Eris Eris is a very important goddess in the Greek Myths. She is also called the goddess of discord. The most important legend that she is involved in is that of the golden apple. It all started off in a wedding, the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, to be precis. Apparently, someone forgot to invite the goddess of discord (Eris) to the festivities. That was the first mistake in a chain of them. Since Eris found out about the festivities she just showed up at the wedding anyway, with mayhem on her mind. When she arrived, the goddess (Thetis) tossed a golden apple into the crowed of famous faces. This tempting and wanted apple was tagged with the phrase "To the fairest". So, the immediate question was who deserved this irresistible piece of fruit? There were three goddesses who thought they could be worthy of this apple.
The first was Aphrodite.
The Birth of Venus ( )
Libia, Cirene (sito archeologico), Tempio di Zeus
The fourth planet from the Sun.She was the Greek goddess of love and desire. You could see how they might want to give it to her. She was pretty and had love, but on the other hand there was Hera. She was the goddess of marriage. Now this was a big decision- should it be give to a beautiful goddess that had love or to a beautiful goddess that had marriage. The marriage goddess would be good to have on your side so you won't break up, but on the other hand it would be nice to love your partner forever. Then come Athena. She was the goddess of wisdom, war and crafts. Now you had the daughter of Zeus the great. Who should you pick to have on your side and have the most respect from? Also who deserved it? This was not an easy decision and would be hard to make In order to avoid an ugly scene, a mortal by the name of Paris was chosen to decide who should have the golden apple. Tempted by Aprodite's offer of the most comely mortal woman, Paris awarded the prize to the goddess of love (Aprodite). You should also know that it was said that nobody could resist Aprodite except for three people. These people were Athena (the goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts), Artemis, (the goddess of hunt and the protector of children) and finally Hesista (the goddess of home and hearth). That these three gods were the only gods that were virgins by choice.
Unfortunately Helen (the loveliest woman) was already married. Now from this seemingly minor event, the apple thrown at the wedding began the notorious Trojan War. Eris obviously did her job of creating discord a little too well.
Something else that is very interesting was that Eris is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. It is said that when she wasn't making discord that she was going with her brother Ares to battle. She would ride in his chariot and would bring her son Strife. She was very unpopular with the gods and the mortals. She was also left out of a lot of things, like the wedding that I already told you about being the biggest incident.
On the other hand, it is said that she could be the daughter of Nyx, the goddess of night. Many people, because of all the other myths that are told, do not believe this though. You can believe what you want, but in most cases legends find that Eris is the daughter of Zeus.I believe that going to war with her brother and her son strife supports her being Zeus's daughter.
Even though this was a very powerful and mean goddess, people still disobeyed her. This was how a lot of the wars started and that is why I think that she is so important. Without her there would have been no Trojan War. Even if she were nice and liked, there would have been no war. This is very big in my mind and a fascinating story. If you want to know more about this goddess, or any other god or goddess all you have to do is go to your local library. They will have all the information that you will want.
Ancient Gods - Other Gods. 3 Mar. 2002 .
"Eris." 1995. Grolier. 3 Mar. 2002 Table of Greek Gods and Associates . 1999. Untangle Incorporated. 3 Mar. 2002 .
Ἔρις
Eris (from inscription). Tondo of an Attic black-f...
Eris