Rainbow Mythology and Legends

Long ago, when the world was new, the sky goddess Iris looked down on the earth and saw that it was very drab and colorless. The fields were shades of brown, the forests were just green, and the waters were a steely blue-gray. Iris loved vibrant, shimmering colors, so seeing the earth in such dull hues made her very sad.

Iris decided to add splashes of color to the earth to make it more beautiful. She reached into her flowing robe which contained the colors of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Iris gathered up large handfuls of each color and flung them down to earth. The red dots turned into roses and poppies. The orange scattered to become marigolds and orange trees. The yellow sprinkled down to form daffodils and lemons. The green dots transformed into emerald fields and jade stones. The blue spots changed into flowing rivers and deep lakes. The indigo colored the night sky, and the violet added beauty to many flowers.

The goddess was pleased, but she wanted a way to continue decorating the earth with color. She waved her hands through the sky, gathering bits of each rainbow color into a glistening arc. When the sun shone through the rain, it would illuminate Iris' rainbow and cast colorful rays upon the earth. The people below looked up in wonder and delight at the rainbow's vibrant hues.

And so the rainbow became the symbol of Iris' gift of color and beauty to the once drab human world. Ever since, rainbows have appeared after storms as reminders of the sky goddess who sought to brighten the earth with the magical colors of her flowing robe.

After Iris had created the first rainbow, she decided to continue her mission of bringing more colors to the world. She spent many days and nights pondering on how to achieve this goal. One day, while she was sitting atop a mountain, she saw a bird with feathers of the most vivid hues she had ever seen. She realized that birds could be the key to her quest.

Iris summoned all the birds of the world and asked them for their help. She explained her mission to them and asked if they could help her bring more colors to the earth. The birds were delighted to help and agreed to fly to every corner of the world and sprinkle their feathers everywhere they went.

And so the birds began their journey, each carrying a little bit of color with them. The parrots brought their bright blues, greens, and yellows, the peacocks brought their iridescent blues and greens, and the flamingos brought their brilliant pinks. As the birds flew over the world, they dropped their feathers and left trails of colors behind them.

The people on earth were amazed by the sudden appearance of brightly colored feathers, and they knew that Iris must have had a hand in it. They started collecting the feathers and using them to decorate their homes and clothing. They even started using the feathers to create artwork and jewelry.

As the years went by, the birds continued to spread their colors across the world, and Iris continued to watch over them, pleased with the beauty they had brought to the earth. And even today, when we see a brightly colored bird or a rainbow after a storm, we are reminded of the goddess Iris and her mission to bring color and beauty to the world.