Greek mythology held Iris to be messenger to the gods on Mt. Olympus. She was keeper of the rainbow, having arrived on Earth on one.
Iris (Ίρiç) links the gods to humanity and is frequently mentioned by Homer in the Iliad. As their messenger she carries a caduceus or winged staff while moving with the speed of wind from one end of the world to the other and into the depths of the sea and the underworld. Among her duties was that of guiding the souls of dead women to the Elysian Fields.
The Greeks assisted her by planting purple iris on the graves of deceased women. However, woe betide those who perjure themselves as, by the direction of Zeus, she bears a jar of water from the River Styx to cast upon the miscreants, causing them to descend into permanent slumber.
Iris was married to Zephyrus, god of the west wind, by whom she had a son named Pothos. He was known as the god of sexual longing, passion yearning and desire, one of the winged love gods known as Erotes.
In more modern times, Pothos, under the guise of Epipremnum (aka Scindapsus), is the god’s gift to the black-thumb brigade of houseplant enthusiasts. However, in the tropics horticulturalists and agriculturalists regard the vine with less enthusiasm, viewing it as an obnoxious weed. To them it is known as the devil’s ivy.
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
