Iris was a swift messenger goddess in Greek mythology and a popular subject for vase painting, but better known as the goddess of the rainbow because Hermes is known as the messenger god. She is the daughter of Thaumas and the ocean nymph Electra. Iris is married to Zephyrus. A nick-name is Podenemus (with feet, fast as the wind, fast footed). She is also called the heavenly Iris. If Iris brings a message to a mortal soul, she usually will take the form of a familiar person. For her flight Iris uses the services of the wind, her multicolored bow makes a passage from earth to heaven possible. Homerus calls her the fast-footed one. He also associates her with a dove. She carries a belt, with which she tied the myth around with which Herakles the foam of which Selena (the moon) created the Nemeïc lion and brought it to the Nemeïc mountains.
Below is picture of Iris.
Links.
http://www.fjkluth.com/iris.html
http://www.paleothea.com/GOddesses.html
http://www.deiris.nl/E-History.html
http://messagenet.com/myths/bios/iris.html