The phrase “apple of discord” means anything that furnishes a cause for disagreement.
The allusion is to an oft-told Greek legend which relates that Eris, goddess of discord, angry because she alone of all the goddesses had not been invited to the wedding of Peleus, king of Thessaly, and the sea n mph, Thetis, threw a golden apple among the guests, upon which she had written, “For the fairest.” Hera, Pallas, and Aphrodite (in Roman mythology, Juno, Minerva, and Venus) each claimed the beautiful apple.
Unable to settle their disagreement, they called upon Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy, to decide the issue. Hera promised him the sovereignty of all Asia; Pallas, all glory in war, Aphrodite, the fairest woman on earth as his wife.
After careful deliberation, Paris made his decision in favor of Aphrodite, and as his reward claimed Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, as his wife, bearing her off with the aid of Aphrodite. The result of the decision is amusingly told by Thackeray in Roundabout Papers:
“Angry, indeed!” says Juno, gathering up her purple robes and royal raiment. “Sorry, indeed!” cries Minerva, lacing on her corselet again, and scowling under her helmet. . . . “Hurt, forsooth! Do you suppose we care for the opinion of that hobnailed lout of a Paris? Do you suppose that I, the Goddess of Wisdom, can’t make allowances for mortal ignorance, and am so base as to bear malice against a poor creature who knows no better? You little know the goddess nature when you dare to insinuate that our divine minds are actuated by motives so base. A love of justice influences us. We are above mean revenge. We arc too magnanimous to be angry at the award of such a judge in favor of such a creature.” And, rustling out their skirts, the ladies walk away together. This is all very well. You are bound to believe them. They are actuated by no hostility; not they. They bear no malice , of course not. But when the Trojan War occurs presently, which side will they take? Many brave souls will be sent to Hades, Hector will perish, poor old Priam’s bald numskull will be cracked, and Troy town will burn, because Paris prefers golden-haired Venus to ox-eyed Juno and gray-eyed Minerva.
Related Posts
-
What is the Difference between Apple Juice and Apple Cider and Is Apple Juice Pasteurized?
In this country, apple juice and apple cider are often used interchangeably, referring simply to the liquid that runs out of pressed apples. But in most other countries, cider means apple juice that…
-
How Did New York City Get Its Nickname “the Big Apple” and What Does the Big Apple Mean?
The latest theory on how New York was called the Big Apple is that horse-racing trainers and jockeys in the 1920s used the term to refer to New York City. Back then New…
-
How did the Adam’s Apple get its name and Where does the term Adam’s Apple come from?
"In Adam's fall We sinned all," ran the first stanza of the seventeenth-century New England Primer. His "fall" has since been marked on all mortals, by superstitious belief, by a projection on the…
-
Where did the Term Adam’s Apple Come From and Why is the Lump in a Man’s Throat Called an Adam’s Apple?
The Adam's Apple, also known as the laryngeal prominence, is a feature of the human neck. Both men and women have the thyroid cartilage, but it is usually more prominent in adult men.…
-
Why Do Men Have a Bigger Adam’s Apple Than Women and What Is the Adam’s Apple Used For?
The larynx, like many other body parts, is under hormonal control during development. Male hormones encourage the growth of the larynx, and the Adam's apple is the prominence made by the cartilage that…
-
What is the Difference between Hard Cider, Apple Wine, Apple Brandy, and Applejack?
Hard cider, apple wine, apple brandy, and applejack differ mainly in the ingenious methods that have been invented to arrive at their percentages of alcohol. Apple juice can be allowed to ferment naturally by…
