clay, [https://books.google.com/books?id=2etBN0w0NGUC&pg=PA159 p. 159 n. 32], "the modern scholarly consensus" reads Ceto, see for example Gantz, p. 22; Caldwell, pp. 7, 46 295–303.</ref>|LAD= ([[Ladon (mythology)|Ladon]])<ref>Unnamed by Hesiod, but described at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.29.xml 334&ndash;335] as a terrible serpent who guards the golden apples.</ref>}}
{{chart|border=0 |L|~|~|GRA |~|~|J|!| | | |!| | | |!| | |GRA=<small>The [[Graiai]]</small>}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | |STH | |EUR | |MED |~|y|POS |STH=[[Sthenno]]|EUR=[[Euryale (Gorgon)|Euryale]]|MED=[[Medusa]]|POS=[[Poseidon]]<ref>Son of [[Cronus]] and [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]] at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.39.xml 456], where he is called "Earth-Shaker".</ref>}}
{{chart|border=0 | | | | | | | |L|~|~|~|~|GOR |~|~|~|~|J|! | | | | | | | | |GOR=<small>The [[Gorgons]]</small>}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|^|-|.}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |PEG | |CHR |y|CAL|PEG=[[Pegasus]]|CHR=[[Chrysaor]]|CAL=[[Callirrhoe (Oceanid)|Callirhoe]]<ref>One of the [[Oceanid]] daughters of [[Oceanus]] and [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]], at [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/hesiod-theogony/2018/pb_LCL057.31.xml 351].</ref>}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |GER|GER=[[Geryon]]}}
{{chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}


== In the sciences ==
* The plant [[Iris (plant)|iris]] was named after her due to the wide variety of colours its flowers have.
* [[7 Iris]], a [[main-belt]] [[asteroid]] named after this goddess.
* The chemical element [[iridium]] was named after Iris for its colorful salts.

== In music ==
* [[Irris]], [[k-pop]] girl-group named after the goddess Iris.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/215/0001036794?l | title=Irris, 신비로운 아우라 로고 모션 첫 공개…4세대 프리즘 걸그룹 출격 예고 }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150" caption="Iris in art">
File:(16) Flaxman Ilias 1795, Zeichnung 1793, 183 x 244 mm mm.jpg|Iris sent by Jove in the Iliad (engraving by [[Tommaso Piroli]] after [[John Flaxman]])
File:1852 Iris Illuminated Souvenir.png|''The Iris: an Illuminated Souvenir'' (1852)
File:Antonio Palomino - Alegoría del Aire, 1700.jpg|''Alegoría del Aire'' by [[Antonio Palomino]] (circa 1700)
File:François Lemoyne - Junon, Iris et Flore.jpg|''Juno, Iris and Flora'' by [[François Lemoyne]]
File:Grèce - Serie courante de 1911- Type "Iris".jpg| Grèce - Série courante de 1913-24 Type "Iris" - litho - Yvert 198B
File:HistoireDesMétéores - p301.jpg|Iris (tiré d'un vase antique). Illustration de "Histoires des météores" (1870)
File:René-Antoine Houasse - Morpheus Awakening as Iris Draws Near, 1690.jpg|''[[Morpheus]] awakening as Iris draws near'' by [[René-Antoine Houasse]] (1690)
File:Michel Corneille the Younger - Iris and Jupiter.jpg|''Iris and Jupiter'' by [[Michel Corneille the Younger]] (1701)
File:John Atkinson Grimshaw11.jpg|Iris depicted by [[John Atkinson Grimshaw]]
File:Pierre-Narcisse Guérin - Morpheus and Iris - WGA10971.jpg|''{{ill|Morpheus and Iris|fr|Morphée et Iris}}'' by [[Pierre-Narcisse Guérin]] (1811)
File:British Museum (8375483897).jpg|Iris from the East Pediment of the Parthenon
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Ancient Greece|Myths|Religion}}
* [[Rainbow deity]]
* [[Angelia]], another messenger goddess.
* [[Angel]]
* [[Prometheus#Etymology|Ithax]], the Titans's messenger god.
* [[Ninshubur]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
=== Ancient sources ===
* [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], ''Apollodorus, The Library, with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes.'' Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=C431BA809CA4DEA22A15DA9C666F3400?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.01.0022%3atext%3dLibrary Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Apollonius of Rhodes|Apollonius Rhodius]], ''[[Argonautica]]'' translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. [https://topostext.org/work/126 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* [[Callimachus]]. ''Hymns'', translated by Alexander William Mair (1875–1928). London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1921. [https://topostext.org/work/120 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'', in ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White'', Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Homer]], ''The Iliad with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, PhD in two volumes''. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library].
* Evelyn-White, Hugh, ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White''. Homeric Hymns. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914.
* [[Euripides]], ''The Complete Greek Drama', edited by Whitney J. Oates and Eugene O'Neill, Jr. in two volumes. 2''. ''The Phoenissae'', translated by E. P. Coleridge. New York. Random House. 1938.
* [[Ovid]]. ''[[Metamorphoses]], Volume I: Books 1&ndash;8''. Translated by Frank Justus Miller. Revised by G. P. Goold. [[Loeb Classical Library]] No. 42. Cambridge, Massachusetts: [[Harvard University Press]], 1977, first published 1916. {{ISBN|978-0-674-99046-3}}. [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/LCL042/1916/volume.xml Online version at Harvard University Press].
* [[Statius]], ''[[Thebaid (Latin poem)|Thebaid]]'', Volume II: Thebaid: Books 8–12. ''[[Achilleid]]''. Edited and translated by D. R. Shackleton Bailey. [[Loeb Classical Library]] 498. Cambridge, MA: [[Harvard University Press]], 2004.
* [[Theocritus]], ''Idylls and Epigrams with an Epilogue'', translation by Daryl Hine, New York, Atheneum, 1982, {{ISBN|0-689-11320-X}}.
* [[Valerius Flaccus (poet)|Valerius Flaccus]], ''Argonautica''. Translated by J. H. Mozley. [[Loeb Classical Library]] 286. Cambridge, MA: [[Harvard University Press]], 1934.
* [[Virgil|Vergil]], ''[[Aeneid]].'' Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0054%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.]

=== Modern sources ===
* {{cite book | first1 = Andreas P.| last1 = Antonopoulos|first2 = Menelaos M.|last2 = Christopoulos| first3 = George W. M. | last3 = Harrison| title= Reconstructing Satyr Drama |date = July 5, 2021|publisher = [[De Gruyter]]|isbn= 9783110725216}}
* {{cite book | last = Beekes | first = Robert S. P. | author-link = Robert S. P. Beekes | title = Etymological Dictionary of Greek | location = [[Leiden]] | publisher = [[Brill Publications]] | date = 2009 | page = 1:598}}
* Grimal, Pierre (1996). [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOx6de8LUNAC&q=Iris "Iris"]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOx6de8LUNAC ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology'']. {{ISBN|978-0-631-20102-1}}. pp.&nbsp;237&ndash;238.
* Peyré, Yves (2009). [http://www.shakmyth.org/myth/129/iris "Iris"]. ''A Dictionary of Shakespeare's Classical Mythology'', ed. Yves Peyré.
* {{cite book| first1= Donald |last1= Sells| date = 2019 |title =Parody, Politics and the Populace in Greek Old Comedy|publisher =[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn = 978-1-3500-6051-7}}
* {{cite book | last = Welsh | first = Alexander | title = The Humanist Comedy | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | date = 2014 | isbn = 978-0-300-19751-8 | location = [[New Haven, Connecticut]] | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RiN8AwAAQBAJ}}
* [[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith, William]] (1873). [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DI%3Aentry+group%3D9%3Aentry%3Diris-bio-1 "Iris"]. ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]''. London.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Iris (mythology)}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Iris (mythology)}}
* [http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Iris.html IRIS from The Theoi Project]
* [http://www.maicar.com/GML/Iris1.html IRIS from Greek Mythology Link]
* [https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Iris/iris.html IRIS from greekmythology.com]
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/348 Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod] (English translation at [[Project Gutenberg]])
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2199 ''The Iliad'' by Homer] (English translation at Project Gutenberg)
* [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/830 ''The Argonautica'', by c. 3rd century BC Apollonius Rhodius] (English translation at Project Gutenberg)
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-000343 The Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Iris)]
{{Greek religion|state=collapsed}}
{{Greek mythology (deities)|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Deities in the Iliad]]
[[Category:Greek goddesses]]
[[Category:Messenger goddesses]]
[[Category:Characters in the Argonautica]]
[[Category:Rainbow deities]]
[[Category:Women of the Trojan war]]
[[Category:Deities in the Aeneid]]
[[Category:Personifications in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Metamorphoses characters]]
[[Category:Sky and weather goddesses]]
[[Category:Personifications of weather]]
[[Category:Deeds of Hera]]
[[Category:Children of Zeus]]
[[Category:Avian humanoids]]
[[Category:Olympian deities]]