Eris: The Goddess Who Started a War
A long time ago, in the world of Greek mythology, there lived a goddess named Eris. She wasn’t like the kind and wise gods. Instead, she was the goddess of discord and chaos—which means she loved causing trouble!
One day, Eris did something very sneaky. She played a little trick at a wedding, and that one small act led to a huge war. How did she do it? With just an apple!
Let’s find out how one golden apple started the famous Trojan War!
The Wedding Without Eris
There was a big wedding on Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. The sea nymph Thetis was marrying a Greek king named Peleus, and all the gods and goddesses were invited.
Well, almost all of them.
The gods decided not to invite Eris because she always caused problems. They wanted the wedding to be happy, without fights or arguments.
But Eris was not happy about being left out. She wanted to teach them a lesson.
The Trick with the Golden Apple
Instead of getting angry, Eris came up with a clever idea. She took a shiny golden apple and wrote three words on it:
"For the Fairest."
Then, she rolled the apple into the wedding party and disappeared.
At first, the gods were confused. But then, three beautiful goddesses saw the apple and all wanted it:
- Hera, the queen of the gods.
- Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war.
- Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
Each goddess thought she was the fairest and should have the apple. But who was right?
The small golden apple had started a big argument!
The Tough Choice
Since the goddesses couldn’t agree, they went to Zeus, the king of the gods.
But Zeus didn’t want to choose—he knew that picking one goddess over the others would make them angry! So, he gave the job to a young prince named Paris of Troy.
Paris was a kind and handsome prince, but he never thought he would have to judge the beauty of goddesses!
The three goddesses didn’t want to lose, so they offered him gifts to make him choose them:
- Hera promised to make him a powerful king.
- Athena promised to make him wise and unbeatable in battle.
- Aphrodite promised him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.
Paris thought for a while. Then, he gave the apple to Aphrodite, choosing love over power and wisdom.
It seemed like a simple choice, but it would change the world forever.
The War Begins
The woman Aphrodite promised Paris was Helen of Sparta. But there was a big problem—Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Greece!
With Aphrodite’s help, Paris took Helen to Troy. This made King Menelaus very angry. He gathered an army of Greek warriors, including Achilles, Odysseus, and Ajax, and set sail for Troy.
The Trojan War had begun!
The war lasted ten years, with many brave warriors fighting on both sides. In the end, the Greeks won by using the famous Trojan Horse trick—a giant wooden horse that hid Greek soldiers inside. When the Trojans brought the horse into their city, the soldiers jumped out and defeated Troy.
But remember—none of this would have happened without Eris and her golden apple!
What Can We Learn from Eris?
Eris wasn’t a warrior or a king, yet she changed history with a small trick. Her story teaches us that:
- Small actions can have big consequences – One apple led to a huge war!
- Jealousy can cause problems – The goddesses fought over beauty instead of being happy for each other.
- Think before making choices – Paris chose love, but it led to disaster for his city.
Eris reminds us that chaos is part of life. Sometimes, one small thing—like an apple, a word, or a choice—can change everything.
So, next time you hear about the Trojan War, remember the mischievous goddess who started it all—Eris, the goddess of discord!