Rainbows - Their True Significance

We see a rainbow in the sky and the first thing that usually comes to mind is beauty, happiness and a feeling of love and emotion and of course the common phrase 'VIBGYOR'. However there is a lot more to what meets the eye. So many tales have been told on the significance and the history of rainbows. We all know rainbows are merely light reflections on rain drops and yet it carries such significance to so many different people.
Before we go a little more into depth, lets just look at the term 'VIBGYOR' - or the colours of the rainbow( Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red).To so many people even these colours have great significance. For the Iranian Moslems colours of a rainbow play a vital role. An abundance of green shows Abundance, Red means war and Yellow signifies Death. To many people the rainbow is usually a bridge between the living and the dead.
Religion and Mythology play a crucial role in understanding a rainbow. In Greek mythology, the rainbow is seen as a path by a messenger Iris, between heaven and earth. According to the Chinese a Rainbow is a slit in the sky sealed by Goddess Nuwa with five different coloured stones. In Hindu mythology a rainbow is also called Indradhanush which translates to the bow of Lord Indra. In Norse mythology a rainbow called Bifrost Bridge connects the home of the Gods and Humans.
Literature has also used the rainbow as metaphors and similes. Virginia Woolf in highlights the transience of life and man's mortality through Mrs Ramsey's thought- "it was all as ephemeral as a rainbow"
Famous poets such as Wordsworth and Keats have also used the rainbow to great significance and meaning. Wordsworth in a poem in 1802 wrote-

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!…

The rainbow to me is just a sign of love and happiness and is usually shared by people who care and are special to each other. Rainbows tend to always lighten the mood and bring warmth and smiles after a hard time. They are just something too beautiful to be taken for granted.