What does the expression apple of discord mean in short? Where did the phraseology "apple of discord" come from?
Let's take a closer look phraseological unit "apple of discord" .
This is the story of how a small apple led to a big war.
Let's consider the meaning, origin and sources of phraseological units, as well as examples from the works of writers.
The meaning of phraseology
Apple of discord- cause of dispute, enmity
Synonyms: root cause of the conflict, subject of dispute
IN foreign languages There are direct analogues of the phraseological unit “apple of discord”:
- apple of discord (English)
- Apfel des Paris, Erisapfel (German)
- la pomme de discorde (French)
Apple of discord: the origin of phraseological units
In short, we are talking about a masterful provocation of the goddess of discord Eris, who threw a golden apple with the inscription “To the most beautiful” on the banquet table (by the way, phraseological units about apples). It is strange that there were only three contenders for this apple, but these were the elite of Olympus: the goddesses Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. The final result: geopolitical catastrophe, the Trojan War.
Perhaps everything would have turned out differently if all the gods and goddesses, without exception, of Eris, were invited to the wedding feast of the mortal Peleus and the goddess Thetis on Mount Pelion. It is worth admitting that even now we often “forget” to invite some aunt with a bad character to a family celebration.
Further, the dispute between the three goddesses could have remained a minor misunderstanding if Zeus had taken responsibility for determining the most beautiful (for example, he would have cast lots and that would have been the end of it). But he can be understood, because one of the contenders was his wife, the goddess Hera.
But that’s why he decided to delegate this difficult task to Paris, who at that time was tending a flock on Mount Ida in the vicinity of Troy and did not know that he was the son of the king of Troy Priam and his wife Hecuba (the one about whom it was said in Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “What is Hecuba to him, what is he to Hecuba?”)? Strange decision. But the supreme deity knows better.
The modest social position and location of Paris was precisely connected with the expected disastrous consequences for Troy of the visit of three goddesses to him, accompanied by the god Hermes and the ill-fated apple.
Before the birth of Paris, Hecuba saw horrible dream that gave birth to the torch that burned Troy. Dream interpreters explained it in such a way that this son would prepare the death of Troy and the entire kingdom of Priam. Therefore, King Priam ordered one of his shepherds to take the newborn to the top of Ida and abandon him there. But the child was nursed by a bear and later the shepherd took the boy to his place.
Aphrodite’s victory at the so-called Judgment of Paris was ensured by two things:
- She promised the young man Paris happiness in love - the possession of the most beautiful of mortal women, Elena. Apparently, for the young man this was more inspiring than the power and glory promised by Hera and Athena.
- She took care to make a special impression on Paris: she put on shiny, flowery clothes, soaked in the incense of spring flowers; I styled my hair and decorated it with flowers and gold. While her rivals considered such preparations unnecessary.
Later, Paris accidentally entered a competition organized by Priam in memory of him and won it. And sister Cassandra (the soothsayer) recognized her brother Paris, to the great joy of her parents and to the grief of Cassandra (she knew very well how it would all end, but as always, no one listened to her).
With the assistance of Aphrodite, Paris kidnapped the Beautiful Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, which led to the Trojan War and the death of Paris and almost the entire family of Priam.
Sources
The story of the apple of discord is described in the works of Homer, Stasin, Lycophron, and Hyginus.
The first to use the expression “apple of discord” in the modern sense was the Roman historian Justin in the 2nd century AD.
Examples from the works of writers
“One might think that you have brought an apple of discord in your pocket, my lord, or that you are a brand born of Althea, which she put in a barrel of gunpowder, for you have quarreled among themselves the king, the prince and the duke, as well as many courtiers, before this blessed days who didn’t even know about your existence. (W. Scott, “The Adventures of Nigel”)
For example, I know of a case where a bank note of five pounds served as a bone of contention, and then completely destroyed half a century of affection between two brothers (W. Thackeray, “Vanity Fair”)
Golden Apple discord - a subject of dispute.
Apple of discord is a common expression (phraseologism) not only in colloquial speech, but also in classical Russian and foreign literature. Many understand meaning of the expression, but not many people know the origin of this phraseological unit. And the history of this expression is interesting and curious.
The history of the origin of the expression “apple of discord”
The fact is that the reason for the appearance of this phraseological unit in the Russian language served as an action in ancient greek mythology. And this action consisted in the fact that the goddess of discord Eris, who existed in ancient Greek mythology, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, who later became the parents of the legendary Achilles. And she, being offended in turn, quit at this wedding Golden Apple
With the inscription "the most beautiful." As a result, this apple caused a quarrel between three goddesses - Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. The quarrel arose because someone should decide on the right to this apple. The goddesses invited young Paris, who was the son of the Trojan king Priam, as a judge. Paris, in turn, awarded the apple to the goddess of love Aphrodite, despite the fact that the other goddesses promised and offered various benefits, and for this she helped Paris kidnap his wife Helen from Menelaus. This abduction marked the beginning of the Trojan War.
The expression apple of discord to mean the subject of a dispute was first used by the Roman historian Justin back in the second century AD.
A similar version of this event can also be seen in ancient mythology Rome.
The meaning of phraseology
It follows that phraseology apple of discord means the subject of hostility or the cause of a dispute. Therefore, do not and do not allow anyone to introduce apples of discord in your environment, and you will not have enmity and disputes among yourself.
Historians speak of this expression as one of the most ancient phraseological units. This phrase can be found both in the myths of Hellas ( Ancient Greece), and in Roman mythological texts. Today, the phrase “apple of discord” is catchphrase. Versions of its origin are somehow connected with the mythology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, namely with the story of the dispute between three goddesses. “Apple of discord” is a phraseological unit that served as a prototype for many works of classical and modern art.
The myth of the dispute between three goddesses
The ancient Roman goddess of discord Eris was not invited to the celebration dedicated to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. This circumstance aroused her anger and, having appeared at the holiday without an invitation, Eris threw that very golden “apple of discord”, decorated with the inscription “To the Most Beautiful,” into the middle of the wedding table. The struggle for the right to own the treasured fruit flared up between three goddesses: Venus, Minerva and Juno. None of those present at the celebration dared to express an opinion about the real owner of the apple, for fear of provoking the wrath of the other disputants. After consulting, the hosts of the holiday decided that it would be best to determine the winner of the dispute from Paris, the son of Priam and Hecuba. Even in infancy, he was left to die in the mountains because of the prediction of an oracle, which testified that Paris would in the future cause numerous troubles for his hometown- Troy. The boy survived thanks to the kindness of a simple shepherd who saved him and taught him his craft. At the time of the incident, the young man was dating one of the beautiful nymphs, Oenone. The lovers' caresses were interrupted by the townspeople's request to resolve the goddesses' dispute.
Who won the argument?
Minerva, who appeared before Paris first, promised that for the apple she would give the young man wisdom. He could have awarded the symbol of beauty - the apple of discord - to Juno, however, having seen the beautiful Venus, whose figure was girded with a magic belt, and having heard that for the apple the goddess was ready to give him a bride equal in beauty to herself, the young man without any hesitation gave the victory to her. Minerva and Juno were seized with terrible anger. Furious with envy, they vowed to take revenge on Paris for his decision. Venus, fulfilling her word to the young man, advised Paris to go to Troy to see his parents. Relying entirely on the admonitions of the beautiful goddess, who received the apple of discord, Paris abandoned his former love to Oenon. Accompanied by a group of shepherds, he went to Troy, where a great festival was taking place at that time. Taking part in festive competitions, the young man aroused the interest of Cassandra, who turned out to be his sister, who had the gift of prophecy since childhood. She pointed her family members to Paris, and then told the story of his birth, recalling the troubles that he was destined to bring to his relatives.
How the prediction came true
Thus begins the story about the main consequences that the bone of discord brought with it. The myth of the apple that quarreled the goddesses affected the lives of Paris's parents. The parents refused to believe their daughter’s fears and, trying to make amends for the old guilt before their son, provided him with protection in everything. Paris, without ceasing to follow the advice of Venus, took the fatal step of heading with the Trojan fleet to the shores of Greece. There the goddess helped him in kidnapping the wife of the Spartan king, Helen. This was the impetus for the famous Trojan War, which destroyed one of the ancient states Asia Minor and disrupting the well-being of the Paris family.
When is it appropriate to talk about the “bone of discord”?
Nowadays, the phrase “apple of discord” is in some way a euphemism, denoting any insignificant thing or event that can in the future cause the most unpredictable large-scale and sometimes destructive consequences. The apple of discord is called the key cause of scandals, quarrels and enmity.
The Russian language is incredibly rich and eloquent. The use of idiomatic phrases gives it a special charm. Through apt phrases you can very accurately express your thoughts. In addition, phraseological units, of course, decorate not only spoken, but also written and artistic speech. In fairness, it is worth noting that many idioms belong not only to the Russian people, but also have analogues in other countries and owe their origin to other nations. Let's talk about one of them. "Apple of discord". This phraseological unit originates in ancient Greek mythology. By the way, myths different nations- one of the largest sources of origin of popular expressions.
We owe the idiom “apple of discord” to the famous legend about the dispute between three goddesses. This myth tells about the events that caused the Great Zeus to want to marry the beautiful Thetis, the daughter of a titan. However, Prometheus predicted to him that the son born by her would overthrow his own father from the throne. Therefore, he gave it to the Thessalian prince Peleus. Everyone was invited to the wedding, and only one Eris, the goddess of discord, was not invited, remembering her bad character. But the goddess harbored a grudge and wandered not far from Chiron’s cave, where a merry feast was noisy. She figured out how to take revenge for the insult. She took it and wrote on it one single word: “To the most beautiful.” And then she threw it on the banquet table. It was this fruit that later received the name “apple of discord.”
And the whole point is that the golden apple and the inscription on it were seen by three Aphrodite and Athena. Goddesses are also women and they, like all ladies, also tend to consider themselves the most beautiful. Each of them claimed that the apple was intended for her. The Thunder Goddess asked them to judge. However, Zeus decided to cheat. After all, Hera was his wife, Athena was his daughter, and Aphrodite was truly beautiful. Then he instructed Hermes to give the apple to Paris, the son of the king of Troy. The young man did not know that he was a prince, because he was raised by shepherds. It was on Paris that Zeus entrusted the responsibility to name one of the goddesses the most beautiful. Each tried to attract young man to your side. Hera promised him power and might, control over Asia, Athena offered him military victories and wisdom. And only Aphrodite guessed Paris' secret desire. She said that she would help him get the love of the beautiful Helen, and Leda, the wife of Atreus Menelaus, queen of Sparta. It was Aphrodite who gave Paris the apple.
Hera and Athena hated him and swore to lime. Aphrodite kept her promise and helped him steal Helen. This became the reason for the start of the war. Menelaus decided to punish the Trojans and return his wife. As a result, Troy was destroyed.
And the phrase “apple of discord” became popular thanks to the Roman historian Justin, who lived in the 2nd century. He used it for the first time to mean the cause of disputes, enmity, something small that leads to major strife. The “apple of discord” is also called the “apple of Eris or Paris.” We often use this idiom in our speech. Thus, they very often say: “An apple of discord has rolled between them,” if we are talking about people who were once friends, but are now at war over trifles.
Internet marketer, editor of the website "On accessible language"
Publication date:09/18/2018
From Ancient Greece, which is also called the birthplace of philosophical expressions, the phraseological unit “ apple of discord", indicating the cause of the quarrel.
This idiom is shining example decorations artistic speech, where everyone can see their own meaning, but, laid down many centuries ago, its essence will remain unchanged. Where did this simultaneously sweet and contradictory expression come from?
The meaning of phraseology
History knows several references to the “apple”, namely in the works of Lycophron, Homer, Hyginus and Stasin. As you know, Justin, a Roman historian of the 2nd century, was the first to introduce into speech the “apple of discord” as a phraseological unit, putting into it such meanings as “the cause of a dispute”, “the root cause of the conflict”, “minor disagreements leading to serious consequences”.
Over the centuries, similar expressions “apple of Eris”, “apple of Paris” have been encountered in artistic speech, but the most commonly used idiom remains “apple of discord”.
You can also find the expression “throwing an apple of discord”, for example, between friends, acquaintances, relatives, which means to quarrel or find a point of discontent between people, which will lead to a major conflict situation.
Origin of phraseology
Ancient Greece gave society a large number of legends about gods, brave heroes, strong unknown animals, sages, betrayal of friends, unrequited love. The meaning of the phraseological unit “apple of discord” originates in the tale of three goddesses, whose dispute caused the start of the Trojan War.
Wise Zeus, when the time came to get married, saw the daughter of Titan, Thetis, as his wife. But Prometheus, when he learned about Zeus’s choice, warned him, assuring him that her child was destined to take his father’s throne. Thetis was given to Prince Peleus. Their wedding celebration was attended by the invited gods of Olympus, except for Eris, the goddess of discord, who, offended by such disrespect, threw a golden apple with the word “most beautiful” inscribed on it at the wedding feast. Such a “gift” became the cause of discord between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.
Finding a beautiful apple on the table, each of them proved that it was intended for her. It was necessary to judge the girls, but Zeus did not know how to do this correctly, because Hera was his wife, Athena was his beloved daughter, and no one could doubt the beauty of Aphrodite. It was decided to give the object of the dispute to the son of the king of Troy, Paris, who grew up among ordinary people and did not know about his predetermined fate.
When the apple was in the hands of Paris, the goddesses began to promise a reward for the right to be considered the most beautiful. Athena offered him to become a hero who would not lose a single battle, as well as wisdom worthy of respect. Hera bestowed power, great strength and power, but only Aphrodite knew what the young man secretly desired: the love of Helen, the queen of Sparta and the wife of Menelaus.
The goddess of beauty and love promised the young guy to help steal Helen, and she kept her promise, Paris got what he wanted, and Aphrodite was awarded an apple and the title of “most beautiful.” Such events caused the outbreak of war between Sparta and Troy, in which the Trojans lost the battle. As a result of disagreements and enmity, many died, including Paris himself.
Thus, the apple thrown by Eris became the reason for, at first glance, a frivolous dispute between the goddesses, which subsequently escalated into a military conflict between representatives of the most ancient states, which left a bright mark in Greek mythology.
Tribute to art
It is noteworthy that this expression became a source of inspiration for the Flemish painter Jacob Jordaens, who in 1633 painted a painting called “The Golden Apple of Discord.”
IN this moment a work of his creative activity can be seen in the Prado Museum in Madrid.