Iris

Iris

You may not know it, but you already love Iris. Why? Because she's the goddess of rainbows. And seriously, how can you not like rainbows? For a while, everybody said Iris was a virgin goddess, but she ended up marrying Zephyrus, the West Wind. Sounds like a match made in… Olympus.

In addition to her colorful job as rainbow goddess, Iris is also a messenger of the gods. That means she spends most of her days winging down her multicolored bridge on her golden wings, making sure the mortal world gets an earful of what Olympus has to say. And because her rainbows span from the sea to the sky, she is able to fly back and forth, gathering seawater in a pitcher and refill the clouds with rain. Pretty impressive stuff.

Basic Information

NameIris
NicknameAellopous, Swiftfooted, Double Rainbow All the Way
SexFemale
Current cityOlympus

Work & Education

OccupationGoddess of the rainbow
Messenger of the gods
Creator of "oohs" and "aahs"
EducationHermes School of Heraldry

Beliefs

Political viewsPro-Zeus

Family & Friends (& Enemies)

ParentsThaumas, the god of the wonders of the sea (Dad)
Elektra, an Oceanid (Mom)
SiblingsThe Harpies
Arce (my twin sister who was a messenger for the Titans)
ChildrenSome people say that Eros and Pothos were my sons, but I'm not so sure about that.
FriendsThe Harpies (somebody has to love them, right?)
EnemiesThe Boreads (they made me crazy when they were chasing my Harpy sisters)

Relationships

Relationship statusMarried to Zephyrus, the West Wind
Interested inMy husband

Favorites

Quotations"Don't miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow looking for that pot of gold."
– Proverb

"Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected."
– Mahatma Gandhi

"We live in a rainbow of chaos."
– Paul Cezanne

"None loves the messenger who brings bad news"
– Sophocles

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
– Dolly Parton

"Double rainbow all the way across the sky. So intense."
– The Double Rainbow Guy
BooksThe Color Purple (one of my favorite colors and books)
"in Just-" by e. e. cummings
Angels in America by Tony Kushner (an angel shows up with a serious message in this play)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
The Rainbow Goblins by Ul De Rico 
"Ode to the West Wind" by Percy Bysshe Shelley (reminds me of my hubby, Zephyrus)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (a poem about a guy with a pretty important message to deliver.)
The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence 
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (I like the version of me that Mr. Riordan writes)
MusicDouble Rainbow Song (a true classic)
Over the Rainbow (this one's pretty good, too)
Such Great Heights by the Postal Service (me and Zephyrus's song)
Roygbiv by Boards of Canada
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
Message in a Bottle by The Police
Reading Rainbow Theme Song
The Messenger by Linkin Park
The Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog
Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World by IZ, Israel Kamakawiwo`Ole
MoviesThe Wizard of Oz
The Messenger
A Shine of Rainbows
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Lake House
You've Got Mail
The Postman
Iris
Finian's Rainbow
TV ShowsPlanet Earth
Reading Rainbow
The Weather Channel (don't hate)

Activities & Interests

LikesRainbows (obvi)
Double rainbows (even better)
Magic Markers
Skittles
The USPS
Rainbow Brite
ActivitiesDelivering messages for the gods
Making rainbows
Filling rainclouds
InterestsMeteorology
Communications
GroupsGods and Goddesses of Olympus
Color Guard 
Rainbow Walkers Club
Postal Workers Union