The Rainbow Bridge: Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science

Venerated as god and goddess, feared as demon and pestilence, trusted as battle omen, and used as a proving ground for optical theories, the rainbow is woven into the fabric of our past and present. From antiquity to the 20th century, the rainbow has helped inspire and test new ideas about the physical world. Although scientists today understand the rainbow’s optics fairly well, its subtle variability in nature has yet to be fully explored. Throughout history the rainbow has been seen primarily as a symbol - of peace, covenant, or divine sanction - rather than as a natural phenomenon. Lee and Fraser discuss the role the rainbow has played in societies throughout the ages, surveying its different guises as a sign of optimism, bearer of Greek gods’ messages of war and retribution, and as symbol of the Judeo-Christian bridge to the divine. The authors traverse the bridges between the rainbow’s various roles as they explore its scientific, artistic, and folkloric visions. This book, exploring the rainbow from the perspectives of atmospheric optics, art history, colour theory and mythology, should inspire readers to look at the rainbow anew.