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Eris, a MythSource painting
Greek

Eris

Goddess of Strife · Sister and Companion of Murderous Ares · Insatiate of War

01Identity

Eris in Greek tradition

By throwing an apple inscribed ‘to the fairest’, Eris sets in motion the events that lead to the Trojan War. She is the Greek goddess and personification of discord, strife and contention, and is described as the sister and companion of the murderous Ares. Unlike Ares, she is distinguished by the quarrels and rivalry she provokes, while her Roman counterpart is Discordia.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Eris?

    Eris is a Greek deity associated with strife and discord; war and battle; quarrels and contention; rivalry and competition; and social conflict and division.
    Source

    Source

    • Hesiod's Theogony
    • War in Greek Mythology
    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
    • Classical Mythology a to Z

  • What is Eris the goddess of?

    Eris is associated with strife and discord; war and battle; quarrels and contention; rivalry and competition; and social conflict and division.
    Source

    Source

    • Hesiod's Theogony
    • War in Greek Mythology
    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

  • What family links are recorded for Eris?

    Father: Erebos, Mother: Nyx, 17 children, 1 sibling.
02Family

Eris’s family, at a glance

ErebosNyx
ErisAres
AdikiaAlgeaAlgosAmphilogiaiAndroktasiaiAtëDysnomiaEros
HorkosHysminaiLetheLimosMachaiNeikeaPhonoiPonosPseudologoi
03The names

The names Eris answers to

Strife

Personification of conflict and contention

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Discord

Personification of disagreement and division

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

Baneful Eris

Eris as a destructive or harmful force

SourceHesiod's Theogony

Evil Eris

Eris in her harmful, quarrelsome aspect

SourceWar in Greek Mythology

04The myths

The myths of Eris

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

The Golden Apple of Discord

At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the gods gathered outside Cheiron’s cave on Mount Pelion. Hera raised the bridal torch, Zeus gave Thetis away, and the Fates and Muses sang. Ganymedes poured nectar. The fifty Nereids danced on the white sands, while Centaurs attended the ceremony and foretold good fortune. The gods gave Peleus golden armour, and Poseidon added the immortal horses Balius and Xanthus.

Eris was excluded from the wedding. She was the goddess of discord, and the gods had left her out because she was quarrelsome and caused disputes. She came to the celebration with a golden apple. The apple bore the words ‘for the fairest’. Eris threw it among the guests, setting a quarrel in motion.

Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite each claimed the apple. No one among the assembled gods would decide which goddess was the fairest, so the choice was given to Paris, prince of Troy. At the time, Paris was tending a flock of sheep on Mount Ida. He was regarded as the handsomest of men, and the goddesses came before him for judgement. Their dispute became the Judgment of Paris. This chain of events led towards the Trojan War.

The Golden Apple of Discord, a MythSource painting of the scene

3 sources· checked 2026-08-18

  1. 1The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)T1
  2. 2Hesiod, TheogonyT1

    Quote

    “Hesiod names Eris as a daughter of Night and associates her offspring with strife, quarrels, disputes, battles, and other troubles.”

    Hesiod, Theogony

  3. 3Greek Myths & TalesT1

Also mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Eris, each on that figure’s page.