Eris

Eris is an ancient deity, born of the Night — the primordial Nyx — either alone according to Hesiod, or as the sister of Ares according to other traditions. Her name simply means "Discord." She is one of the few Greek deities who does not permanently inhabit Olympus: she lives wherever conflicts arise, wherever men quarrel and egos clash. She is often associated with Ares, the god of War, and Enyo, goddess of city destruction — a trio that personifies the forces that tear human societies apart.

Hesiod, in his Theogony, attributes to Eris a numerous progeny as dark as herself: among her children are born Ponos (Toil), Lethe (Oblivion), Limos (Famine), Algos (Pain), Dysnomia (Anarchy) and Ate (Destructive Madness). She thus represents not simply a momentary quarrel, but the sum of all negative forces that gnaw at human beings and communities — a personification of social chaos in its purest form.

The most famous myth linked to Eris is that of the wedding of Thetis and Peleus — parents of the future hero Achilles. All the gods of Olympus were invited, except Eris. Wounded by this deliberate exclusion, she secretly approached the banquet and threw a golden apple inscribed with "τῇ καλλίστῃ" — "to the fairest" — into the midst of the guests. This simple, venomous gesture sparked a quarrel between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, each claiming the title.

Zeus, refusing to choose between these three formidable goddesses, appointed Paris, a Trojan prince renowned for his sense of beauty, as judge. Each goddess tried to bribe him: Hera offered power and wealth, Athena wisdom and military victory, Aphrodite the love of the most beautiful woman in the world — Helen, queen of Sparta. Paris chose Aphrodite. The abduction of Helen that followed triggered the Trojan War — ten years of devastating conflict. A single act of discord, a single apple thrown by a forgotten goddess, and two civilizations went up in flames.

Eris embodies in Greek mythology a universal truth: discord does not always arise from active malice, but often from a wounded ego, an exclusion perceived as humiliating. Her act is not a frontal attack — it is a test of others' pride, a revelation of their vanity. By throwing the apple, Eris merely creates the conditions for the gods themselves to tear each other apart, showing that discord slumbers in the hearts of those who believe themselves perfect.

The golden apple has become one of the most powerful symbols of Western culture. The expression "apple of discord" — still used today to denote the hidden cause of a conflict — owes its existence to it. In the collective imagination, Eris represents that moment when latent tension, an unresolved resentment, an uncontrolled pride transform into irreversible catastrophe.

In the first Saint Seiya film, The Goddess of Discord (1987), Eris is the main antagonist. Her soul, imprisoned in the mythological golden apple since the Trojan War, awakens and takes possession of Irina, a young girl who found the apple. Eris uses this human vessel to reincarnate and return to the world of the living, with the goal of overthrowing Athena and ruling the Earth.

This story brilliantly retells the ancient myth: the golden apple remains the vehicle of chaos, and Eris remains the force of discord that uses the weakness of others — here Irina's innocence — to manifest herself. The final confrontation pits Eris against Athena — a continuation of the conflict that goes back to the Judgment of Paris, where the two goddesses had already opposed each other. The Bronze Saints, defending Athena, thus replay the role of the Greek heroes of the Trojan War: fighting the consequences of a discord that the gods themselves sowed.