Who is the Greek goddess Iris?

The Iris myths are recounted in the Odyssey and in the Homeric Hymns . Some of them are:

• During the Titanomachy (the war of the titans), Iris was the messenger of the Olympian gods.
• It is believed that it caused the fury of Heracles (Hercules), and therefore he had to perform the twelve feats or works.
• When Hera sends her to Achilles, Zeus charges her to convey his orders to other gods and mortals as well.
• Iris also acts on her own disguised as a human to convey information.
• He helps Aphrodite, who was wounded on the battlefield, and conveys Achilles’ message to Zephyr and Boreas.
• Iris reveals to Menelaus that Paris kidnapped his wife, Helen.
• In the Homeric Hymns , Iris serves as a messenger for Illithia to help Leto give birth to their children Apollo and Artemis.
• According to the Greek poet Hesiod, Iris went to fetch water from the River Styx for another god to swear an oath.

Iris in Roman mythology

Iris also appears in Roman mythology, with the same name as in the Greek. In Virgil’s epic The Aeneid , Juno, the Roman goddess equivalent to Hera, sends Iris to goad Turnus into attacking the Trojans.

In Book XI of The Metamorphoses , Ovid shows Iris in her rainbow dress acting as a messenger goddess for Hera.

Bibliography

• Homer. The Iliad and the Odyssey. (2013). Spain. FV Editions.
• Hard, R. The Great Book of Greek Mythology . (2009). Spain. The sphere of books.
• López Trujillo, F. Brief history of Greek mythology . (2014, audiobook). Audible.