Rainbows in Mythology and Culture

Since ancient times people have thought that rainbows are special. In Greek mythology rainbows were thought to be a path between Earth and Heaven.

The rainbow was called the Bridge in Norse mythology, connecting Asgard, the home of the gods with Midgard, the home of the humans.

In Irish myth, the end of the rainbow was the leprechaun’s hiding place for his pot of gold. Of course, we know that we cannot reach the end of a rainbow because if we walk towards a rainbow it seems to move farther away.

Many poets and songwriters have written about rainbows. Perhaps the most famous song is “Over the Rainbow” sung by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy imagines that there is a magical land over the rainbow where skies are always blue and dreams really do come true.