The Kallisti Amulet has been a source of humor for centuries. To understand this “Ancient Prank”, here is a brief lesson in Greek Mythology…
Known for being a trouble maker, Eris was not in the list of guests invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the parents of Achilles. In spite of the lack of invitation she came to the reception party and threw a solid gold apple through the door with the inscription:
Kallisti: “For the fairest”
Hera, Athena and Aphrodite saw this piece of art and started disputing who it was for. Disgusted by the constant bickering, Zeus sent them to Mount Ida near Troy to be judged by the shepherd Paris, who chose Aphrodite as the most beautiful, accepting Helen’s hand for a bribe.
Paris, having come to fetch his bribe at Sparta, where Helen was queen, left the city as her lover and sailed with her to Troy. But her husband Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon took great exception for this theft, sent a powerful army against Troy; and the rest is history.
This symbol is a favorite of those fans of the Science Fiction Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson: the Illuminati; and is hailed by the Discordians: a movement that pops up now and then who attend such conventions and festivals and enjoy a practical joke now and then. An amulet of mischief and humor.