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References

Sources

Ancient

Hesiod

Shield of Heracles

155

... Φόνος τ᾽ Ἀνδροκτασίη τε ...

... and Murder and Slaughter ...

Theogony

226–232 [Most]

And loathsome Strife bore painful Toil and Forgetfulness and Hunger and tearful Pains, and Combats and Battles [Μάχας] and Murders and Slaughters, and Strifes and Lies and Tales and Disputes, and Lawlessness and Recklessness, much like one another, and Oath, who indeed brings most woe upon human beings on the earth, whenever someone willfully swears a false oath.

Works and Days

14–16

ἡ μὲν γὰρ πόλεμόν τε κακὸν καὶ δῆριν ὀφέλλει,

σχετλίη· οὔ τις τήν γε φιλεῖ βροτός, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἀνάγκης

ἀθανάτων βουλῇσιν Ἔριν τιμῶσι βαρεῖαν.

For the one [Strife, i.e. Eris] fosters evil war and conflict—cruel one, no mortal loves that one, but it is by necessity that they honor the oppressive Strife, by the plans of the immortals.

Homer

Iliad

4.440–441

and Strife who rages incessantly, sister and comrade of man-slaying Ares;

7.237

... μάχας τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίας τε.

... battles and slayings of men.

24.548

... μάχαι τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίαι τε.

... battles and slayings of men.

11.3–4

Zeus sent Strife to the swift ships of the Achaeans, gruesome Strife, holding in her hands a portent of war.

Odyssey

11.612

conflicts, and battles, and murders, and slayings of men

ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε φόνοι τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίαι τε.

Homeric Hymns

5 To Aphrodite

11

ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε, ...

battles and fights, ...

Modern

Caldwell

p. 40 [= Internet Archive p. 42]

212-232 The remaining children of Night are personifications ... The children of Eris are Hardship [Ponos], Forgetfulness (Lethe), Starvation [Limos], Pains [Algea], Battles [Hysminai], Wars [Machai], Murders [Phonoi], Manslaughters [Androktasiai], Quarrels [Neikea] Lies [Pseudea], Stories [Logoi], Disputes [Amphillogiai], Anarchy [Dysnomia], Ruin [Ate], Oath [Horkos].

Gantz

p. 9

in art we find Eris ... Hesiod's [cont.]

p. 10

account goes on to list Eris' own children, born with no father mentioned and virtually all allegorizings: Ponos (Labor), Lethe (Forgetfulness), Limos (Famine), Algea (Pains), Hysminae (Combats), Machai (Battles), Phonoi (Slaughterings), Androktasiai (Slayings of Men), Neikea (Quarrels), Pseudea (Falsehoods), Logoi (Words), Amphillogiai (Unclear Words), Dysnomia (Bad Government), Horkos (Oath), and Ate (Folly) (226–32) Of this list only the last has any identity, [although as a daughter of Zeus with no mother mentioned]

Hard

p. 31

The children of Eris represent the many harmful and destructive things that arise from discord and strife, namely Toil (Ponos), Oblivion (Lethe), Famine, Sorrows, Fights, Battles, Murders, Manslayings, Quarrels, Lies, Disputes, Lawlessness, Delusion (Ate) and Oath (Horkos).⁵⁹ This is allegory of the most obvious kind for the most part; the last two alone require further comment.

LSJ

s.v. μάχη

μα?́χ-η , ἡ, (μάχομαι)

A.battle, combat, freq. in Hom., usu. of armies,

Nünlist

Brill's New Pauly

s.v. Eris

(Ἔρις; Éris). Personification of (often warlike) strife, Latin Discordia; in allegorical genealogy interpreted as sister of Ares (Hom. Il. 4,441) or as daughter of Nyx (Hes. Theog. 224ff., together with other negative ‘abstracta’). In the Iliad, E. (alone or in association with Ares and other personifications) triggers the fighting (Hom. Il. 11,3ff.; 4,439ff.). The post-Homeric Cypria make E. the person actually responsible for the Trojan War due to her instigating the judgement of Paris at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Cypria argum. p. 38 Bernabé; the motif of the golden apple is Hellenistic). This negative image of E., adopted by Hesiod himself (Hes. Theog. 225), is later modified by him (Op. 11ff.) in that he contrasts it with a positive E. (‘competition’). Both aspects are inherent in the Homeric conception of E. [1] and possibly an Indo-European heritage [2]. ─ The early Greek epic refers to pictorial representations of E. with striking frequency (Hom. Il. 5,740; 18, 535 = Hes. Sc. 156; 148), probably due to the influence of oriental or orientalizing art. The identification of such representations of E. is made particularly difficult by the mythological context being absent quite often (exception: judgement of Paris).

Nünlist, René (Basle)

Bibliography

1 J. Hogan, E. in Homer, in: Grazer Beiträge 10, 1981, 21-58

2 B. Mezzadri, La double E. initiale, in: Métis 4, 1989, 51-60.

Bibliography

H. Giroux, s.v. E., LIMC 3.1, 846-850

H. A. Shapiro, Personifications in Greek Art, 1993, 51-61.

West

p. 231 on 228 Μάχας τε Φόνους τ’

cf. Od. 11.612 ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε φόνοι τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίαι τε, h. Aphr. [Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite] 11 ὑσμῖναί τε μάχαι τε, Sc. [Shield of Heracles] φόνος (v.l φόβος) τ᾽ ἀνδροκτασίη τε δεδήει. Most MSS. have φόνους (v.l φόβους) τε μάχας τ' : for this sequence cf. Il. 7.237 μάχας τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίας τε, 24.548 μάχαι τ᾿ ἀνδροκτασίαι τε.

War is naturally treated as a result of Eris; cf. Op. 14, Il. 4.440-1, 11.3-4. For its personification cf. Op. 161-5.