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Rainbows are a beautiful, colorful weather phenomenon. Although there hasn’t been a great deal of rain this past summer, there have been some brilliant rainbows.
In this story we will take a look at some lore and legends associated with rainbows.
Probably the first mention of rainbows is in the Bible, after the great flood, when God promised he would never again destroy all life on earth by a flood. He said to Noah in Genesis 9:13 – I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14: Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,15: I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.16: Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” – New International Version
According to science, rainbows are caused by refraction, reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. They also appear opposite of the sun.
There is much folk lore associated with rainbows. Here are some of the beliefs from around the world.
Cheyenne Daily Leader, March 22, 1888 – Rainbow Folk Lore. Beliefs Concerning Beautiful Luminous Phenomena.Divine Honors and Worship paid to the Bow, Various names Given, AMessenger from Heaven, the Road of Souls, a Demon.
Many curious beliefs concerning the rainbow — the most beautiful of the luminous phenomena of the sky or air —have prevailed in all ages and still do survive. The ancients have left on record many of these strange beliefs. They grew and spread during the Middle Ages. The symbolism of Christian art employed the rainbow as an ornament. Christ being frequently shown seated on the many colored arch of heaven. The bow had been recognized as the deity himself, and divine honors and wor ship have been paid to it. Ancient Greeks of Delos offered cakes of flour, meal and dried fruits to the rainbow. Iris the charming and swift messenger of the gods, was the rainbow in early mythology, and one of the lesser divinities in Olympus.
In Samoa the rainbow is recognized as the village god, and Pava (god of war) appeared in its shining arch. Mozambique Turks regard it as the bow of Mouloucou (genius of good),and Turks as the bow of Cousa (angel of clouds.)
In the Philippine Islands vows are addressed to it, and after rain prayers are said to it. It was one of the servant s of the sun in ancient Peru, and a niche was reserved for it in the Quito temples. In Tahiti one of the children of the God Taaroa.
When not regarded as the deity himself, it is often believed to be in some way connected with him, as many of modern names for it indicate.
Others credit the saints with power through it. Various saints have been selected as patronymic. In is “St. Mark’s bow” in parts of Italy and France; “St. Martin’s ring” in other localities of France, and his “bow” in still other places, and in Spain also. In Belgium it is called “St Michael’s bumblebee;” in France “St. Bernard’s crown.” In Basque folk lore records its name as the “arm of St. John.” One Arab name is the “bow of the prophet.’
In accordance with the tradition that the rainbow was a sign and a promise to Noah, we find it connected with his name in many places and frequently shall also find it in weather indication. Sicilians call it “Noah’s arch;” provincial Russian, “Noah’s legacy,” and it is named the “boat of the Holy deluge in Franche Compte. Regarded in many Lands as a messenger from heaven, or a way to the celestial regions, the luminous bow is named in accordance with these beliefs.
In Austria-Hungary, the rainbow is the bridge by which St. Elias descends from heaven, and the thunder is the sound of his chariot Wheels. Central Asian tribes also call it “St. Elias Bridge,” and Russian peasants of Kasan name it the “Inclined Bridge.”
In one portion of France, It is said to be the shadow of a bridge which exists between earth and heaven. In Greenland and Slavonia, it’s the road of souls and is thus confounded with the Milky Way. Welch tradition represents the rainbow as the way by which the man in the moon climbed to his elevated perch. It is the way by which saints descend to earth to punish and reward men, according to Lettonian traditions.
Souls of the just ascend to heaven thus in many beliefs, and it is frequently named a ladder. Ukriane peasants say the angels descend by it to draw water from the earth to replenish the heavenly reservoir, whence fall the copious showers. Contrary to this idea of a celestial origin, therainbow is sometimes regarded as demoniacal. The Karens of Burmah point it out to their children as a demon that will devour human souls. The unfortunate possessor of these will, they say, dies a sudden and violent death.
Sun rainbows are common during the summer months after a rain. But sometimes, a very unusual phenomenon is observed. Called a moon bow, or a black rainbow, it is made by moonlight and water droplets.
This from the Cheyenne Weekly Leader, February 6, 1879 – It was the good fortune of the writer on Friday night to witness for the first time a rainbow by moonlight. The half moon was probably thirty degrees above the western horizon, and a light sleet was falling. Rising from the earth at apparently a distance of a quarter mile from the observer were two segments of a colored arc, or rainbow.
The moon shone directly in the center of the background, and the two portions of rainbow terminated abruptly at a height of probably forty degrees. There were but three colors plainly visible: orange, light yellow and indigo, the orange being nearest the moon. The intermediate shades were too pale to be visible. In breadth the tri-colored band was about “the same as an ordinary sun rainbow.
A peculiar fact in the phenomenon was that the rainbow surrounded the moon, like a frame to a picture, whereas in the case of sun rainbows, the sun and rainbow are at opposite points of the compass. For fully an hour the moon rainbow was visible and the writer made frequent observations of the beautiful sight. We have consulted scientific authority, and learn that rainbows produced by the moon are of rare occurrence and are paler than those made by the sun’s rays.
Today, the Rainbow Bridge is used to describe how a beloved pet goes to heaven to await their owners.
Rainbows are beautiful, and a unique, colorful part of the natural world. It has also been rumored that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but so far, it is not known if anyone has found one.
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Last modified: October 23, 2026