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Discordianism
Eris, the Greek goddess of discord
Scripture	Principia Discordia and others
Founder	Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst
Origin	1960s United States

Discordianism is a belief system based around Eris,^[1] the Greek goddess of strife and discord, and variously defined as a religion, philosophy, paradigm, or parody religion. It was founded after the 1963 publication of its holy book, the Principia Discordia,^[2] written by Greg Hill with Kerry Wendell Thornley, the two working under the pseudonyms Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst.^[3]

There is some discourse as to whether Discordianism should be regarded as a parody religion, and if so, to what degree. It is difficult to estimate the number of Discordians because they are not required to hold Discordianism as their only belief system.^[4]

The foundational document of Discordianism is the Principia Discordia, fourth edition (1970), written by Malaclypse the Younger, an alias of Gregory Hill.^[3]

Episkoposes are the overseers of sects of Discordianism, who have presumably created their own sect of Discordianism. They speak to Eris through the use of their pineal gland. It is said in the Principia Discordia that Eris says different things to each listener. She may even say radically different things to each Episkopos, but all of what she says is equally her word (even if it contradicts another iteration of her word).^[5][6]

According to the Principia Discordia, "every single man, woman, and child on this Earth" is a pope.^[7] Included in the Principia Discordia is an official Pope card that may be reproduced and distributed freely to anyone and everyone.^[7][6]

There are also five classes of saints within Discordianism, who are those who best act as exemplars and are closer to perfection.^[8] Only the first of these classes "Saint Second Class" contains real human beings (deceased and alive), with higher classes reserved for fictional beings who, by virtue of being fictional, are better able to reach the Discordian view of perfection.^[9][6]

An example of a second-class saint is Emperor Norton, a citizen in 19th century San Francisco, who despite suffering delusions was beloved by much of the city. He is honoured as a saint within Discordianism for living his life according to truth as he saw it and a disregard for reality as others would perceive it.^[10]

In discordian mythology, Aneris is described as the sister of Eris a.k.a. Discordia. Whereas Eris/Discordia is the goddess of disorder and being, Aneris/Harmonia is the goddess of order and non-being.^[6]

"DOGMA III – HISTORY 32, 'COSMOGONY' " in Principia Discordia, states:

In the beginning there was VOID, who had two daughters; one (the smaller) was that of BEING, named ERIS, and one (the larger) was of NON-BEING, named ANERIS.^[11]

The sterile Aneris becomes jealous of Eris (who was born pregnant), and starts making existent things non-existent. This explains why life begins, and later ends in death.

And to this day, things appear and disappear in this very manner.^[11]

The names of Eris and Aneris and their brother "Spirituality" are used to show some fundamental Discordian principles in "Psycho-Metaphysics" and are used in letters written by Kerry Thornley.^[12][13]

The "five-fingered hand of Eris" (shown at right) is one of several symbols used in Discordianism. It was adapted as an astronomical/astrological symbol for the dwarf planet Eris. Initially, the planetary symbol, designed by Discordian Denis Moskowitz, was rotated 90 degrees and had a cross-bar added so that it resembled two lunate epsilons (Є) back-to-back (), with epsilon being the Greek initial of 'Eris'. The cross-bar was later dropped, but the vertical orientation retained.^[14] (The Discordian symbol has no set orientation, but is most commonly horizontal.) The symbol has seen use in public-outreach publications by NASA,^[15] though planetary symbols play only a minor role in modern astronomy.^[16] The symbol was accepted by Unicode in 2016 as U+2BF0 ⯰ ERIS FORM ONE (⯰).^[17]

The "original snub" is the Discordian name for the events leading up to the judgement of Paris, although more focus is put on the actions of Eris. Zeus believes that Eris is a troublemaker, so he does not invite her to Peleus and Thetis's wedding. Having been snubbed, Eris creates a golden apple with the word kallisti (Ancient Greek: καλλίστη, “for the prettiest”) inscribed in it. This, the Apple of Discord, is a notable symbol in Discordianism for its inclusion in the Sacred Chao,^[18] and is traditionally described as being made of gold (although whether that gold was metallic or Acapulco is noted as uncertain^[19]).^[20][21]

Some recent interpretations of the original snub place Eris as being not at all mischievous with her delivery of the apple, but instead suggest that Eris was simply bringing the apple as a wedding gift for Thetis. This interpretation would see Eris as innocent and her causing of chaos as a by-product of the other wedding guests’ reactions upon seeing her at the wedding.^[22][23]

The Principia Discordia holds three core principles: the Aneristic and Eristic principles representing order and disorder, and the notion that both are mere illusions.^[24][25]

Operation Mindfuck is an important practice in the Discordian religion, in which "all national calamities, assassinations, or conspiracies" are publicly attributed to the Bavarian Illuminati, an 18th-century secret society, in an attempt to "sow the culture with paranoia".^[26] The concept was developed by Kerry Thornley and Robert Anton Wilson in 1968^[27] and given its name by Wilson and Robert Shea in The Illuminatus! Trilogy.^[28]

Discordian works include a number of books, not all of which actually exist. Among those that have been published are Principia Discordia, first published in 1965 (which includes portions of The Honest Book of Truth); and The Illuminatus! Trilogy, which had its first volume published in 1975.^[29]

The first edition was printed using Jim Garrison's Xerox printer in 1963.^[2] The second edition was published under the title Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost in a limited edition of five copies (and released into the public domain) in 1965.^[30]

• 
  The Sacred Chao
• NARA cover sheet for the first edition
  NARA cover sheet for the first edition

In 1978, a copy of a work from Kerry Thornley titled THE PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST was placed in the HSCA JFK collections as document 010857.^[31] Adam Gorightly, author of The Prankster and the Conspiracy about Kerry Thornley and the early Discordians, said the copy in the JFK collection was not a copy of the first edition but a later and altered version containing some of the original material. In an interview with researcher Brenton Clutterbuck,^[32] Gorightly said he had been given Greg Hill's copy of the first edition. This appeared in its entirety in Historia Discordia, a book on Discordian history released in spring of 2014.^[33]

Several other editions have been published by Steve Jackson Games and others.

The Discordian movement encompasses a diverse array of works, both real and fictitious, that explore themes of chaos, satire, and alternative spirituality. These include Zen Without Zen Masters by Camden Benares, which presents koans and stories of a Discordian nature, and Zenarchy by Kerry Thornley, which proposes a non-combative approach to anarchy infused with Zen philosophy. Natural Law, or Don't Put a Rubber on Your Willy by Robert Anton Wilson delves into themes of personal freedom and self-awareness, expanding upon Wilson's essay originally published in 1985.^[34] In addition, there are compilations such as Apocrypha Discordia and Historia Discordia,^[33] which gather diverse materials from the Discordian tradition, including writings by both original and contemporary Discordians.^[35]

Several works also explore the lives of key figures within Discordianism, such as The Prankster and the Conspiracy by Adam Gorightly, which focuses on Kerry Thornley's interactions with countercultural figures like Lee Harvey Oswald. Chasing Eris by Brenton Clutterbuck provides an in-depth examination of Discordianism's impact on various aspects of culture and society, offering interviews and insights into the movement's global reach and influence.^[36][37] It also includes an interpretation of the Principia Discordia chapter "The Parable of The Bitter Tea" by its original author.^[38]

The entry for Discordianism in Rabinovitch and Lewis's Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism (2002) begins, "Somewhere between parody, social commentary, and religion..."^[4] However, David G. Robertson writes that "Although Hill and Thornley started Discordianism as a joke, then, they came in time to believe, if not entirely trust, in Eris."^[39] Robertson discusses Discordian theology in the 2012 book Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production, writing that despite Discordian claims that its 'catmas' are soft, optional beliefs,

Nevertheless, the Principia Discordia contains a complex and subtle religious system, although this is often obscured by its chaotic structure. The theology of the Principia is perhaps best summarized in the symbol [...] The Sacred Chao [...] Taken as a whole, however, the Sacred Chao symbolizes the Discordian idea that both order and chaos are man-made concepts, and that to believe that either is more 'true' than the other is illusion. The Sacred Chao represents 'pure chaos', the metaphysical grounding of all that is, and a level beyond any distinction-making.^[20]

Robertson writes in the 2016 book Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality that:

[...] Discordians have also constructed a complex and unique cosmology and theology, and Discordianism has over time come to be considered as having genuine religious significance for many of its adherents. Thus Discordianism can no longer be considered a purely parodic religion.^[40]

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• Cusack, Carole M. (2010). Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6780-3.
• Gorightly, Adam, ed. (2014). Historia Discordia: The Origins of the Discordian Society. RVP Press. ISBN 978-1618613219.
• Mäkelä, Essi; Petsche, Johanna J. M. (2017). "Serious Parody: Discordianism as liquid religion". In Cusack, Carole M.; Sutcliffe, Steven J. (eds.). The Problem of Invented Religions. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-37335-3.
• Malaclypse The Younger; Ravenhurst, Omar Khayyam (1980). Principia Discordia, Or, How I Found Goddess and what I Did to Her when I Found Her: The Magnum Opiate of Malaclypse, the Younger, Wherein is Explained Absolutely Everything Worth Knowing about Absolutely Anything. Loompanics Unlimited. ISBN 1-55950-040-9.
• Rabinovitch, Shelly; Lewis, James (2002). The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2406-5.
• Robertson, David G. (2012). "Making the Donkey Visible: Discordianism in the Works of Robert Anton Wilson". In Cusack, Carole M.; Norman, Alex (eds.). Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production. Brill. pp. 421–444. ISBN 978-90-04-22187-1.
• Robertson, David G. (2016). "SubGenius vs The Conspiracy: Playfulness and sincerity in invented religions". In Cusack, Carole M.; Kosnáč, Pavol (eds.). Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality: From Popular Culture to Religion. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-13549-4.
• Wilson, Robert Anton (1992). Cosmic Trigger I: Final Secret of the Illuminati. Scottsdale, AZ: New Falcon Publications. ISBN 978-1-56184-003-8.

• Cusack, Carole M.; Sutcliffe, Steven J., eds. (2017). The Problem of Invented Religions. Taylor & Francis. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-317-37335-3.
• Jakubowicz, Karina; Dickins, Robert, eds. (2021). Heresy and Borders in the Twentieth Century. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-35916-9.
• Possamai, Adam, ed. (2012). Handbook of Hyper-real Religions. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-22694-4.

• PrincipiaDiscordia.com – contains the Principia Discordia in HTML
• The Semi-Official Quasi-Clandestine Bavarian Illuminati/Discordian Archives An archive of early Discordian documents, photos and paraphernalia
• Discordian Saints – 1999 archive from Andrew C. Bulhak