Eirene – Goddess of Peace and Spring

• Attibutes: Goddess of peace, spring, reconciliation and cooperation
• Symbolos: Cornucopia, torch, scepter, rython
• Place: Greece

Goddess Eirene (or Irene) is the very personification of peace. She is part of The Hours (or Horae, in Greek), the Greek Goddesses who represent the seasons of the year and natural justice.

This Goddess is always represented as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia (horned basket of fruits), a torch, a scepter or a rython (an old drinking vessel). It is said that she is the daughter of Zeus and Themis. Her Roman equivalent is the Goddess Pax.

The citizens of ancient Athens worshiped her vehemently and several altars were erected to her. Once a year, the country stopped to celebrate the day of the “Common Peace”, in honor of the Goddess and the peace that she brought among all nations. In one of the most famous statues of her, Eirene holds in her left arm the baby God Ploutos, deity of wealth and plenty. It was built in the Agora of Athens and served to remind everyone that prosperity flourishes when there is peace.

Guardian of Olympus

As stated earlier, Eirene is part of Horae, a trinity of Goddesses who represent nature in different seasons.

They bring maturity, they come and go according to nature and the very cycle of life, and they traditionally guard the gates of Mount Olympus so it can hide in the clouds and make the earth prosper.

In the Iliad two trinities of Hours are mentioned. The first is associated with Zeus and Aphrodite as representations of the passage of time and growth:

• Thallo, Goddess of Youth and Spring;
• Auxo, Goddess of Plants and Summer;
• Carpo, Goddess of Autumn and Harvest.

The second trinity is associated with Themis and Zeus, representing order and natural law:

• Dike, Goddess of Justice;
• Eunomia, Goddess of Order and Legislation;
• Eirene, Goddess of Peace.

Horae Serenae – Edward Poynter, 1894

This triple aspect of balance reminds us of the Triple Goddess in Wicca, where different aspects complement each other and bring harmony.

It is important to point out that there are a group of Goddesses called “The Twelve Hours”, as Goddesses who patrons the hours of the day:

1. Auge, the first light.
2. Anatolia, the sunrise.
3. Musica, the morning time of music and studies.
4. Gymnastica, the morning exercise and training session.
5. Nympha, the morning ablution (bathing).
6. Mesembria, the noon.
7. Sponde, libations after lunch.
8. Elete, prayer, the first of the evening hours of work.
9. Cypris, the hour of food and pleasure.
10. Hesperis, the beginning of nightfall.
11. Dysis, the sunset.
12. Arktos, the night sky and the constellations.

The 12 Hours blessed the day of devotees, bringing prosperity and harmony to their routine.

Summoning Eirene

As Goddess of Peace, Eirene is of the Diplomatic archetype. She can be summoned when you are going through a turbulent time in your life to bring peace, and especially when that turbulence is caused by some situation involving another person.

To summon her, you must wear white clothing and have a ripe fruit that you like on your altar.

Meditate on the situation and ask the Goddess for clarification. If desired, you can light lavender or rosemary incense.

At the end of the meditation, eat the fruit and try to stay in a quiet place, or even sleep.

The Goddess will bring you solutions in the form of intuition.