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  *Iris's Roman name is also Iris

 Iris was not just the Greek goddess of the rainbow. She also acted as a messenger for the Olympian gods. Her name has a double meaning; eiris means messenger. Stories also tell about how she was the personal handmaiden of Hera. A rainbow is formed when water droplets [or anything that reflects] and light come together. This fact supports the statement that Iris was a goddess of sea and sky. ^[2]

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How Iris was born:

Iris was born in the mists of the sky just when the sun appeared on the horizon. ^[4]

Parents:

•  Thaumus ("the wonderous") was a marine god. He was a titan. 
•  Elektra ("the amber") was a cloud nymph.

Sisters:

The harpies... Iris once saved the lives of The Harpies by begging the winged sons of the North Winds to spare them.

Iris's duty:

Iris, like Hermes, delivered messages for the other gods. However, Iris was faster than Hermes. She traveled using the rainbow as her path. One of her tasks was to deliver the sacred water of the Styx to Zeus. When the gods took an oath, they were forced to drink from a golden jug of water from the River Styx. If they broke their promise, there was severe consequences. Iris also assisted Hera in whatever way possible.^[5]

Symbol: ^[6]

The Rainbow

^[7][8] [9]

Major Story:

Boomp3.com

 You can listen to a story starring Iris by clicking play above. The summary is below:

Since, Iris wasn't consided a major Greek goddess, there aren't many stories about here. She is a hero in the story of Hera and Leto, however. Hera was married to Zues. Leto, another goddess, was pregnant with Zeus's twins; Hera was very angry. She sent Iris, her faithful messenger, to punish Leto. When Iris found Leto, Leto bribed her with a necklace strung by golden thread. Iris accepted the necklace as payment, and she fetched the goddess of childbirth. Apollo and Artemis were born; Iris was a hero. This story is significant because it shows that the Greeks believed that even Gods could be tempted.

Life Story:

• Born in the sky when the sun had just risen
• Saved the Harpies, her sisters, from the sons of the North Wind by making them promise never to steal from the blind seer, Phineus
• delivered water from the River Styx to Zeus
• delivered manny messages between gods, goddesses, and mortals throughout the Trojan War 
• on Hera's orders, Iris tracked down Hypnos, the god of sleep, and his son was forced to explain to Alcyone about her husband's watery grave
• Zeus wanted to punish human's for doing evil, so he and Iris drowned all the crops- Iris drew up water from the oceans and fed it to the clouds
• Iris delivered the message that Peleus, a mortal, had been chosen to marry the Titaness Thetis
• Selene, the moon goddess, created the Nemean Lion, and Iris carried it in her garments to the Nemean Mountains
• When Persephone went missing, Iris tried to reason with Demeter to return to Olympus; she was completely ignored
• Iris and Zephyrus, the West Wind, possibly gave birth to Eros, but other myths claim he is the son of Aphrodite