Download Eris, the spirit of strife and rivalry, lurks on the battlefield and is

theoi.com
Eris, the spirit of strife and
rivalry, lurks on the battlefield
and is always the last divinity to
leave after the battle. Not
surprisingly, she is a companion
of Ares, the god of war. She has
an insatiable thirst for
bloodshed, and is the mother of
evil spirits that plague mankind.
In the Iliad and other writings,
she is often mentioned as being
present in certain scenes, but
does not actually figure
prominently in many stories.
According to Greek mythology, Eris was not invited to Peleus and Thetis's wedding. She
came anyways, and threw a golden apple bearing the words "To the Fairest" into the
midst of the goddesses. Three goddesses - Hera, Athena and Aphrodite - claimed the
apple as their own. Zeus sent them to Paris, the Trojan prince, to be judged, and each of
them offered Paris gifts if he would choose he as the most beautiful. Paris chose
Aphrodite because she offered him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, and
then Aphrodite helped him to seduce Helen and bring her to Troy; this led to the Trojan
War. Ultimately, Eris was the cause of all the ensuing strife.
Johanningsmeier, Emma_2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:21:51 PM Central Standard Time
70:cd:60:85:94:84
wikipedia.org
Here, Eris is depicted on a Greek cup from
circa 575-525 BCE.
Nike, the spirit of victory,
was present at battles,
but also in other, friendlier
competitions such as
sporting events.
At the beginning of the
Titan War (Zeus's
rebellion against his
father, Chronos) Zeus
tried to gather allies. Styx,
who was the goddess of
the river in the
Underworld, brought Zeus
her children - Rivalry,
Strength, Force and
Victory - to serve him.
Nike became Zeus's
charioteer.
theoi.com
godofwar.wikia.com
There is no other
mythology specifically
relating to Nike, but she
was a cult figure in
ancient Greece and there
were temples and shrines
dedicated to her.
She was often
represented
holding a palm
branch - the
symbol of victory.
Johanningsmeier, Emma_2014
creatinghistory.com
Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:21:51 PM Central Standard Time
70:cd:60:85:94:84
The temple of Nike on the
Acropolis
Source: classicalastrologer.me
Eros, otherwise known as Cupid,
the god of love, was associated
with the goddess Aphrodite.
According to hesiod, a poet, Eros
and Himeros (Desire) came with
Aphrodite when she was born
from the foam of the sea.
However, in most versions of
greek mythology, Eros is the son
of aphrodite, who is the goddess
of love. He carries a bow and
arrows that create love in
people's hearts, as well as those
of the gods.
Eros and Aphrodite
THE MYTH OF EROS AND PSYCHE
Source: banner4sale.com
In one Greek myth, Eros played host to Psyche, a beautiful young woman who could not
marry because young men feared the wrath of jealous Aphrodite. She fell in love with him,
but he believed the sight of his wings would scare Psyche, so he warned her not to look at
him and stayed out of her sight.
However, her sisters came to visit and were jealous of the beautiful palace Psyche lived
in. They were mean and decided to convince Psyche that her husband must be a monster.
Psyche crept into Eros's bedchamber one night with a candle to look at him, and was not
scared by his wings. A drop of wax fell on him, and he woke up and flew away.
Psyche tried to drown herself, but Pan took pity on her and pulled her out. She prayed to
Aphrodite, and the jealous goddess set her all sorts of difficult tasks to prove her love. She
did all of them, including going to the underworld and coming back. Eros helped her without
her knowledge. Finally, after Psyche accidentally breathed in poisonous gas, Eros came to her,
revived her, and brought her back to his palace.
Eros convinced Aphrodite to let him marry Psyche, and together, they made sure Psyche
became a goddess.
Johanningsmeier, Emma_2014
Today, Eros (Cupid) is associated with
Valentine's Day.
Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:21:51 PM Central Standard Time
70:cd:60:85:94:84
What does this reveal about the Classical Era?
The fact that the Greeks had "personification" gods and goddess underlines just how
important their mythology was to the way they explained everything. Personification
spirits related to every aspect of life, and gave them a framework through which to view
the world: feelings, events, and states of being were always accompanied by spirits.
What Classical Era concepts Does This highlight?
This really highlights mythology and religion, which were extremely important parts of
daily life for the Greeks.
HOw Is the topic relevant to the world today?
Many people know about the major Greek gods and goddesses - Zeus, Hera and so on but many people don't know about the minor gods, goddesses and spirits. In addition,
Western culture makes use of some of these spirits in different ways. For example,
there's a shoe brand called Nike, and we associate Cupid (Eros) with Valentine's Day.
Knowing to what lengths the Greeks went to explain everything with divinities also gives
us an interesting opportunity to compare their religion-filled lives with our own lives.
Most Westerners today do not try to explain every single thing in terms of what some
divinity did.
Johanningsmeier, Emma_2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:21:51 PM Central Standard Time
70:cd:60:85:94:84
SOURCES:
Atsma, Aaron J., ed. "Eris: Greek Goddess of Strife & Discord." Theoi Greek
Mythology. N.p.. Web. 31 Jan 2014.
Atsma, Aaron J., ed. "Nike: Greek Goddess of Victory." Theoi Greek Mythology. N.p..
Web. 31 Jan 2014.
Atsma, Aaron J., ed. "Eros: Greek God of Love." Theoi Greek Mythology. N.p.. Web.
31 Jan 2014.
Donn, Lin. "The Charming Myth of Eros & Psyche." MrDonn.org Social Studies. N.p..
Web. 31 Jan 2014.
Image sources are noted next to the images.
Johanningsmeier, Emma_2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:21:51 PM Central Standard Time
70:cd:60:85:94:84