Download Eirene (Greek goddess)

Eirene (Greek goddess) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1 of 2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eirene_(Greek_goddess)
Eirene (Greek goddess)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eirene (/aɪˈriːni/; Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη [eːrɛ́ːnɛː], "peace";[1] the
Roman equivalent was Pax), one of the Horae, was the personification of
peace, and was depicted in art as a beautiful young woman carrying a
cornucopia, sceptre and a torch or rhyton. She is said sometimes to be
the daughter of Zeus and Themis.
She was particularly well regarded by the citizens of Athens. After a
naval victory over Sparta in 375 BC, the Athenians established a cult for
Eirene, erecting altars to her. They held an annual state sacrifice to her
after 371 BC to commemorate the Common Peace of that year and set
up a votive statue in her honour in the Agora of Athens. The statue was
executed in bronze by Cephisodotus the Elder, likely the father or
uncle[2] of the famous sculptor Praxiteles. It was acclaimed by the
Athenians, who depicted it on vases and coins.[3]
Statue of Eirene with the infant
Ploutos: Roman marble copy of
bronze votive statue by Cephisodotus
the Elder, now in the Glyptothek,
Munich
Although the statue is now lost, it was copied in marble by the Romans;
one of the best surviving copies (right) is in the Munich Glyptothek. It
depicts the goddess carrying a child with her left arm – Ploutos, the god
of plenty and son of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Eirene's
missing right hand once held a sceptre. She is shown gazing maternally
at Ploutos, who is looking back at her trustingly. The statue is an allegory for Plenty (Ploutos) prospering under
the protection of Peace (Eirene); it constituted a public appeal to good sense.[3] The copy in the Glyptothek was
originally in the collection of the Villa Albani in Rome but was looted and taken to France by Napoleon I.
Following Napoleon's fall, the statue was bought by Ludwig I of Bavaria.[4]
References
1. ^ According to R. S. P. Beekes: "No etymology; Pre-Greek origin is very probable, principally because of the ending"
(Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 391).
2. ^ "Praxiteles' father's name is not recorded, "but, given Greek practice of handing down names and crafts in the
family, it is likely that if not Praxiteles' father, he was a relation" (Martin Robertson, A Shorter History of Greek Art
[Cambridge University Press) 1981, p. 138).
3. ^ a b Wünsche, Raimund (2007). Glyptothek, Munich: masterpieces of Greek and Roman sculpture. C.H.Beck. p. 79.
ISBN 978-3-406-56508-3.
4. ^ Robinson, Edward (1892). Catalogue of Casts Part III Greek and Roman Sculpture. Houghton, Mifflin & Co.
p. 222.
External links
Media related to Eirene at Wikimedia Commons
theoi.com: Eirene (http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/HoraEirene.html)
10/10/2014 8:29 PM
Eirene (Greek goddess) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2 of 2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eirene_(Greek_goddess)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eirene_(Greek_goddess)&oldid=619275512"
Categories: Personification in Greek mythology Greek goddesses Peace goddesses
This page was last modified on 31 July 2014 at 11:35.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
10/10/2014 8:29 PM