Eirene
Peace
Domains:
Horae
Category:
5E Alignment:
5E Domains:
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Greek Name | Transliteration | Roman Name | Translation |
Ειρηνη | Eirênê, Irene | Pax | Peace (eirênê) |
EIRENE (Irene) was the goddess of peace and the season of spring. She was one of the three Horai (Horae), deities of the seasons and keepers of the gates of heaven. Her sisters were Eunomia (Good Order) and Dike (Justice).
Eirene's name is the Greek word for peace (eirênê) but it is also closely connected with the word for spring (eiar, eiarinos). In ancient Greece late spring was the traditional campaign season, the time when peace was most at risk.
Eirene was probably identified with the Hora Thallo (Green Shoots), whose name Hesiod uses as an epithet for Eirene in the Theogony. Her opposite number was Polemos (War).
In classical art the goddess usually appears in the company of her two sister Horai bearing the fruits of the seasons. Statues of the goddess often depict her as a maiden holding the infant Ploutos (Plutus) (Wealth) in her arms. In this guise she was identified with the Demeter and Tykhe (Tyche), the goddesses of agricultural bounty.