The myth of Iris (the rainbow) and the sky is reflective legend riddled with a series of etiological elements in its interpretation. The myth offers intrinsically narrates the war that Iris had with the sky due to the pride of Iris. Iris did a lot of bad things that made the sky very mad.
Reflectively, a legend narration is characterized by two parties who try to outshine each other. In fact, there is always a superior party of the two who will eventually win in the confrontation. The inferior party will always want to use cunning tricks to try to challenge the superior party.
As it is always the case in many legendary tales, the inferior party called Iris challenges the sun, the moon and even the more superior sky on a fame contest. Iris uses many tricks such as deception and live contest to outmatch its competitors who the support of the Sky. Iris fails miserable and even deeply offends the sky. In the climaxing test for popularity and preference by those living under the sky, Iris attempts to outshine the sun without success. As a disciplinary action, the sky permits the sun to shine for so long that the people experienced famine.
As is always the case in many legends, there is a winner who is always rewarded with a gift in the form of favor by the gods or an item of precious value. In the case of the Iris legend, the sun gets this reward and it leads to a disaster. The rain is then rewarded to rescue the people but it only leads to more death. The sky finally gives up and permits the rainbow to appear after the rain as a symbol of hope to the people.
Reflectively, an etiological legend like that of “Iris and the Sky” presents a narration of beginning, cause and continuation of certain events in the society or nature. The ideal etiological element that can be identified in the Iris and Sky myth is the elucidation practices that are synergistic within a self contained system.
The narration explains why the sunshine and the rain cannot occur at the same time. In fact, the sun has the responsibility of shining for some time and then the rain is expected to regulate the damages caused by the sun. If the rain is not stopped by the rainbow, it would destroy the people and their means of livelihood. Thus, Iris was given the role of giving hope to the people. Every time Iris is spotted, the people were assured of the end of rainfall.
Just like the case in many legends such as the marriage between the sun and the moon, the considerable notion of fate and demureness demonstrate how the living things need to acknowledge nature for its role in their survival. This involuntary cage ensnares people unwillingly in teleological effectiveness coordination, power and lucid calculations in their endeavor to forge a common identity.
On the front of regionalism, the traditional cage is characterized by defining rules, disciplinary control, and recognition of the symbols that the nature displays. Whenever people spot Iris in the sky, they are fully aware of the symbol of stopping rain.
The “Iris and Sky” myth fits in the etiological theme of the classical mythology. The events in the myth communicate the reasons behinds the events that occurs when mankind interacts with the nature.