Eirene – Greek Goddess of Peace and the Spring Season
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Most of us know all about the Olympic gods and goddesses, or the twelve main Greek mythological deities who reside on Mount Olympus. While they do make up the majority of all the stories about the gods and goddesses, there are also other deities, such as the Horae, who were the mythological goddesses who controlled the seasons and also aspects of time. Eirene, the goddess of peace and also the season of spring was one of the Horae. Here is more information about who Eirene was in Greek mythology:
Eirene Personified Peace
In Greek mythology, Eirene’s main function is that she was the personification of peace. He role as the goddess of peace was so important, in fact, that the modern Greek word for peace is “Eirini,” which is derived from the name of this goddess. The Ancient Greek word for spring is also derived from the name, Eirene. Her physical appearance was also directly related to her status as the goddess of peace and of the spring. She was always depicted as as a beautiful young woman who carried various objects, such as a cornucopia, scepter, and torch. She is often shown carrying an infant, Plutus, who became the Greek god of wealth when grown and was also associated with Demeter and Tykhe.
Family of the Goddess Eirene
Although there is some debate as to who her parents were, she is sometimes described as being one of the daughters of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Themis, a Titan goddess. She is said to have been part of the Horae, a group of sisters who were the goddesses of the seasons and the aspects of time that relate to the natural world. The Horae of Greek mythology were Eirene, the goddess of peace and of spring and her sisters, Eunomia, the goddess of the law and of the green pastures of spring, and Dike, the goddess of justice and order.
Important to the City-State of Athens
Although Athena was the patron goddess of the Ancient Greek city-state of Athens, other gods and goddesses were worshipped there, as well. There is evidence that the goddess Eirene was one of those goddesses. She became important to the people of the city after the Athenians won a naval victory against the city-state of Sparta in 375 B.C. After the victory, the people of Athens created alters throughout the city to honor her. They also put a bronze statue of Eirene in the Athenian Agora and held an annual ceremony in the city to honor her. They did so to honor the goddess and thank her for the peace that resulted after they won that victory.
Eirene wasn’t considered to be a major goddess of Greek mythology, but she was still an important one. She was considered one of the Horae, who were a trio of goddesses who were said to represent the seasons. Eirene was the goddess of spring and also the personification of peace.
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Categorized in: Greek Mythology
This post was written by Greek Boston
