Eris (mythology)

Eris (Ἔρις Éris, "Strife") is the Greek goddess of strife and discord. Her Roman equivalent is Discordia, which means the same. Eris's Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Roman counterpart is Concordia, though she is also described as opposing Nike, counterpart of the Roman Victoria. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona. The dwarf planet Eris is named after the goddess.

It is unknown whether she had any temples or sects in Greece. She is often invoked as a personification of strife, as which she appears in Homer and many later works.

Etymology
Eris is of uncertain etymology; connections with the verb ὀρίνειν orínein, 'to raise, stir, excite', and the proper name Ἐρινύες Erinyes have been suggested. R. S. P. Beekes rejects these derivations and suggested a pre-Greek origin.

In Greek mythology
The most famous tale of Eris recounts her initiating the Trojan War by causing the Judgement of Paris. The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had been invited along with the rest of Olympus to the forced wedding of Peleus and Thetis, who would become the parents of Achilles, but Eris had been snubbed because of her troublemaking inclinations.

She therefore (as mentioned at the Kypria according to Proclus as part of a plan hatched by Zeus and Themis) tossed into the party the Apple of Discord, a golden apple inscribed τῇ καλλίστῃ – "For the most beautiful one", or "To the Fairest One" – provoking the goddesses to begin quarreling about the appropriate recipient. The hapless Paris, Prince of Troy, was appointed to select the fairest by Zeus. The goddesses stripped naked to try to win Paris's decision, and also attempted to bribe him. Hera offered political power, while Athena promised infinite wisdom. But Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta, and Paris chose to award the apple to Aphrodite, thereby dooming his city, which was destroyed in the war that ensued.

In Works and Days 11–24, Hesiod distinguishes between two kinds of strife. It is unclear whether the distinction in this passage is to be taken literally or purely as a means to distinguish between two concepts. Different interpretations exist.

So, after all, there was not one kind of Strife alone, but all over the earth there are two. As for the one, a man would praise her when he came to understand her; but the other is blameworthy: and they are wholly different in nature. For one fosters evil war and battle, being cruel: her no man loves; but perforce, through the will of the deathless gods, men pay harsh Strife her honour due. (Nyx), and the son of Cronus [i.e. Zeus] who sits above and dwells in the aether, set her in the roots of the earth: and she is far kinder to men. She stirs up even the shiftless to toil; for a man grows eager to work when he considers his neighbour, a rich man who hastens to plough and plant and put his house in good order; and neighbour vies with his neighbour as he hurries after wealth. This Strife is wholesome for men. And potter is angry with potter, and craftsman with craftsman and beggar is jealous of beggar, and minstrel of minstrel.

In Hesiod's Theogony (226–232), Eris has her lineage laid out as she bears many personifications as her children, with some being singular deities and others being plural daemons:

In Homer's Iliad Book IV Eris is named as a "sister and comrade" to Ares, though this is likely meant symbolically as they are both regarded as deities of war.

"... and Discord [Ἔρις] that rageth incessantly, sister and comrade of man-slaying Ares; she at the first rears her crest but little, yet thereafter planteth her head in heaven, while her feet tread on earth. She it was that now cast evil strife into their midst as she fared through the throng, making the groanings of men to wax."

Eris is also mentioned in Nonnus's Dionysiaca, when Typhon prepares to battle with Zeus:

"Eris ('Strife') was Typhon's escort in the mellay, Nike ('Victory') led Zeus into battle."

Another story of Eris includes Hera, and the love of Polytechnus and Aedon. They claimed to love each other more than Hera and Zeus were in love. This angered Hera, so she sent Eris to wreak discord upon them. Polytekhnos was finishing off a chariot board, and Aedon a web she had been weaving. Eris said to them, "Whosoever finishes thine task last shall have to present the other with a female servant!" Aedon won. But Polytekhnos was not happy by his defeat, so he came to Khelidon, Aedon's sister, and raped her. He then disguised her as a slave, presenting her to Aedon. When Aedon discovered this was indeed her sister, she chopped up Polytekhnos's son and fed him to Polytekhnos. The gods were not pleased, so they were transformed into birds.

In Roman mythology
Discordia, the Roman counterpart of Eris, embodies similar attributes of strife and discord. While sharing the fundamental essence of her Greek counterpart, Discordia possesses distinct Roman characteristics and narratives. In Roman mythology, Discordia is often portrayed as the personification of chaos and strife, representing the disruptive forces that can unsettle order and harmony within society. She is typically associated with the concept of dissension and conflict, symbolizing the breakdown of social cohesion.

Virgil presents Discordia as similar to the Greek Eris. Following Homer, she appears in the Aeneid together with Mars, Bellona, and the Furies. She is most frequently depicted as the daughter of Nox and the sister of Mars, following Greek precedent; though other sources present her as the sister of Nemesis and "the constant attendent of Mars". Ennius describes her in his Annales as "a maiden in a military cloak, born with hellish body, of equal proportion with water and fire, air and heavy earth".

In Roman mythology, Discordia is often intertwined with various tales of love and rivalry. While not traditionally depicted as having consorts or lovers in the same manner as some other Roman deities, her influence is evident in stories where conflicts arise due to jealousy, ambition, or betrayal. Discordia's presence exacerbates tensions and fuels the flames of discord, leading to dramatic consequences for mortal and divine alike. The most notable example of this simply follows the Greek story of the Judgement of Paris.

One notable aspect of Discordia's mythology is her role in the political and social sphere of ancient Rome. As a personification of discord, she was invoked during times of political unrest or upheaval, serving as a symbolic representation of the turmoil and division within society. Her influence extended beyond individual conflicts, shaping the course of history and influencing the destiny of nations.

Despite her association with chaos and strife, Discordia was not always viewed in a negative light. In some interpretations, she served as a catalyst for change and transformation, challenging established norms and fostering innovation. While her disruptive influence could be destructive, it also paved the way for renewal and growth, highlighting the complex nature of her character within Roman mythology.

In Discordianism
The modern Discordian religion, according to its book Principia Discordia, "began with a revelation [...] from the Greek goddess Eris in the form of a chimpanzee." Eris was adopted as the founding and patron deity of Discordianism in the early 1960s by Gregory Hill and Kerry Wendell Thornley under the pen names of "Malaclypse the Younger" and "Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst".

The Discordian view of Eris is considerably lighter in comparison to the rather malevolent Graeco-Roman view. In Discordianism she is depicted as a positive (albeit mischievous) force of chaotic creation. Principia Discordia states:

"One day Mal-2 consulted his Pineal Gland and asked Eris if She really created all of those terrible things. She told him that She had always liked the Old Greeks, but that they cannot be trusted with historic matters. 'They were,' She added, 'victims of indigestion, you know.'

Suffice it to say that Eris is not hateful or malicious. But she is mischievous, and does get a little bitchy at times."

The story of Eris being snubbed and indirectly starting the Trojan War is recorded in the Principia, and is referred to as the Original Snub. The Principia Discordia states that her parents may be as described in Greek legend, or that she may be the daughter of Void. She is the Goddess of Disorder and Being, whereas her sister Aneris (called the equivalent of Harmonia by the Mythics of Harmonia) is the goddess of Order and Non-Being. Their brother is Spirituality.

In Discordianism, Eris is looked upon as a foil to the preoccupation of Western philosophy in attempting find order in the chaos of reality, in prescribing order to be synonymous with truth. In Principia Discordia, this is called the Aneristic Illusion. David G. Robertson discusses Discordian theology in the 2012 book Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production, writing that despite Discordian claims that its 'catmas' are soft, optional beliefs,

"Nevertheless, the Principia Discordia contains a complex and subtle religious system, although this is often obscured by its chaotic structure. The theology of the Principia is perhaps best summarized in the symbol [...] The Sacred Chao [...] Taken as a whole, however, the Sacred Chao symbolizes the Discordian idea that both order and chaos are man-made concepts, and that to believe that either is more 'true' than the other is illusion. The Sacred Chao represents 'pure chaos', the metaphysical grounding of all that is, and a level beyond any distinction-making."

In this telling, Eris becomes something of a patron of chaotic creation:

"I am chaos. I am the substance from which your artists and scientists build rhythms. I am the spirit with which your children and clowns laugh in happy anarchy. I am chaos. I am alive, and I tell you that you are free."

Robertson writes in the 2016 book Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality that:

"[...] Discordians have also constructed a complex and unique cosmology and theology, and Discordianism has over time come to be considered as having genuine religious significance for many of its adherents. Thus Discordianism can no longer be considered a purely parodic religion."

Cultural influences
The classic fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty" references what appears to be Eris's role in the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Like Eris, a malevolent fairy curses a princess after not being invited to the princess's christening.

The concept of Eris as developed by the Principia Discordia is used and expanded upon in the 1975 science fiction work The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson (in which characters from Principia Discordia appear). In this work, Eris is a major character.

The dwarf planet Eris was named after this Greek goddess in 2006.

In 2019, the New Zealand moth species Ichneutica eris was named in honour of Eris.