RAINBOW. –
1. The rainbow in the Bible
The phenomenon – in the Hebrew text simply called “bow” – is first mentioned after the flood (Gen 9:12-17). It is not stated that it did not exist before; rather, it was then assumed by God, being pleasant to behold and a harbinger of fair weather, as a special “sign” of His mercy in the “covenant” by which He pledges never again to send a flood.Ecclesiasticus invites one to consider the beauties of the rainbow by blessing Him who created it (43:12-13) and uses it as a simile to celebrate the high priest Simeon the Just (50:8). Ezekiel describes the reflections of the divine throne as a shining bow (1:23); a vision echoed by the Apocalypse, which gives the rainbow its Greek name “iris” (4:3; 10:1). Dante seems to have drawn inspiration from this, explaining that the Son proceeds from the Father “as iris from iris” (Par., XXXIII, 118-19). Giuseppe Priero
2. The rainbow among primitive peoples
The nature of the rainbow is conceived by primitive peoples in two diametrically opposed ways: some regard it as an object in direct relation to the Supreme Being, in which case its appearance is an omen of good fortune, though it does not itself become an object of worship; others, by contrast, personify and even deify it, seeing in it most often a malignant demon, a harbinger of misfortune, and therefore to be placated by appropriate sacrifices.The objectification of the rainbow occurs among all those peoples who acknowledge and venerate a Supreme Being, that is, first and foremost among the most ancient ethnological groups, with very rare exceptions. Others see it as the garment of the Supreme Being (Yuki and Kato in central California), others as the hem of His mantle (Samoyeds in Siberia), still others as some shining ornament of His (Kulin and Wiradyuri in southeastern Australia), or as a clear sign of His presence (Pygmies of central Africa), or as a bridge cast between earth and the Supreme Being (Andamanese), or even as a clear sign of His benevolence and love (Seneca Indians of North America and Pygmies of Gabon in West Africa). Following the same pattern are peoples of more specialized culture, still venerating a Supreme Being, and accustomed to regarding the rainbow as His girdle (Galla in Abyssinia), or His bow (Bantu), or a gift from the deity (Nilotes and Negroes of Nigeria). The Negroes of the Congo believe it to be the path by which the Supreme Being descends to earth; the Negroes of the Slave Coast, Ivory Coast, and Gold Coast think it served for the descent of the first men, while the Tlinkit Indians of North America and the aborigines of Hawaii are convinced that it carries the souls of the elect to paradise. All interpret its appearance as a happy omen, which for some, such as the Masai and the inhabitants of Samoa, even becomes an expression of God’s satisfaction with mankind. For this group of peoples, the rainbow is not an object of worship, though it sometimes enters into the complex of ceremonies, as among the Yuki and Kato and the Pygmies of Gabon, who are wont to take it as a conspicuous manifestation of the venerated Supreme Being.
The personification and deification of the rainbow occurs among peoples of more recent culture. These sometimes conceive it as a man dwelling underground who, emerging during the storm, goes up into the sky (Aranda of central Australia); sometimes as the soul of an ancestor (Indians of Peru); most often they imagine it as a python (Kikuyu, Ewe, Hausa, Yoruba, etc. in Africa, many tribes of South America, the Caribs, etc.), which they believe lives underground or in termite mounds, or better still in water. It is conceived as a vengeful and malignant demon, accustomed in South America to strike women, to spread disease among the Caribs, and to absorb all moisture in times of drought to ruin men (East Africa). In the myths of Australia, moreover, the great serpent of the rainbow is often the adversary of the Supreme Being. It is generally an object of worship, so much so that the Aranda strive to placate it by choreographic ceremonies, and the Hausa offer it a black bull.
For a long time it was claimed that this latter conception of the rainbow among primitive peoples was the only original one. But the first attitude we have described is now richly documented and must be recognized as having full chronological priority, since it is clearly expressed and unique precisely in the most ancient ethnological cultures. The fact remains that the few exceptions (Semang of Malacca, some Pygmies of central Africa) are characterized as foreign elements imported from surrounding, more specialized cultures.