13.
Which Goddess
Gets the Golden Apple?
Competition, conflicts and alliance among the goddesses occur
within a woman’s psyche—as they once did on Mt. Olympus. Which
one does a woman heed? Which one does she ignore? How much
choice does she exercise? These inner figures representing powerful
archetypal patterns compete for expression, as Greek goddesses
themselves once vied for the golden apple—the prize decided by
the judgment of Paris.
THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS
All the Olympians except Eris, Goddess of Strife and Discord (a
minor goddess), were invited to the wedding of Peleus, King of
Thessaly, to the beautiful sea nymph Thetis. Eris came to the great
occasion uninvited, and got her revenge for the slight. She disrupted
the festivities by tossing a golden apple inscribed “For the Fairest”
among the assembled guests. It rolled across the floor and was im-
mediately claimed by Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Each felt it was
rightfully and deservedly hers. They could not, of course, decide
among themselves who was the most beautiful, so they appealed to
Zeus for a decision. He declined to make the choice, instead directing
them to find the shepherd Paris, a mortal with an eye for beautiful
women, who would be the judge.
The three goddesses found Paris living the bucolic life with a
mountain nymph on the slopes of Mt. Ida. In turn, each of the three
beautiful goddesses attempted to influence his