User:Paul August/Discordia
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[edit]In Roman mythology, Discordia is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Eris, goddess of strife and discord. Unlike her opposite Concordia, Discordia was not a cult goddess, and was never more than a literary personification.[1]
Description
[edit]While sharing the fundamental essence of her Greek counterpart, Discordia possesses distinct Roman characteristics and narratives. Discordia is often portrayed as the personification of chaos and strife, representing the disruptive forces that can unsettle order and harmony within society. She is typically associated with the concept of dissension and conflict, symbolizing the breakdown of social cohesion.[2]
Virgil presents Discordia as similar to the Greek Eris. Following Homer, she appears in the Aeneid together with Mars, Bellona, and the Furies.[3] She is most frequently depicted as the daughter of Nox and the sister of Mars, following Greek precedent;[4] though other sources present her as the sister of Nemesis and "the constant attendent of Mars".[5] Ennius describes her in his Annales as "a maiden in a military cloak, born with hellish body, of equal proportion with water and fire, air and heavy earth".[6]
In Roman mythology, Discordia is often intertwined with various tales of love and rivalry. While not traditionally depicted as having consorts or lovers in the same manner as some other Roman deities, her influence is evident in stories where conflicts arise due to jealousy, ambition, or betrayal. Discordia's presence exacerbates tensions and fuels the flames of discord, leading to dramatic consequences for mortal and divine alike. The most notable example of this simply follows the Greek story of the Judgement of Paris.[citation needed]
One notable aspect of Discordia's mythology is her role in the political and social sphere of ancient Rome. As a personification of discord, she was invoked during times of political unrest or upheaval, serving as a symbolic representation of the turmoil and division within society.[2] Her influence extended beyond individual conflicts, shaping the course of history and influencing the destiny of nations.[citation needed]
Despite her association with chaos and strife, Discordia was not always viewed in a negative light. In some interpretations, she served as a catalyst for change and transformation, challenging established norms and fostering innovation. While her disruptive influence could be destructive, it also paved the way for renewal and growth, highlighting the complex nature of her character within Roman mythology.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Bloch, s.v. Discordia.
- ^ a b Neil W. Bernstein in Silius Italicus (2022), p. 181: "[...] the catalog of deities commences with Discordia, the personification of civil war. By giving her pride of place, Silius draws a strong thematic association between Cannae and Roman civil conflict."
- ^ Smith, William, ed. (1880). Earinus-Nyx. J. Murray. p. 30.
- ^ Jolly, S. (1866). A Vocabulary of Egyptian, Grecian, and other Mythologies. Simpkin, Marshall, and Company. p. 1.
- ^ Bechtel, J. H. (1905). A Dictionary of Mythology. Penn Publishing Company. pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Tbk9AAAAYAAJ&q=Discordia 73–4.
- ^ Gildenhard, I. (2012). Virgil, Aeneid, 4.1-299: Latin Text, Study Questions, Commentary and Interpretative Essays. Open Book Publishers. p. 173, n. 208.
References
[edit]- Bloch, Rene s.v. Discordia, in Brill’s New Pauly Online, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and, Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry, published online: 2006.
- Ennius, Fragmentary Republican Latin, Volume I: Ennius, Testimonia. Epic Fragments. Edited and translated by Sander M. Goldberg, Gesine Manuwald. Loeb Classical Library No. 294. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2018. ISBN 978-0-674-99701-1. Online version at Harvard University Press.
- Horace. Satires. Epistles. The Art of Poetry. Translated by H. Rushton Fairclough. Loeb Classical Library 194. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1926. ISBN 978-0-674-99214-6. Online version at Harvard University Press.
- Servius, Commentary on the Aeneid of Vergil, Georgius Thilo, Ed. 1881. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library (Latin).
- Silius Italicus, Tiberius Catius (2022). Silius Italicus: Punica, Book 9: Edited with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. Translated by Neil W. Bernstein. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-883816-6.
- Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica, translated by J. H. Mozley, Loeb Classical Library No. 286. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928. Online version at Harvard University Press.
- Virgil, Aeneid [books 1–6], in Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid: Books 1-6, translated by H. Rushton Fairclough, revised by G. P. Goold, Loeb Classical Library No. 63, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0-674-99583-3. Online version at Harvard University Press.
- Virgil, Aeneid [books 7–12], in Aeneid: Books 7-12. Appendix Vergiliana, translated by H. Rushton Fairclough, revised by G. P. Goold, Loeb Classical Library No. 64, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0-674-99586-4. Online version at Harvard University Press.
Sources
[edit]Ancient
[edit]- Book 7 fr. 13 [= Horace, Satires 1.4.60–62]
- 13 Hor. Sat. 1.4.60–62
- 13 Horace, Satires
- it’s not as if you scattered
- “after loathsome Discord
- broke open the ironbound posts and portals of War,”
- where you’d still find the limbs of a dismembered poet.1
- 1 Servius’ note identifies the poet in question as Ennius. Skutsch 1985, 402–3, citing Varro, Ling. 5.165, associates the “portals of War” with the Ianus Geminus; cf. Liv. 1.19.2.
- 1.4.60–62
- and it would not be like breaking up:
- When foul Discord’s din
- War’s posts and gates of bronze had broken in,
- where, even when he is dismembered, you would find the limbs of a poet.b
- b The passage cited is from Ennius and refers to the temple of Janus, which was opened in time of war. It is imitated in Virgil, Aen. vii. 622.
- and it would not be like breaking up:
- Theogony 1
- 92
- JUDGMENT OF PARIS: Jove is said to have invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis all the gods except Eris, or Discordia. When she came later and was not admitted to the banquet, she threw an apple through the door, saying that the fairest should take it. Juno, Venus, and Minerva claimed the beauty prize for themselves. A huge argument broke out among them. Jupiter ordered Mercury to take them to Mt Ida to Paris Alexander, and bid him judge. Juno promised him, if he should judge in her favour, that he would rule over all the lands and be pre-eminent wealth. Minerva promised that if she should come out victorious, he would be bravest of mortals and skilled in every craft. Venus, however, promised to give him in marriage Helen, daughter of Tyndareus, most beautiful of all women. Paris preferred the last give to the former ones, and judges Venus the most lovely. On account of this, Juno and Minerva were hostile to the Trojans. Alexander, at the prompting of Venus, took Helen from his host Menelaus form Lacedemon to Troy, and married her. She took with her two handmaids, Aethra and Thisiadie, captives, but once queens, whom Castor and Pollux had assigned to her.
Cap.
- 1.47
Sat.
- 124, v. 271-295
Aeneid
- 1.31
- 6.280
Argonautica
- 2.204
- 6.280
- 8.702
Modern
[edit]Bloch
[edit]- s.v. Discordia
- The Latin equivalent of the Greek Eris. In contrast with Concordia, D. was never more than a literary personification, and not a cult goddess. Ennius (Ann. 225f.) has D. break down the gates of war (cf. Hor. Sat. 1,460f.). According to Hyg. Fab. praef. 1, D. is a daughter of the ‘night’ ( Nox) and of Erebos. In Virgil (Aen. 6,280), she stands guard at the entrance to the Orcus; in Aen. 8,702 she appears ─ in a torn cloak ─ on Aeneas' shield amidst the tumult of the battle of Actium (cf. also Val. Fl. 2,204, and also the warmongering D. in Petron. Sat. 124, v. 271-295). In Mart. Cap. 1,47, D., alongside Seditio, is a deity of the third celestial region.
Smith
[edit]s.v. Eris （*)/Eris), the goddess who calls forth war and discord. According to the Iliad, she wanders about, at first small and insignificant, but she soon raises her head up to heaven (4.441). She is the friend and sister of Ares, and with him she delights in the tumult of war, increasing the moaning of men. (4.445, 5.518, 20.48.) She is insatiable in her desire for bloodshed, and after all the other gods have withdrawn from the battle-field, she still remains rejoicing over the havoc that has been made. (5.518, 11.3, &c., 73.) According to Hesiod (Hes. Th. 225, &c.), she was a daughter of Night, and the poet describes her as the mother of a variety of allegorical beings, which are the causes or representatives of man's misfortunes. It was Eris who threw the apple into the assembly of the gods, the cause of so much suffering and war. [PARIS.] Virgil introduces Discordia as a being similar to the Homeric Eris; for Discordia appears in company with Mars, Bellona, and the Furies, and Virgil is evidently imitating Homer. (Aen.. 8.702; Serv. Aen. 1.31, 6.280.)
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