Where did the phraseology "Apple of discord" come from?

The Russian language is incredibly rich and eloquent. A special charm is given to the use of idiomatic turns. Through accurate phrases you can very accurately express your thoughts. In addition, phraseological units certainly adorn not only spoken, but also written, artistic speech. In fairness, it should be noted that many idioms belong not only to the Russian people, but also have analogues in other countries and owe their origin to other nations. Let's talk about one of them. "Apple of discord". The phraseology of this originates in ancient Greek mythology. By the way, myths of different peoples - one of the largest sources of origin of winged expressions.

We owe the famous legend of the dispute between the three goddesses an idiom "apple of discord". This myth tells of the events that caused the Trojan War. The great Zeus wanted to marry the beautiful Thetis, the daughter of a titan. However, Prometheus predicted to him that the son she had borne would overthrow his father's throne. So he gave it to the Thessalian prince Peleus. All the gods of Olympus were invited to the wedding . And only one Eridu, the goddess of discord, was not called, remembering her bad character. But the goddess harbored resentment, wandering around from the cave of Chiron, where a merry feast was rustling. She thought of how to avenge the insult. She took a golden apple and wrote on it one single word: "The most beautiful." And then she threw him at the banquet table. This fruit was later named "apple of discord". And the whole point is that the golden apple and the inscription on it were seen by three goddesses: Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. Goddesses are also women, and they, like all ladies, tend to consider themselves the most beautiful. Each of them claimed that the apple is intended for her. The goddess Thunderbolt was asked to judge them. However, Zeus decided to cheat. After all, Hera is his wife, Athena is a daughter, and Aphrodite was, truly, beautiful. Then he instructed Hermes to give the apple to Paris, the son of the king of Troy. The young man did not know that he was a prince, because he was raised by shepherds. It was on Paris that Zeus placed the duty to name one of the most beautiful goddesses. Everyone tried to attract a young man to his side. Hera promised him power and power, control over Asia, Athena offered him military victories and wisdom. And only Aphrodite guessed Paris's secret desire. She said that it would help him to receive the love of the beautiful Helena, the daughter of Zeus and Leda, the wife of Atreus Menelaus, the queen of Sparta. It was Aphrodite who gave Paris an apple. Hera and Athena hated him and swore to death. Aphrodite fulfilled her promise and helped him steal Elena. This was the reason for the outbreak of war. Menelaus decided to punish the Trojans and return his wife. As a result, Troy was destroyed.

This is a myth, and the phrase "apple of discord" became winged thanks to the Roman historian Justin, who lived in the II century. He used it for the first time in the meaning of the cause of controversy, enmity, something small, which leads to major quarrels. "Apple of discord" is also called "the apple of Eris or Paris". In our speech, we often use this idiom. So, very often they say: "The apple of discord swept between them," if it is a question of people who were once friends, but who are now at war with trifles.