Download The Greek god of war and bloodlust (whom the Romans later

ARES (Roman = Mars)
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The Greek god of war and bloodlust (whom the Romans later equated with their god
Mars) and one of the major Olympian gods. In their art and myths, the Greeks usually
pictured Ares, the only son born of the marriage of the deities Zeus and Hera, as a
violent and often arrogant warrior. They also typically portrayed Ares with one or more
of his symbols – a spear, dogs, and vultures. According to these myths, although he
never married, he did have lovers—the Greek love goddess, Aphrodite, the most
prominent among them. With her, he had a daughter, Harmonia (who became the
wife of Cadmus, founder of Thebes), and twin sons, Phobos (―Panic‖) and Deimos
(―Fear‖), who sometimes fought alongside their father in battle. Ares' affair with
Aphrodite ended when her husband, Hephaestos (god of the forge), found out about
it and embarrassed the lovers in front of the other gods.
Ares also had a daughter named Alcippe, born of an affair with a mortal woman—
Aglaurus (daughter of an Athenian king). When one of the sea god Poseidon's sons
raped Alcippe, Ares flew into a rage and killed the young man. Poseidon then called
for the major gods to assemble on the site where the killing took place and try Ares for
murder. Believing that Ares' act had been justified, however, the deities found the war
god not guilty of murder. In any case, the site, a hill near the Athenian Acropolis,
thereafter became known as the Areopagus, or ―Hill of Ares,‖ in memory of these
legendary incidents. He also was said to be the father of the Amazons (Greek race of
warrior women) and their Queen, Hippolyte. He was sired the serpent of Thebes,
Dracon Ismenian. The killing of this beast by Cadmus (Ares’ daughter Harmonia’s
husband) would lead to the curse of the house of Cadmus which would culminate in
the events of Oedipus and his children Antigone, Ismene, Polyneices & Etocles.
Ares was generally at his best on the battlefield. However, he was not as smart as
some of the other gods and was easily outwitted by them, particularly Athena,
goddess of war and wisdom. During the Trojan War, Ares backed the Trojans while
Athena supported the Greeks. She helped the Greek warrior Diomedes wound Ares,
who immediately lodged a complaint with Zeus, calling it foul play. Later, after Athena
insulted him repeatedly, Ares hurled his spear at her; but it struck her in her magical
breastplate (the aegis) and bounced off, after which she tossed a huge stone that
sent him crashing to the ground. Later, Athena also helped the hero Heracles wound
Ares in the thigh. Overall, Ares is known for loving the battle, he reveled in the fight
itself – the strength, the adrenaline, the blood, the gore and the misery. Thus, having
him on one’s side was not necessarily a benefit as his goal was to make the war/battle
last as long as possible causing the most casualties. Winning was not his primary
concern. For this, he was not widely revered by the Greeks – they acknowledged that
there were people who loved to battle and fight, thus his existence, but they did not
hold that personality trait in high esteem. (He would change, however, when the
Romans ―took‖ him and he would become a more decisive, strategic and victory
oriented god).