---
title: Eris
author: Liana Miate
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Eris/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2022-10-21
---
# Eris
_Authored by [Liana Miate](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/lianamiate/)_
Eris is the [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) goddess and personification of discord and strife. She is an unpopular figure in [Greek mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Mythology/) due to her problematic behaviour and her ability to stir up trouble wherever she goes. Eris is most famous for her Golden Apple of Discord, which played a key role in the cause of the [Trojan War](https://www.worldhistory.org/Trojan_War/).
Eris is the daughter of [Nyx](https://www.worldhistory.org/Nyx/), or [Zeus](https://www.worldhistory.org/zeus/) and [Hera](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hera/), and the sister of [Ares](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ares/), the Greek [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) of [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/), who she often accompanied into [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/), riding alongside him in his [chariot](https://www.worldhistory.org/chariot/).
### Birth & Family
In the *[Iliad](https://www.worldhistory.org/iliad/)*, [Homer](https://www.worldhistory.org/homer/) (c. 750 BCE) mentions her as being the sister of Ares, making her the child of Zeus and Hera. However, according to most sources, including [Hesiod](https://www.worldhistory.org/hesiod/)'s (c. 700 BCE) *[Theogony](https://www.worldhistory.org/Theogony/)*, Eris was the last-born child of Nyx (the personification of the night). Eris gave birth to many children of her own, who all represented dark and harmful things that could arise from discord and conflict:
> And hateful strife gave birth to wretched Work,
> Forgetfulness, and Famine, tearful Pains,
> Battles and Fights, Murders, Killings of men,
> Quarrels and Lies and Stories and Disputes,
> And Oath, who brings most grief to men on earth
> When anyone swears falsely, knowing it.
> (Hesiod, *Theogony*, 225-230)
### Nature & Appearance
Throughout Greek [mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/mythology/), Eris is portrayed as a mean figure and a troublemaker. She is avoided by many of her fellow gods and goddesses. The only god who can tolerate her is her brother Ares, who often rides into battle with her and rejoices in the horrors of war alongside her. In the *Iliad*, Homer mentions that she often strides across the earth, spreading hate against both the Trojan and Greek armies. Unlike Ares, who eventually sided with the Trojans, Eris never took a side during the Trojan War. In Book 11, Zeus sent Eris to [Odysseus](https://www.worldhistory.org/odysseus/)' ship, where she cried out in her terrible and great voice, raising the fighting spirit in each Greek soldier's heart and effectively stopping them from sailing back home. At one point in the *Iliad*, Eris is the only one of the gods who stays on the battlefield to watch the battle, exalting in the bloodshed and entirely in her element.
Hesiod presents an alternative Eris in his *[Works and Days](https://www.worldhistory.org/Works_and_Days/)*, which is believed to be written after his *Theogony*. In *Works and Days*, Hesiod suggests that there are two of Eris; the younger and secondary Eris is horrible towards humans and causes problems for them, while the main Eris is older and a force for good, instilling a sense of competition in humankind instead of strife.
> Strife is no only child. Upon the earth
> Two strifes exist; the one is praised by those
> Who come to know her, and the other blamed.
> Their natures differ: for the cruel one a
> Makes battles thrive, and war; she wins no love
> But men are forced, by the [immortals](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/immortals/)' will,
> To pay the grievous goddess due respect.
> The other, first-born child of blackest Night,
> Was set by Zeus, who lives in air, on high,
> Set in the roots of earth, an aid to men.
> She urges even lazy men to work.
> (Hesiod, *Works and Days*, 120-130)
Eris is very rarely depicted in ancient art. However, the Greek author and geographer [Pausanias](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Pausanias/) (c. 115 to c. 180 CE) wrote that he saw a beautifully decorated chest that showed an ugly Eris standing between two warriors. She is also alternatively depicted as a winged female figure.
[  Eris Berlin Antikensammlung (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16514/eris/ "Eris")### Eris & the Apple of Discord
The most famous myth involving Eris is the Judgement of [Paris](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/paris/), which is the inception of the Trojan War. The tale begins with the wedding of Peleus, the Greek hero and king of Phthia, and [Thetis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Thetis/), a sea [nymph](https://www.worldhistory.org/nymph/), on Mount Pelion. The guests at the wedding included the Olympians, who gifted the couple with a suit of golden armour and the immortal horses Balius and Xanthus. One noticeable absence was Eris, who was often left out of events due to her troublesome nature. Feeling angry over being left out, Eris decided to stir up mischief by causing conflict among the Olympians.
While [Athena](https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/), Hera, and [Aphrodite](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aphrodite/) were chatting arm in arm, Eris rolled her Golden Apple of Discord towards their feet. The apple bore the words "to the fairest." Not knowing who the apple was addressed to, the three goddesses all claimed the apple and began to cause a scene. Zeus quickly acted as a mediator and ordered the goddesses to present themselves before Paris, a prince of [Troy](https://www.worldhistory.org/troy/).
[  Golden Apple of Discord Jacob Jordaens (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16515/golden-apple-of-discord/ "Golden Apple of Discord")Paris awoke from a nap to find the god [Hermes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hermes/) standing before him. Hermes presented Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite to Paris and asked him to choose which goddess was the fairest. Each goddess offered Paris a gift in return for his vote. Hera offered him dominion over the world, Athena offered him the glory of war, and Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world ([Helen](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Helen/) of [Sparta](https://www.worldhistory.org/sparta/)). Not being able to resist Aphrodite's offer, Paris selected her as the fairest goddess. So began his pursuit of the already-married Helen of Sparta and the beginning of the Trojan War.
### Other Myths
Eris is also featured in the myth of the artist Polytechnos and his wife, Aëdon. As mentioned in the *Ornithogonia* by the Greek grammarian Boios, Polytechnos and Aëdon lived a prosperous life with their son, Itys. However, one day they foolishly began to boast that their love was greater than that of Zeus and Hera. An irate Hera sent Eris as their punishment. Eris did what she did best and stirred up conflict and competition between the couple. This resulted in tragedy as Aëdon killed their son, Itys, and fed him to her husband. Upon finding out what he had eaten, Polytechnos pursued Aëdon but was captured in the process, covered in honey and thrown into a meadow. Aëdon felt sympathy for her husband and went to rescue him. However, her family turned on her and attempted to kill her before Zeus intervened and turned the whole family into different birds to avoid further tragedy.
Another wedding that involved the meddlesome Eris was the wedding of Pirithous, king of the Lapiths, and Hippodamia. Once again, all the Olympians were invited, except for Eris, as everyone remembered the trouble she had stirred up at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Sure enough, Eris still found a way to make her [mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Mark/). The centaurs, not used to the strength of wine, drank their fill, and as soon as the bride entered the cavern, the [centaur](https://www.worldhistory.org/centaur/) Eurytion lunged at her and dragged her away. Pirithous ran to Hippodamia's rescue, cut off Eurytion's nose and ears, and threw him out of the cavern. This started a fight between the Lapiths and centaurs and was the beginning of a long feud – engineered by Eris and Ares.
[  Eris at the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis Jean Miélot (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16513/eris-at-the-wedding-of-peleus-and-thetis/ "Eris at the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis")Eris appears in a myth involving [Atreus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Atreus/), king of [Mycenae](https://www.worldhistory.org/mycenae/) and the father of [Agamemnon](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Agamemnon/) and [Menelaus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Menelaus/). Atreus claimed the throne of Mycenae by right of primogeniture and as the owner of the lamb with a [golden fleece](https://www.worldhistory.org/Golden_Fleece/), which had been created by Hermes' friend [Pan](https://www.worldhistory.org/Pan/). Atreus sacrificed the lamb to [Artemis](https://www.worldhistory.org/artemis/) as it had been foretold. However, his rule was challenged by his twin brother, Thyestes, who contested the lamb's ownership and claimed Mycenae's throne. Zeus favoured Atreus and asked Hermes to interfere. Hermes went to Atreus and told him to ask Thyestes if he would give up the crown if the sun moved backwards on the dial. Thyestes agreed, and Zeus enlisted the help of Eris to reverse the laws of nature, and Atreus was restored to the throne, banishing his brother from Mycenae.
### Legacy & Discordianism
Although Eris is not featured in many Greek myths, the largest dwarf planet is named after her. It orbits the sun just beyond the Kuiper Belt, and it is the farthest object known to man that orbits the sun (besides comets). It has one moon called Dysnomia. Eris, the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and her Apple of Discord are also the inspiration behind the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty in which a wicked fairy is not invited to the princesses' christening and places a curse on her as punishment.
A modern [religion](https://www.worldhistory.org/religion/) called Discordianism, dedicated to Eris, was established in 1957 by Gregory Hill (Malaclypse the Younger) and Kerry Wendell Thornley ([Omar Khayyam](https://www.worldhistory.org/Omar_Khayyam/) Ravenhurst). The teachings of Discordianism revolve around Greek mythology, the analysation of conspiracy theories and a form of modern paganism that is goddess focused. The religion has grown over the years through word of mouth, role-playing clubs, the internet and the underground publishing industry. Its primary holy scripture is the *Principia Discordia*, written mainly by Gregory Hill. It describes how the religion began with a vision of Eris, who showed them a [yin](https://www.worldhistory.org/Yin_and_Yang/)-[yang](https://www.worldhistory.org/Yin_and_Yang/)-like symbol with the Apple of Discord on one side and a pentagon on the other. It tells the story of how humanity fell from grace due to the Original Snub (the wedding of Peleus and Thetis). The Apple of Discord established the Discordian Mysteries, including the [Law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/) of Fives, which teaches that all the events in the universe revolve around the number five. It involves the Five Commandments, the Five Apostles of Eris, and the Five-Fingered Hand of Eris, which guides all of humankind's chaotic decisions and movements.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Cusack, Carole M. *Invented Religions.* Routledge, 2021.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1032099364/)
- [Falkner, David E. *The Mythology of the Night Sky.* Springer, 2020.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/3030476936/)
- [Fry, Stephen. *Mythos.* Chronicle Books, 2019.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1452178917/)
- [Gorightly, Adam. *The Prankster and the Conspiracy.* Paraview Press, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/B008FQBO6U/)
- [Graves, Robert. *The Greek Myths\[May 15, 2018\] Graves, Robert.* Viking, 2018.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0241982359/)
- [Hard, Robin. *The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology’s A Handbook of Greek Mythology.* Routledge, 2022.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1032337443/)
- [Hesiod & Theognis & Wender, Dorothea & Wender, Dorothea. *Hesiod and Theognis.* Penguin Classics, 1976.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0140442839/)
- [Homer & Robert Fagles & Bernard Knox. *The Iliad.* Penguin Classics, 1998.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0140275363/)
- [Nagy, Gregory. *Greek Mythology and Poetics.* Cornell University Press, 1992.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0801480485/)
- [Powell, Barry B. *Classical Myth.* Oxford University Press, 2020.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0197527981/)
- [Westmoreland, Perry L. *Ancient Greek Beliefs.* Lee and Vance Publishing Company, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0979324815/)
- [Woodford, Susan. *The Trojan War in Ancient Art.* Cornell University Press, 1993.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0801481643/)
## About the Author
Liana is the Social Media Editor for Ancient History Encyclopedia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in ancient Greece, Rome & Late Antiquity. She is particularly passionate about Rome and Greece, and anything to do with mythology or wo
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lian)
## Questions & Answers
### What is Eris the goddess of?
Eris is the Greek goddess and personification of discord and strife.
### What is Discordianism?
Discordianism is a modern religion dedicated to Eris that was established in 1957 by Gregory Hill (Malaclypse the Younger) and Kerry Wendell Thornley (Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). It is a goddess-focused form of modern paganism.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Miate, L. (2022, October 19). Eris. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Miate, Liana. "Eris." *World History Encyclopedia*, October 19, 2022. .
### MLA
Miate, Liana. "Eris." *World History Encyclopedia*, 19 Oct 2022, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Liana Miate](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/lianamiate/ "User Page: Liana Miate"), published on 19 October 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.