Golden Beetle and a Story

Iridescent Gold. A phrase that comes from the Greek and tells a story in just two words.

  

In the Grecian language, "iris" means "rainbow"; which is linked to the goddess Iris--the embodiment of the sky-bound colour spectrum that the Judeo-Christian tradition remembers as a sign of the message from God promising never to flood the world again. 

Like the Biblical rainbow, Isis was also a message-bringer:  messenger of the gods.  As such, Isis traveled at the speed of the wind, heedless of time or element.  Back and forth she flew between worlds, linking the gods to mortal men. 

(I say "men" since I rather think that women are meant to be smarter, and able to stand on their own two feet--without depending upon the prognostications of reclusive, forest hermits.  Also, women get the short shrift in just about every mythology. Take Arkhe for example . . .) She could reach into the deepest seas and furtherest reaches of the underworld.

  

Isis had golden wings.  Her twin sister, Arkhe, was winged with iridescent ones.  She did not keep them, though.  They were torn from her by Zeus and given as a wedding gift to Nereid Thetis on the day of her marriage.  The gift passed to Nereid's son, Achilles.  He wore them on his heals, becoming the FTD icon (also called by the Greeks "Podarkhes"--which meant "wing-footed with Arkhe's wings.")and a personage on one the tests in my 6th grade English class.

Kudos for the source of information: WikiAnswers' Word and Phrase Origins Supervisor (There is a photo portrait of her on the site, but whose real name remains a mystery to me.).  Who knew there could be such an intriguing job?