Apple of Discord
Golden apple thrown by Eris inscribed "for the fairest" that triggered the divine beauty contest leading to the Trojan War.
The Meaning of Apple of Discord
One uninvited goddess threw one golden apple — and it killed more people than any weapon in mythology. Eris, goddess of discord, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. She arrived anyway and threw a golden apple inscribed kalliste ("for the fairest") among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. The resulting quarrel led to the Judgment of Paris, Paris's abduction of Helen, and the ten-year Trojan War. The apple is the original butterfly effect in Western storytelling — a single small act cascading into catastrophe. The phrase "apple of discord" is still used in European languages to describe any small catalyst that triggers a large conflict.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The phrase apple of discord entered political vocabulary — it describes any small trigger for a large conflict.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Eris
💭 conceptGoddess of strife and discord
The goddess of strife and discord who threw the golden apple that started the chain of events leading to the Trojan War.
Judgement of Paris
💭 conceptNarrative
The Trojan prince's fateful choice among three goddesses that set in motion the Trojan War
Judgment of Paris
💭 conceptfate
The beauty contest between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite judged by Paris of Troy that caused the Trojan War.
Wedding of Peleus and Thetis
💭 conceptNarrative
The divine wedding feast where gods and mortals celebrated together, unknowingly setting the Trojan War in motion
Judgement of Paris
💭 conceptbeauty, causation
The beauty contest between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite judged by Paris of Troy, whose choice of Aphrodite triggered the Trojan War.
Goddess of Love
💭 conceptLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Aphrodite governs romantic love and physical beauty, wielding an influence that even Zeus cannot resist.
Apples of the Hesperides
💭 conceptlabour
The eleventh labour of Heracles: obtaining the golden apples from the garden at the edge of the world, guarded by the dragon Ladon.
Goddess of Marriage
💭 conceptMarriage, family, women, childbirth, fidelity
Hera protects the institution of marriage, the rights of married women, and the sanctity of oaths between spouses.
Hesperides
🌿 nymphNymphs of the golden apples
The Hesperides tended golden apple trees at the western edge of the world.
Creation of Pandora
💭 conceptNarrative
The crafting of the first woman by the gods as a punishment for humanity after Prometheus's theft of fire
The Trojan War
💭 conceptWar, fate, heroism
A ten-year siege of Troy by a coalition of Greek kings, sparked by the abduction of Helen and shaped by the rivalries of the gods.
Abduction of Persephone
💭 conceptNarrative
The seizing of Persephone by Hades and its consequences, which explain the origin of the seasons