WILE OF ERIS by artist Jaclyn Alderete

Oil on board, 16” x 20”

In Greek mythology, ERIS was the goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry. She was often portrayed as haunting the battlefield and delighting in human bloodshed. Because of Eris' disagreeable nature she was the only goddess not to be invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. When she turned up anyway and was refused admittance, she raged and threw the "golden apple of discord" amongst the goddesses inscribed "To the fairest."

This sparked a vanity-fueled dispute among --Hera, Aphrodite and Athena--and in their rivalry brought about the events leading up to the Trojan War. Thus, "apple of discord" is used to signify the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute.

Eris was closely identified with the war-goddess Enyo and her Roman name was Discordia.