Instead, he fathered his sons with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who was originally the wife of Hephestus, the god of fire and craftsmen. Ares stayed there, screaming and kicking, for 13 whole months before Hermes and Artemis decided to help him.Īrtemis tricked the two giants into killing each other by turning into a doe they both wanted to hunt, and Hermes stole the jar, setting Ares free. When they managed to grab Ares, they shoved him in an urn or bronze jar called a pithos and bound him with chains. What is clear is that they were generally antagonistic to the gods of Olympus and lusted after certain goddesses. Their names were Otus and Ephialtes and their reason for doing that isn’t clear. Two giants called the Aloadae decided to abduct Ares. This made it possible for him to found Thebes and bring prosperity to the city. After those years were up, he married Ares’ daughter Harmonia to further ingratiate himself with the god. To atone for this, Cadmus placed himself in Ares’ service for 8 years. However, he is associated with the founding of Thebes: Thebes’ founding hero, Cadmus killed a water dragon that was the son of Ares. This is attributed to his bad characteristics and unsavory personality. Unlike the other gods who have cities named after them, Ares has none. Romans regarded Mars with a lot more respect and honor than the Greeks did Ares because they felt Mars’ war was a preamble to peace and prosperity after victory. Unlike the Ancient Greek version, Mars is more dignified and palatable as the god of war but also the god of agriculture. When the Romans reinterpreted a lot of the Ancient Greek myths into their Roman mythology, Ares became Mars. He was also associated with the vulture, the dog, and the boar as they are aggressive animals that can and do kill or are associated with the dead carcasses war leaves behind. Ares’ symbolsĪres’ symbols are the sword, spear, and helmet. It is possible to see him out of his armor in ancient artwork, but it is rare. He generally appears as an armored man on vases and other depictions. Ares’ looksĪres is depicted as a young man or a bearded man with a helmet, shield, and spear. It is significant that the two gods of war, Athena and Ares, both had unusual births and prenatal histories according to this myth. When Hera touched that flower, she became pregnant and had Ares. Hera went to Chloris, the goddess of flowers, who gave her a magic flower to touch. According to that myth, Hera was enraged when Zeus gave birth to Athena, technically without a mother since Zeus had absorbed her mother Metis into himself, and she wanted to procure a son without a father. Though there is a myth that presents Ares as the son of Zeus and Hera, conceived and given birth to the normal way, there is another myth that claims Ares is only the son of Hera. Sometimes he is also joined by his sister Eris (the goddess of strife). He also is known for being the recipient of human sacrifices, especially in Sparta, where they sacrificed war prisoners to him in early times.Īres goes into battle accompanied by his sons Phobos (the god of panic) and Deimos (the god of rout). The noble aspects of war, like strategy, valor, and the like were represented and associated with the goddess Athena.Īs such, Ares wasn’t worshipped extensively in Greece, except for Sparta and some cities in northern Greece. Ironically, he isn’t favored by his parents and the rest of the gods don’t seem to like him much- except for Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who is his most consistent lover.Īres represents war in its ugliest forms: bloodlust, bloodshed, rage, violence, hostility, unpredictability and impulsivity are all the elements he is associated with. He is the first born and only child of Zeus and Hera. Basic facts about AresĪres is the son of Zeus, king of the gods and god of the sky, and Hera, queen of the gods and goddess of marriage, family, women, and childbirth. Ares is why the Areopagus exists 12 Fun Facts About the Greek God Ares 1.
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