A Thousand Ships

Eris is the goddess of discord. Her chapter is set just before the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. Halfway up to Olympus, she broods alone in her cave. Though she dislikes being alone, she typically finds herself that way. She recalls Hephaestus catching Aphrodite and Eris’s brother Ares in bed together. Tipped off by Helios, he trapped his wife and her lover in a golden net. Eris’s presence makes everyone annoyed and belligerent, though she does not understand why. Winging her way to Olympus and finding it deserted, she concludes that the gods must all be at Thetis and Peleus’s wedding. Catching sight of a small golden apple, Eris picks it up and comes up with a plan.

After the women have buried Polydorus, Odysseus tells Hecabe that the women will be distributed, and she will be coming with him. Helen will return to Menelaus, who she expects “to fall prostrate before me” (209). When Odysseus seems to mock her, Helen puts her fingers to his chin, as if performing a ritual supplication, but instead warns him not to mock her, lest he regret it. His evident discomfort tempts Hecabe to gloat, but Helen’s “simmering menace” stops her (210).