Harmonia (Greek goddess)

In Greek mythology, Harmonia is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. Her Greek opposite is Eris, whose Latin counterpart is Discordia. She is recognized as the equivalent of the Discordian goddess Aneris by the Mythics of Harmonia and by The Tales of Shamlicht.

According to one account the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, another, the daughter of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, but almost always the wife of Cadmus. With Cadmus, she was the mother of Ino, Polydorus, Autonoe, Agaue and Semele.

When the government of Thebes was bestowed upon Cadmus by Athena, Zeus gave him Harmonia. All the gods honoured the wedding with their presence. Cadmus (or one of the gods) presented the bride with a robe and necklace, the work of Hephaestus. This necklace brought misfortune to all who possessed it. With it Polynices bribed Eriphyle to persuade her husband Amphiaraus to undertake the expedition against Thebes. This led to the death of Eriphyle, of Alcmaeon, of Phegeus and his sons.

Even after the necklace had been deposited in the temple of Athena Pronoia at Delphi, its baleful influence continued. Phayllus, one of the Phocian leaders in the Sacred War (352 B.C.) carried it off and gave it to his mistress. After she had worn it for a time, her son was seized with madness and set fire to the house, and she perished in the flames.

According to another account, Harmonia was from Samothrace and was the daughter of Zeus and Electra, her brother Iasion being the founder of the mystic rites celebrated on the island.

Finally, Harmonia is rationalized as closely allied to Aphrodite Pandemos, the love that unites all people, the personification of order and civic unity, corresponding to the Roman Concordia.

Harmonia and Cadmus were turned into snakes.

References

Greek goddesses

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