| Eirene | |
|---|---|
Goddess of peace | |
| Member of TheHorae | |
 Statue of Eirene with the infantPloutos: Roman marble copy of bronze votive statue byCephisodotus the Elder, now in theGlyptothek,Munich. | |
| Symbol | cornucopia, sceptre, torch,rhyton |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Zeus andThemis |
| Siblings | Eunomia,Dike, theMoirae,several paternal half-siblings |
Eirene (/aɪˈriːniː/;Ancient Greek:Εἰρήνη,Eirḗnē,[ei̯ˈrɛːnɛː],lit. "Peace"),[1] more commonly known in English asPeace, is one of theHorae, the personification and goddess of peace inGreek mythology andancient religion. She was depicted in art as a beautiful young woman carrying acornucopia,sceptre, and a torch orrhyton. She is usually said to be the daughter ofZeus andThemis and thus sister ofDike andEunomia. HerRoman equivalent is the goddessPax.[citation needed]
Eirene was particularly well regarded by the citizens of Athens. After a naval victory overSparta in 375 BC, the Athenians established a cult for Peace, erectingaltars to her. They held an annual state sacrifice to her after 371 BC to commemorate theCommon Peace of that year and set up a votive statue in her honour in theAgora of Athens. The statue was executed in bronze byCephisodotus the Elder, likely the father or uncle[2] of the famous sculptorPraxiteles. It was acclaimed by the Athenians, who depicted it on vases and coins.[3]
Although the statue is now lost, it was copied in marble by the Romans; one of the best surviving copies is in theMunichGlyptothek. It depicts the goddess carrying a child with her left arm—Plutus, the god of plenty and son ofDemeter, the goddess of agriculture. Peace's missing right hand once held a sceptre. She is shown gazing maternally at Plutus, who is looking back at her trustingly. The statue is an allegory for Plenty (i.e., Plutus) prospering under the protection of Peace; it constituted a public appeal to good sense.[3] The copy in the Glyptothek was originally in the collection of theVilla Albani in Rome but was looted and taken to France byNapoleon I. Following Napoleon's fall, the statue was bought byLudwig I of Bavaria.[4]
No etymology;Pre-Greek origin is very probable, principally because of the ending
[Praxiteles' father's name is not recorded,] but, given Greek practice of handing down names and crafts in the family, it is likely that if not Praxiteles' father, he was a relation.
Media related toEirene at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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