By going to the dictionary developed by the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), we can see that the term rainbow can also be written as an expression of two words: rainbow. In both cases, the notion refers to an optical phenomenon that appears with certain weather conditions.
According to DigoPaul, a rainbow is an arch formed by stripes of different colors, which is generated by the reflection or refraction of sunlight in the water scattered in the atmosphere. This is because sunlight breaks down in the sky as it passes through the raindrops. That is why the phenomenon usually appears when it rains and, simultaneously or almost immediately, sunlight filters through the clouds.
The rainbow exhibits a red line towards its exterior and a violet line towards the interior, passing in the middle through other shades. The colors, with different variations in intensity, are the seven fundamental ones: violet, blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange and red. Sometimes a double rainbow phenomenon occurs, where a less intense rainbow is added to the traditional rainbow with inverted colors.
Beyond the explanation of science, humans have tried different hypotheses about the appearance of the rainbow throughout history. Biblical tradition, for example, holds that the rainbow is a creation of God as testimony to the promise he made to Noah that there would never again be a universal flood.
Some legends, on the other hand, maintain that the rainbow is a kind of bridge that connects the sky with the Earth. One of the best known in the world tells that when the rainbow appears, at the end of it it is possible to see a leprechaun carrying a pot full of gold.
In the world of video games, the rainbow is a fairly recurring element. In the series of racing titles called Mario Kart, which has had eight installments since 1992, rainbow tracks are the most difficult and are characterized by their winding curves, the absence of a guardrail and being suspended in outer space.
The myth of the seven butterflies
Many centuries ago, seven butterflies lived, each with one of the colors of the rainbow, in the heart of a dense jungle. All the inhabitants of the area observed them with fascination when they took flight, admiring the beautiful effect they produced when passing through the plants.
On a bad day, one of the fairies was seriously injured with a thorn. The rest of them approached with great concern to attend to her, and soon realized that they could not save her. As they could not bear the idea of letting go of their friend, they expressed out loud that they would give anything to always stay with her. Then a strange voice asked them if they were willing to give their lives to achieve their goal; Without hesitation for a second, they all replied in the affirmative.
Immediately, the sky was covered with thick dark clouds, and a strong storm hit the jungle. In the midst of rain and wind, a tornado enveloped the butterflies and lifted them until it was no longer possible to see them from Earth. When the weather calmed down, the sky cleared and the sunlight shone brighter than ever. The ancient neighbors of the butterflies soon noticed a beautiful luminous arch in the sky, which exhibited with an unsurpassed beauty the seven colors that characterized them.
Thus the rainbow was born, as a symbol of friendship between seven butterflies that found no meaning in life if they could not experience it together.
