My nearly-four-year-old niece, Eris, is interested in the origin of her name and I would love to find a book with her name and story in it. Any other recommendations for a children's introduction to Greek gods and goddesses? Our little goddess of discord must be appeased!
Finding yourself in a book, whether by sharing a name, how you look or by feeling twinned by characters with shared behaviour, is always popular. Books with names in the title, like John Yeoman and Quentin Blake's Beatrice and Vanessa, a touching story about a friendship between a nanny-goat and a ewe, appeal to all while also having a curious extra appeal for anyone with those names. Beatrix Potter ran up a nice line in stories closely linked to names with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, as did Roald Dahl with Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and more.
With an unusual name, even one that has so much meaning attached to it as your niece's does, it is unlikely to crop up in many contemporary stories so going back to versions of the original stories will be the best thing to do. However, you may want to approach any story about your niece's namesake with caution! Not much good is said about the Greek goddess Eris. She is placed among the group categorised as Gods of Chaos and has a pretty black reputation.
For those not familiar with this deity, Eris is sometimes called the goddess of discord and sometimes the goddess of mischief or strife. She is also credited with being the originator of the snub and the revenge that may follow it. The wicked fairy who enchants Sleeping Beauty for 100 years because she hasn't been invited to the christening is thought to be following Eris's example.
It is as a result of being snubbed herself that Eris played her most famous part in Greek mythology: she is passed over for an invitation to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on account of her past record as a troublemaker. Eris takes her revenge by throwing down the golden apple inscribed with "For the most beautiful one", which leads to a dispute between Hera, Athene and Aphrodite and the judgement by Paris of Troy – therefore making Eris instrumental in causing the Trojan War.
The Barefoot Book of Greek Gods and Goddesses mentions Eris and the role she plays in mythology. She also appears in the 2003 film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Other collections of stories about Greek gods and goddesses include Heather Amery's Greek Myths for Young Children, Helen Alexander's A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology and Marcia Williams's Greek Myths.
Learning more about the world of the gods and goddesses from Greek or other cultures is a good way of showing that these 'larger than life' characters were frequently the symbols of a host of behaviours which came to be associated with their name. They were intentionally lacking in the roundness of humans – so no child, whatever her name, will ever be truly like their namesake!
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