Goddess

Eris

Goddess of Discord and Strife

The Uninvited Guest

Eris was the goddess of discord, strife, and chaos. Daughter of Nyx (Night) in Hesiod's account, or daughter of Zeus and Hera in Homer's, she was the divine embodiment of conflict and rivalry. She delighted in the misery that quarrels bring and was said to be present at every battle, growing taller and more powerful as the fighting intensified. Even the other gods despised her, and her exclusion from a single wedding feast led to the most devastating war in mythology.

The Apple of Discord

When the hero Peleus married the sea nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles), every god and goddess was invited to the wedding except Eris. Furious at being excluded, she appeared uninvited and threw a golden apple into the crowd inscribed with a single word: Kallisti, meaning 'For the Fairest.' Three goddesses claimed it: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Zeus, unwilling to choose between them, sent the three to the Trojan prince Paris to judge. Each goddess offered Paris a bribe. He chose Aphrodite's offer of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. The result was the Trojan War, ten years of destruction, and the fall of an entire civilization. All from one golden apple thrown by a snubbed goddess.

Two Faces of Strife

Hesiod, in his Works and Days, makes a fascinating distinction between two types of Eris. The harmful Eris drives men to war and destruction. But there is also a beneficial Eris who inspires healthy competition: the potter who envies another potter's skill and works harder, the poet who strives to outdo a rival. This competitive spirit, Hesiod argues, is good for mortals because it drives them to excellence. The ancient Greeks understood that conflict is not always destructive. Sometimes rivalry produces the greatest achievements.