Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby
Rainbows are an occurrence of optical beauty and a
meteorological masterpiece, caused when the sun shines on droplets of moisture
in the atmosphere. It is no wonder then, that this natural colourful phenomenon
creates pleasant and positive mental associations in all who view them.
Aside from the natural world, it was the English
physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, who developed the theory of colour, when he found
out that if white light was shone through a prism, its refraction produced the
colours of a rainbow, particularly those of the colour spectrum visible to the
human eye. Clever chap for sure and that discovery was but one string in his
masterful bow.
As a symbol, a rainbow has always had positive connotations, from the pot
of gold at the end of every rainbow, the rainbow that was supposedly seen after
the great flood (symbolizing God’s promise not to throw a wobbly again -
Christianity and Judaism) and a jolly children's’ TV show from the early 1980’s
(GB). by the same name.
As far as mythology is concerned, the world over,
the rainbow is seen as connecting heaven and earth and in the Dreamtime of
Australian Aboriginal mythology, the rainbow snake is the deity who governs
water.
In the film of The Wizard of Oz (based on the tale
written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum), the rainbow becomes a central theme when
Judy Garland sings the unforgettable song ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’, during
which we are led along a road of fantasy and colour as the characters each
search for their heart’s desire and ultimately their destiny, ending at the
Wizard's castle.
Finally, if you look around you, these days rainbows
can be found on a multitude of things. Rainbow flags for example, have been
around for quite a while. Many cultures around the world use a rainbow flag as:
‘a sign of diversity, inclusiveness and of hope and of yearning.’ Rainbow flags
of past and present include South American (Inca origins), Buddhist,
Co-Operative and Peace movements as well as Gay Pride. In the case of the Gay community
(LGBT), it is also known as the ‘Freedom Flag.’ Established as a symbol by
artist Gilbert Baker in San Francisco in 1978, the different colours symbolize
the diversity present in the Gay community itself.
First published in
the Connections magazine #29 Autumn
2010
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
