Friday 17 July 2009

Rainbow - religion and mythology


The rainbow has a place in legend owing to its beauty and the historical difficulty in explaining the phenomenon.
In Greek Mythlogy, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger between Earth and Heaven. In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by Goddess "Nuwa" using stones of five different colours. In Hindu mythology, the rainbow is called "Indradhanush", meaning the bow of Indra, the God of lightning, thunder and rain. Another Indian mythology says rainbow is the bow of Kama, the God of love. It is called Kamanabillu in Kannada, billu meaning bow. In Norse mythology, a rainbow called the "Bifrost" Bridge connects the realms of Asgard and Midgard, homes of the gods and humans, respectively. The Irish leprechaun's ecret hiding place for his pot of gold is usually said to be at the end of the rainbow. This place is nearly impossible to reach, because the rainbow is an optical effect which depends on the location of the viewer. When walking towards the end of a rainbow, it will move further away.
After Noah's Flood, the Bible relates that the rainbow gained meaning as the sign of God's promise that terrestrial life would never again be destroyed by flood I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Another ancient portrayal of the rainbow is given in the Epic of Gilgamesh the rainbow is the "jewelled necklace of the Great Mother Ishtar" that she lifts into the sky as a promise that she "will never forget these days of the great flood" that destroyed her children. people."

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