| Eris at Troy |
| The Children of Eris |
| Eris in The Iliad (reference) |
| Eris in Other Texts (reference) |
Eris is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Her influence can be felt in every quarrel, feud and disagreement on the face of the earth and on the heights of Mount Olympos (Olympus). She is feared and respected for her eternal and unforgiving rage and, though despised by the Olympians, not even they dare to confront her.
The Nereid, Thetis, was given to Peleus (a mortal) because of his undying devotion to the gods on Mount Olympos ... the marriage was also a punishment for Thetis because she had rejected Zeus’ amorous advances. The wedding of Thetis and Peleus was the setting for a defining event which set the stage for the Trojan War. This event has come to be known as The Judgment of Paris although, at that time, it was just another demonstration of the rivalry between the Immortals.
In order to honor Thetis, Hera invited all the Immortals to the wedding. Athene (Athena) polished an ashen spear which she, Cheiron (Chiron) and Hephaistos (Hephaestus) had fashioned for Peleus. The goddess Eris was in attendance but she did not come to celebrate ... she came to do what she does best, cause trouble. Eris cast down a golden apple with the inscription, ‘For the most beautiful one.’ Hera, Athene and Aphrodite (goddess of Love) all assumed that the prize was for them and when the intended conflict arose, the Trojan prince Paris (Alexandros), was asked to make the final decision as to which goddess deserved the golden apple. Aphrodite promised Paris the hand of the most beautiful mortal woman in Greece, Helen ... Paris could not refuse such a prize ... he chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. Hera and Athene never forgave the insult ... the walls of Troy toppled and all of Paris’ family paid with their lives for his greed and desire.
In the war for the city of Troy, she rode into battle on the side of the Trojans with her brother and companion, Ares (god of War). She is more generally known for the less deadly forms of conflict; political strife, personal contention, rivalry and wrangling but the potential for evoking her deadly nature is ever present.
At Troy, she was called the Lady of Sorrow and she fought alongside Apollon and Ares in the defense of Aphrodite’s beloved son, Aineias (Aeneas). When the goddess Thetis asked Hephaistos to make new armor for her son, Achilles, he forged a shield with a variety of scenes from everyday life ... some scenes were peaceful but most were extremely violent. One of the more bloody depictions on the shield was of Eris fighting in the company of Kydoimos (Cydoimos) (Confusion) and Kera (Cera) (Black Fate). Eris was walking through the battle carnage, stained with blood, carrying a wounded man and an unwounded man in her arms and dragging a dead man by his feet.
| Algea | Αλγεα | Pains | line 227 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphillogias | Αμφιλλογιας | Disputes | line 229 |
| Androktasias | Ανδροκτασιας | Manslaughters | line 228 |
| Ate | Ατην | Blindness | line 230 |
| Dysnomia | Δυσνομιην | Lawlessness | line 230 |
| Horkos | Ορκον | Oath | line 231 |
| Hysminai | Υσμινας | Battles | line 228 |
| Lethe | Ληθην | Forgetfulness | line 227 |
| Limos | Λιμον | Starvation | line 227 |
| Logos | Λογους | Words | line 229 |
| Machai | Μαχας | Quarrels | line 228 |
| Neikea | Νεικεα | Grievances | line 229 |
| Phonoi | Φονους | Murders | line 228 |
| Ponos | Πονον | Hardship | line 226 |
The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Wyatt translations of The Iliad. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Lattimore (ISBN 0226469409); A.T. Murray/William F. Wyatt Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995791 and 0674995805); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374529051); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140275363)
