Eris.
The quarrel that grows
Eris: Greek Goddess of Discord and the Golden Appleis strife personified. The golden apple associated with her begins the divine quarrel judged by , but also offers a different account of competition that can drive people to work.
More than a myth.
Discord and the golden apple
At the wedding of Peleus and , introduces an apple that , , and each claim. is appointed to judge the dispute. The promised rewards lead him to choose Aphrodite and the prospect of , helping set the in motion. The episode gives a seemingly small competitive gesture enormous consequences.
The children of Strife
In the , is a daughter of Night and the mother of personified hardships including toil, hunger, battles, quarrels, and false oaths. Her family unfolds the consequences of conflict into a . The arrangement makes experience into kinship: one kind of disorder can generate many others.
Hesiod’s two kinds of strife
distinguishes destructive strife from a productive rivalry that encourages a person to work after seeing a neighbor prosper. This second account is not a denial of the first; the poet is examining another effect of competition. therefore cannot be reduced to a single slogan about every disagreement being evil.
Questions about Eris
What did Eris’s golden apple cause?
It provoked the contest among , , and that judged. His choice leads into the story of and the .
Who is Eris’s Roman counterpart?
is the Roman personification commonly identified with Eris. Their names both point toward discord, although individual literary settings differ.
It’s a family affair.
The stories of Eris.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Theogony
Lines 225–232
Library · Epitome
Epitome 3.2 · the apple and Paris
Works and Days
Lines 11–26 · two kinds of strife