Eris: Greek Goddess of Strife and Discord

The Story of Eris

Eris was the goddess of strife, discord and rivalry. Hesiod names her as a daughter of Nyx, the night, while Homer calls her the sister and companion of Ares, the god of war. In the Iliad she is small at first, but grows until her head strikes the sky as she walks the earth.

Hesiod says there are really two kinds of Eris. One is cruel and stirs up war and fighting. The other is good for people, because she drives them to work hard and compete with their neighbors, so that a potter envies a potter and a builder a builder.

The most famous story about Eris is the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. All the gods were invited except Eris, who would only spoil the party. Angry at being left out, she tossed a golden apple into the crowd marked for the fairest.

Hera, Athena and Aphrodite each claimed the apple, and Zeus refused to choose between them. He sent them to the Trojan prince Paris, who gave the apple to Aphrodite after she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. When Paris carried Helen off to Troy, the Trojan War began.

Eris had no temples, as no one wanted to invite her in. Her name lives on in the phrase the apple of discord, used for anything that causes a quarrel. In 2006, a large dwarf planet beyond Pluto was named Eris, a fitting choice since its discovery stirred up debate over what counts as a planet.