This is my name! I’ve always loved it, especially being a Greek mythology fan as a kid. I especially love the ambiguity of it. It feels almost like a gothic vampire-ish name to me.
I've always thought if you were writing a story, this would be a good name for a vampire. Why? It's "sire" backwards.
― Anonymous User 4/18/2013
11
Both of my mythology books say that Eris was the daughter of Nyx, the personification of night. Although I think her parentage is diffrerent in some myths, kind of like Aphrodite's parentage.
I admit that the name sounds pretty enough, but with the story behind it, I envision nothing but a catty, spoiled girl who likes to cause trouble when she doesn't get her way.
― Anonymous User 4/16/2009
-12
Eris was the goddess of strife. What is strife? Bitter conflict, discord, contention and rivalry. Eris interfered with the affairs of others for her amusement. This usually ended in chaos, anarchy and murder, and she had an insatiable desire for bloodshed. Not a nice namesake. I can see the girl looking up Eris on the internet and saying "This is what Mum had in mind when she named me?" I can't really sympathise, because, to me this name has an ugly, sharp, cold sound to it. And it looks even more horrible when it's written down. Even Erys would be nicer! (And I don't believe in the supreme feminising power of the "Y"). However, the Latin form of Eris, Discordia, is beautiful.
Assuming I'll be able to adopt in the future, I may consider naming one of my girls Eris. I always loved the sound of it, albeit being tied to discordance.
The patron goddess of the religion Discordianism. It's debatable whether it's legitimate or not. It has texts including rules about eating hot dogs and so forth.
Eris began the Trojan War by presenting Zeus with the golden Apple of Discord. Three Goddesses (Aphrodite, Hera and Athena) wanted the token and Zeus, not wanting to choose between them, gave the Apple to Paris of Troy. Each goddess promised him something different but he eventually chose Aphrodite as she promised him a woman as beautiful as herself, Helen of Troy. Helen then fell in love with Paris and sailed away with him to Troy, beginning the war.
― Anonymous User 12/24/2005
2
Zeus did NOT get to choose between the goddesses, as it was claimed in the comment above, but the prince of Troy - Paris. Eris, angry for not being invited to the wedding, threw a golden apple with the carving "To the most beautiful one" in the room the wedding guests were celebrating in, and all Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite claimed it as their own. Paris was chosen to resolve their dispute. All three goddesses tried to plese him promising him all sorts of glorious things they had control over. He ended up choosing Aphrodite because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy.
― Anonymous User 3/23/2006
2
Eris was the goddess of discord and chaos. She took pleasure in seeing confusion and anarchy.