discordia

Discordia is a term with multiple related meanings in classical myth and modern culture. It derives from the Latin discordia, meaning discord, disagreement, or strife.

In Roman mythology, Discordia is the personification of strife and discord and is the counterpart of the Greek goddess Eris. She embodies the causes and consequences of quarrel among individuals and communities, and appears in various literary and artistic depictions as an allegorical figure of conflict.

In Discordianism, a satirical religion that emerged in the late 1950s, Discordia is invoked as a goddess of chaos. The tradition uses humor, paradox, and mock religious language to critique dogma and rigid belief systems. Principia Discordia, a foundational text, presents her as part of a deliberately chaotic cosmology.

Outside myth and religion, the name Discordia is used in modern culture as a fictional character, title, or symbolic name to evoke disorder, subversion, or irony. It appears in literature, games, and media as a literary device or thematic element rather than a single fixed canon.

Overall, Discordia functions primarily as a symbolic label for chaos or discord, with its meaning and emphasis shifting according to historical period and cultural context.