01 · The stories
Myths & defining acts
At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, Strife throws an apple as a prize of beauty to be contended for by Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, and the Judgement of Paris follows (Apollodorus, Epitome 3.2).
02 · Sacred lineage
Family & relations
In Hesiod, Strife is among the children of Night (Theogony 211–225). In the Iliad, she is the sister and friend of Ares (4.440–443).
Greek literary genealogies and Roman cult identities are not interchangeable. Explore the family tree and its traditions.
03 · Places of devotion
Abode & sacred sites
No sanctuary is described in the sources cited here.
04 · Two traditions
Greek & Roman perspectives
The Greek perspective
In the Iliad, Strife comes to the battle with Panic and Rout; she is at first low in stature but grows until her head reaches heaven while her feet are on earth (4.440–443). In Hesiod, Works and Days, there are two kinds of Strife, one that makes war and one that spurs people to work (11–26).
The Roman perspective
In Virgil, Discordia stands at the threshold of the underworld, 'mad' (demens), with a viper's hair bound with bloody ribbons (Aeneid 6.279–281), and on the shield of Aeneas appears in a torn robe, followed by Bellona with a bloody whip (Aeneid 8.700–703).
05 · Extensive analysis
A closer reading
Hesiod's Strife is both destructive and productive; Homer's grows from small to giant; Apollodorus makes her the cause of the Judgement of Paris; and Virgil's Discordia is a figure of civil war at the threshold of the underworld and on Aeneas's shield.
06 · Primary sources
What the sources say
These are the main ancient passages behind this entry, with what each one actually says.
- Homer, Iliad book 4, lines 440–443
Strife, sister and friend of murderous Ares, is at first low in stature but grows until she uprears her head to heaven, though her feet are on earth.
Read the passage - Hesiod, Theogony lines 211–225
Night bears Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep and others, including hard-hearted Strife.
Read the passage - Virgil, Aeneid book 6, lines 279–281 (Latin text)
At the threshold of the underworld stands mad Discordia, with a viper's hair bound in bloody ribbons.
Read the passage - Virgil, Aeneid book 8, lines 700–703 (Latin text)
On the shield of Aeneas, Discordia goes in a torn robe, followed by Bellona with a bloody whip.
Read the passage
07 · Story & deeper insight
Eris and the wedding that led to war
At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the dispute over a prize for the fairest goddess sets Hera, Athena and Aphrodite against one another. Paris's judgement follows, linking the divine quarrel to Helen and the Trojan War. Eris functions as the catalyst: competition at a celebration becomes a chain of grievances far beyond the original occasion.
The apple is a memorable emblem, but the story's force lies in rival claims to honour. Each goddess wants public recognition, and a mortal is placed in a position where choosing one necessarily angers the others. Discord thrives when a prize permits only one winner while several participants regard exclusion as intolerable.
Hesiod also distinguishes destructive strife from a form of rivalry that encourages work. That nuance prevents Eris from becoming a universal explanation for every competitive act. Roman Discordia foregrounds social rupture, particularly in poetic visions of war. These traditions make disagreement intelligible without suggesting that all disagreement must end in catastrophe.