Ares is the god of war . one of the
Twelve Olympian gods and the son of Zeus and Hera. In literature Ares
represents the violent and physical untamed aspect of war. which is in contrast
to Athena who represents military strategy and generalship as the goddess of
intelligence.
Although Ares embodied the physical
aggression necessary for success in war. the Greeks were ambivalent toward him
because he was a dangerous. overwhelming force that was insatiable in battle.
He is well known as the lover of
Aphrodite. who was married to Hephaestus, and though Ares plays a limited role
in literature. when he does appear in myths it is typically facing humiliation.
For example, one famous story of Ares and Aphrodite exposes them to ridicule by
the gods .when her husband Hephaestus trapped them both naked in a bed using a
clever device he made.
The Roman counterpart to Ares was
Mars. who was known as a father to the Roman people. Because of this, he was a
less aggressive and physical form. revealing a more calm and understanding god.
Facts
about Ares
Ares was most notably referred to as
the God of War. he represented the unpleasant aspects of battle.
He was the son of Zeus and Hera,
both of whom hated him (according to Homer).
Ares was most often characterized as
a coward in spite of his connection to war. he responded to even the slightest
injury with outrage.
According to some sources.Ares was
described as Aphrodite’s lover and was held in contempt by her husband,
Hephaestus. The affair between them was not a secret among the Olympians.
Ares was never very popular—either
with men or the other immortals. As a result, his worship in Greece was not
substantial or widespread.
He came from Thrace, home of a
fierce people in the northeast of Greece.
His bird was the vulture.
The Amazons, warrior women, were his
daughters. Their mother was a peace-loving nymph named Harmony.
Otus and Ephialtes, twin giants,
imprisoned Ares for a lunar year by binding him with chains of brass. he was
eventually rescued by Hermes.
Ares always took the side of
Aphrodite in the Trojan War. He fought for Hector (a Trojan) until a Greek
warrior pierced him with a spear that was guided by Athena. He then departed
the battlefield in order to complain to Zeus about Athena’s violence.
Harmonia, Goddess of Harmony, was
the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.
Eros (more commonly known as Cupid)
was also the child of Ares and Aphrodite.
Tereus, a son of Ares, was known to
have inherited his father’s abhorrent qualities.
Ares was the biological father of at
least three of Hercules’ enemies: Cycnus, Lycaon, and Diomedes.
Ares had a sister named Eris, who
was the Goddess of Discord.
Hebe, another sister of his, was the
Goddess of Youth.
Ares rarely figures into mythology
stories, but when he does, he usually suffers some form of humiliation.
Ares was associated with two other
war deities: Enyalius and Enyo.
Ares had many offspring, which is
characteristic of nearly all of the notable Greek gods. He conceived more
mortal children than divine children.
In art, Ares is generally depicted
wearing a spear and a helmet.
god of : Murder, Cannibals,
Violence, War, and Bloodlust
Symbols: Spear, Helmet, Dog,
Chariot, Boar, Vulture, Flaming torch
Sacred animals: Dog
Parents: Zeus and Hera
Consort: Aphrodite, Otrera (mother
of the Amazons)
Children: Eros, Phobos, Deimos,
Anteros, and Harmonia
Ares and The Aloadae Giants
There was once a pair of giants
called the Aloadae. They were twins and they believed that they were better
than the gods.
But each brother loved one goddess, Artemis
and Hera. The Aloadae built a mountain as high as Mt. Olympus and began to
attack the Olympians.
Then they decided that this was not
working so they came over to Olympus.
They locked Ares in a bronze jar and there he
stayed for 13 months only to find that the other Olympians had found a way to
trick the twins into killing each other.
Hermes later freed him from the jar after 13
months.
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Ares and Trojan War
Ares was clearly on the side of the
Trojans when the Achaeans laid siege to the city of Troy. Ares rode into battle
with his gold-bridled horses, Flame and Terror, pulling his war chariot.
He fought alongside Apollon and Aphrodite and,
although fierce, he was not unassailable. When Aphrodite was wounded by
Diomedes, Ares was sitting on a cloud at the edge of the battlefield .
Apollon waded into the fighting to assist
Aphrodite . Ares gave her his chariot to ride to the safety of Mount Olympos to
tend her wounds. When Aphrodite sought the comfort and healing of Dione.
the elder goddess reminded the goddess of love
that the Immortals were not immune to hardship and suffering .
Dione told Aphrodite about the time Ares had
been captured and bound by the Giants, Ephialtes and Otos.
The two daring brothers imprisoned
Ares in a brazen jar for thirteen months until Hermes messenger of the
Immortals freed the humbled god of War.
The Dread-Goddess, Athene delighted
in the works of Ares but she would fight against him as well as with him.
During the siege of Troy, Athene stood against
Ares and was victorious on several occasions. Pallas Athene donned the Helm of
Death and, after deflecting Ares's spear, hurled a bolder, knocking Ares
senseless .
the din of the battle was eclipsed by Ares's
bellowing .
his savage cry of pain made the sound of nine
thousand men. Aphrodite came to Ares's assistance but, as she was helping Ares
from the battlefield.
Hera urged Athene to attack Aphrodite . Athene
struck Aphrodite in the breast and knocked her and Ares to the ground .
she stood over them and warned them that the
same fate would befall any Immortal who allied themselves with the Trojans.
When Ares finally retreated to Mount Olympos
his father, Zeus, instructed the immortal healer Paieon to tend his wounded son
and then rebuked Ares by saying.
"To me you are most hateful of all gods
who hold Olympos."
When the fighting at Troy caused the
death of Ares's son, Askalaphos, the god of War was furious .
Hera added to his anger by saying that Zeus
had no concern for the sorrow of the Immortals or the death of their children .
she also cautioned Ares that he must not
disobey Zeus by entering the battle to avenge the death of Askalaphos.
Ares slapped his thighs and ordered his sons,
Deimos [Fear] and Phobos [Panic or Terror],
to harness his horses so that he could leave
Mount Olympos and go to the battlefield of Troy ... Athene stopped Ares and
took his helmet and shield .
she reminded him that all the Immortals would
be punished if he defied Zeus .
she took his mighty spear and made him sit
passively as the war at Troy proceeded in accordance with Zeus's plans.
On several occasions, Ares took on
the guise of a mortal man and joined the Trojan army .
when Hektor took the armor of
Achilles from the dead body of Patroklos.
Ares entered Hektor's body and led a fierce
charge into the Achaian battle-lines .
the Achaians prudently withdrew in the face of
such ferociousness.
He also took the guise of a storm-cloud and
bellowed from the walls of Troy to remind the Achaeans that the War God was
standing against them.
Ares and Heracles (Hercules)
Like Ares, Herakles was a son of Zeus, but
Ares was the son of the goddess Hera and thus fully divine and immortal.
Herakles was the son of a mortal
woman named Alkmene and only semi-divine.
but Herakles had the advantage of being Zeus's
favorite child. Ares, on the other hand, was Zeus's least favorite child.
Ares had at least two violent
encounters with Herakles and Herakles won both fights .
the first confrontation was at the city of
Pylos on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.
We are told that Ares was defending Pylos when
Herakles attacked the city .
when the two sons of Zeus came together,
Herakles struck Ares three times with his spear and knocked the god of War to
the ground with each blow .
on the forth attack, Herakles's spear pierced
Ares's shield and cut into Ares's thigh .
although defeated, Ares managed to retain the
spoils he had captured, otherwise he would have been disgraced among the other
Immortals.
Ares and Herakles met again when
Ares's son Kyknos angered Apollon by stealing animals that were to be sacrificed
at the god's temple at Delphi.
Apollon chose Herakles to be his
champion and punish Kyknos for his acts of sacrilege .
Kyknos was fated to die. Herakles
found Kyknos and Ares in a grove scared to Apollon .
the goddess Athene appeared to Herakles and
told him that he was destined to kill Kyknos.
but that he should be careful because Ares
would to attack him after Kyknos was dead.
Herakles killed Kyknos with a single
thrust of his spear. After the death of Kyknos.
Ares could not contain his anger, he
immediately charged at Herakles with his spear .
the goddess Athene intervened and
turned the force of the spear thrust aside and told Ares that he was not
destined to kill Herakles and he should withdraw from the fight.
Ares was not inclined to obey Athene's
command ... he drew his sword and attacked Herakles again. Herakles did not
back away from the war god's fierce attack .
he stabbed upwards under Ares's shield with
his spear and the point tore into Ares's exposed flesh .
Ares fell flat upon the ground.
Ares's sons, Deimos and Phobos
swooped down in Ares's chariot and lifted their father from the ground .
they lashed the chariot horses and were off to
the safety of Mount Olympos.
