Iris

Culture: Ancient Greek   Domain: The rainbow, messages between gods and mortals

Iris personifies the rainbow and serves, alongside Hermes, as a messenger of the gods, particularly of Zeus and Hera; she is said to travel along the rainbow's arc to carry word between Olympus and the mortal world, and, in the Iliad, between the divine and human sides of the Trojan War.

Associations

The rainbow, messages and connection, communication across distance or difference.

Ways people honor her (modern)

• Send a message or bridge a gap you've been putting off
• Notice and appreciate a rainbow as a small, genuine sign
• Keep a light-catching crystal near a window
• Read her appearances throughout the Iliad as a divine go-between

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.