Eirene
Eirene was the goddess of peace — one of the Horae, depicted holding the infant Ploutos (Wealth), showing that peace is the prerequisite for prosperity.
The Myth of Eirene
Eirene was the goddess of peace, one of the three Horae — daughters of Zeus and Themis — alongside her sisters Eunomia (Good Order) and Dike (Justice). At Athens, the sculptor Cephisodotus created her most famous image around 370 BC: Eirene cradling the infant Ploutos (Wealth) in her arms, a powerful visual argument that peace produces prosperity. She had a public altar in the Athenian agora. The Greeks understood Eirene not as passive absence of war but as an active condition requiring justice and good governance — the gifts of Athena and Zeus. Her worship intensified after the devastation of the Peloponnesian War, when Athens had learned the cost of Ares' domain.
Parents
Zeus and Themis
Symbols
Fun Fact
The name Irene — still popular worldwide — comes from this goddess of peace.
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
Pax
⚡ godPeace, harmony, prosperity
Roman goddess of peace and civic harmony, equivalent to the Greek Eirene
Juno
⚡ godMarriage, childbirth, women, the state
Queen of the Roman gods and protector of women and the state, counterpart to the Greek Hera
Athena
⚡ godGoddess of wisdom, craft, and strategic warfare
Athena was the goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and craftsmanship — born fully armoured from Zeus's head, she was the most respected and feared Olympian after Zeus himself.
Epione
goddesssoothing of pain, healing, comfort
Goddess of the soothing of pain, wife of Asclepius and mother of the healing deities who attended his cult at Epidaurus.
Concordia
⚡ godHarmony, agreement, civic unity
Roman goddess of agreement and social harmony, equivalent to the Greek Homonoia
Enyo
⚡ godGoddess of war and destruction
Enyo was a goddess of war who delighted in bloodshed and the destruction of cities — she accompanied Ares and Eris into battle.
Eunomia
⚡ godGoddess of good order and lawful governance
Eunomia was the goddess of good order, lawfulness, and civil governance — one of the Horae (Seasons) who embodied the conditions necessary for a just society.
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods and guardian of marriage
The queen of Olympus and goddess of marriage who defended the institution of matrimony with a wrath that shaped half the myths.
Victoria
⚡ godVictory, triumph, success
Roman goddess of victory, equivalent to the Greek Nike
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods, marriage, family, childbirth
Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's lovers and their children.
Nike
⚡ godGoddess of victory
The winged goddess of victory who flew across battlefields crowning the victors and who stood beside Zeus as his constant companion.
Athena
⚡ godGoddess of wisdom and strategic warfare
The warrior-goddess born from Zeus's head who embodied strategic intelligence, craft, and the civilising arts of the city.