Eris Deep Dive: Goddess of Discord and Strife
Eris (į¼ĻĪ¹Ļ) is the Greek personification of discord and strifeāmore notably she was considered to be the daimona of the strife of war. She was not considered a goddess in the same respect as the Olympians until more recently.
While she was not worshiped in ancient Greece, she has become a popular deity in Discordianism, a modern religion, as well as being worshiped by solitary individuals. In modern day she is given a kinder but still discordant role, worshiped as a goddess of chaos and specifically necessary chaos; chaos invoked as the catalyst of change. She is also said to be the goddess of the chaos needed for artists to create.
Her parentage depends on who is relaying the story. The most popular belief is that she was spawned by Nyx alone.
Nyx and Erebus (only because Erebus was Nyxās lover)
Zeus and Hera (because she is noted as Aresā sister)
Siblings will also depend. According to Hesiodās Theogony, her siblings are:
If she is the daughter of Zeus and Hera then the list of siblings would be way longer including all half siblings. She is specifically mentioned to be Aresā sister in Homerās Iliad. Too many to list, I will instead offer you the genealogy of Zeus and Hera.
Her full-blooded siblings would be:
Androktasiai (Manslaughters)
Note that these arenāt historically attested, they do come from translated myths but that doesnāt mean she was called this throughout history.
Often Eris is called a goddess of chaos in modern times, but in history she is recorded as the goddess of discord. While they seem like synonyms they are not, chaos is disorder and confusion; discord is argument or disagreement. While discord may lead to chaos, they are not one in the same.
This confusion may come from the conflation of Eris and the similar but still separate Roman goddess Discordia, who is the goddess of chaos and was often seen in a kinder light than the Greek Eris.
Eris is the last born of Nyx according to the Theogony.
She is noted in mythology to be particularly fond of the bloodshed of war.
Eris and the goddess of war Enyo are often conflated.
In his writing Works and Days, Hesiod says that there are two Erises; one that exists purely to plague mankind with strife, and the other is a kinder Eris who instills a healthy sense of competition in mankind.
Unfortunately Eris does not appear in mythology often, as is the case for many daimones, However her most popular roles in mythology are:
Throwing the (sometimes golden) apple into a feast with the words inscribed āto the fairestā, causing three goddesses, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera, to argue about who the apple should go to. Eventually, not wanting to deal with it, Zeus made the human mortal Paris decide. Though her role was short, it was a huge part in starting the Trojan war in mythology. Read about The Judgement of Paris.
When Polytechnos and AĆ«don said their relationship was way better than Zeus and Heraās, Hera sent Eris down to create marital discord between them. She did just that, making them compete against each other. Polytechnos was completing a standing board for a chariot and AĆ«don a tapestry at the time, so they made a bet on who would finish first. Whoever lost would present the other with a slave. It gets pretty dark and they end up getting turned into birds by Zeus, a common ākindā gesture from him in mythology. Read more here.
Interestingly enough, Eris is pictured with Themis, the goddess of divine law and order on a vase depicting the Judgement of Paris. The two watch over the three goddesses.
In another painting, Eris is depicted wearing winged shoes and having wings herself. This could symbolize freedom and swiftnessāsometimes sneakiness as well. This would make sense for Eris as she is considered in mythology to be a sneaky troublemaker.
There were no shrines known to be dedicated to Eris.
Discordia, Erisā Roman counterpart, was associated with the type of discord needed for societal change and going with the grain.
Seeing as she was not worshiped as far as we know in ancient times, these are pulled from mostly modern practitionersā posts as well as general practices of Hellenism.
Gold, Onyx, Smoky quartz, moldavite
Apples, hallucinogenic plants,
Venomous snakes, scorpions, ravens, foxes (all associated with other deities of chaos and discord)
Blood (please be smart about this)
Gunpowder (again, donāt be dumb)
Weapons or imagery of weapons
Learn to embrace chaos as a catalyst for change.
Enter into competitions, whether they be sports or art contests, just go compete!
Learn about the history of war, especially the wars of Ancient Greece.
Join protests for what you believe in, breaking societal norms.
Pull a prank! Sheās a trickster, what trickster doesnāt love a good prank?
References and Further Reading
Eris -World History Encyclopedia
Eris - Greek Mythology Link
A Guide to Worship Eris Cheat Sheet by screeching-0wl
Subtle Eris Worship by khaire-traveler
