Ares - Greek God of War
The life of Ares is as interesting as that of Zeus and other Greek Gods. Read on to know more about Ares, the Greek God of War.
Ares, known as the Greek God of war, is one of the twelve Olympians residing on the mount Olympus. According to the Greek mythology, two Gods of war exist. However, there are several differences between the two. While Athena is the goddess of warfare, skill, strategy, courage, etc.; Ares is more specifically, the God of warlike frenzy and bloodlust. Let us take a detailed look at the personality and stories surrounding Ares, God of war.
Personality of Ares
Ares is the son of Greek God Zeus and Hera. But, he is an unloved child and neither of his parents had much sympathy for his activities. Thrace is the birthplace of Ares, which is also considered as his true home. The spear is the symbol of Ares; however, he is also associated with a dog and a vulture. Ares was often also accompanied by several other Gods into battle. They were: Deimos and Phobos (the spirits of terror and fear), his sister Enyo (the Goddess of bloodshed), and Alala, whose name became his battle war-cry.
Greek God Ares is equivalent to the Roman God Mars. However, Ares is more evil, cruel, destructive, and uncivilized. He is also notorious for enjoying bloodshed and is one of the most hated and feared of the Greek Gods. In fact, Zeus, his father, famously said of him, "To me you are most hateful of all gods who hold Olympos"! Although war is the first and true love of Ares, he is also known for his numerous illicit relationships. Ares is portrayed as a very charming and handsome male. His extremely good looks and promiscuous behavior often resulted in several love affairs and relationships.
Myths Surrounding Ares
Myths and stories surrounding the life of the Greek God Ares are quite fascinating. Here are some of the most interesting ones. The myth of Ares finding the city of Thebes is one of the popular stories. Ares was the father of a water dragon that was killed by Cadmus. The dragon's teeth were sown into the ground and fully grown Spartans sprung out of them. These Spartans were held to be the descendants of Ares. Cadmus then married Harmonia, the daughter of Ares, and founded the city of Thebes.
There is also another story of Ares and the Aloadae giants. The twin giants, named Otus and Ephialtes, wished to destroy the homes of Gods. Aries tried to stop them, but, instead was defeated and imprisoned. He was chained inside an urn for thirteen months by the two giants. Ares remained inside that urn till Hermes came and rescued him. Later, Artemis posed as a deer and tricked Otus and Ephialtes into killing each other.
Ares is also well-known for the part he played in the Trojan War. Although Zeus had initially warned the Olympian Gods to not to participate in the Trojan war, Ares ignored his father's orders and wished to join the battle. However, Athena stopped him. On Aphrodite's persuasion, Ares fought the war on the side of the Trojans; but was injured by Athena, when she threw a huge boulder on him.
However, one of the most popular stories or myths related to Ares is his love affair with Aphrodite. Apart from war and bloodshed, Ares was reputed to love Aphrodite the best. However, she was married to Hephaestus, the lame Greek God of volcanoes. Once when Ares was visiting Aphrodite, Hephaestus cast bewitched chains and caught the lovers in an embarrassing position. All Gods then came down to watch and Ares was humiliated and ridiculed. But that didn't stop Ares from continuing his secret liaisons with Aphrodite. He even went to the extent of killing Adonis (another one of Aphrodite's lovers) by taking on the form of a boar.
Apart from Aphrodite, Ares had many other consorts including Atalanta, Eos, Callirrhoe, Demonice, Harmonia, Aerope, etc. Some of his popular children from these consorts include Eros, Phobos, Biston, Sinope, etc. Later on, when the Romans conquered the Greeks, he was equated with the God Mars. Since Mars was the father of Romulus and Remus, he attained some amount of respect there.
Although notorious for his various activities, Ares, the Greek God of war is admired for his qualities like courage, fearlessness and strength. Lastly, we can conclude by saying that along with Zeus, Apollo and Athena, Ares is also one of the important figures of the Greek mythology!
Personality of Ares
Ares is the son of Greek God Zeus and Hera. But, he is an unloved child and neither of his parents had much sympathy for his activities. Thrace is the birthplace of Ares, which is also considered as his true home. The spear is the symbol of Ares; however, he is also associated with a dog and a vulture. Ares was often also accompanied by several other Gods into battle. They were: Deimos and Phobos (the spirits of terror and fear), his sister Enyo (the Goddess of bloodshed), and Alala, whose name became his battle war-cry.
Greek God Ares is equivalent to the Roman God Mars. However, Ares is more evil, cruel, destructive, and uncivilized. He is also notorious for enjoying bloodshed and is one of the most hated and feared of the Greek Gods. In fact, Zeus, his father, famously said of him, "To me you are most hateful of all gods who hold Olympos"! Although war is the first and true love of Ares, he is also known for his numerous illicit relationships. Ares is portrayed as a very charming and handsome male. His extremely good looks and promiscuous behavior often resulted in several love affairs and relationships.
Myths Surrounding Ares
Myths and stories surrounding the life of the Greek God Ares are quite fascinating. Here are some of the most interesting ones. The myth of Ares finding the city of Thebes is one of the popular stories. Ares was the father of a water dragon that was killed by Cadmus. The dragon's teeth were sown into the ground and fully grown Spartans sprung out of them. These Spartans were held to be the descendants of Ares. Cadmus then married Harmonia, the daughter of Ares, and founded the city of Thebes.
There is also another story of Ares and the Aloadae giants. The twin giants, named Otus and Ephialtes, wished to destroy the homes of Gods. Aries tried to stop them, but, instead was defeated and imprisoned. He was chained inside an urn for thirteen months by the two giants. Ares remained inside that urn till Hermes came and rescued him. Later, Artemis posed as a deer and tricked Otus and Ephialtes into killing each other.
Ares is also well-known for the part he played in the Trojan War. Although Zeus had initially warned the Olympian Gods to not to participate in the Trojan war, Ares ignored his father's orders and wished to join the battle. However, Athena stopped him. On Aphrodite's persuasion, Ares fought the war on the side of the Trojans; but was injured by Athena, when she threw a huge boulder on him.
However, one of the most popular stories or myths related to Ares is his love affair with Aphrodite. Apart from war and bloodshed, Ares was reputed to love Aphrodite the best. However, she was married to Hephaestus, the lame Greek God of volcanoes. Once when Ares was visiting Aphrodite, Hephaestus cast bewitched chains and caught the lovers in an embarrassing position. All Gods then came down to watch and Ares was humiliated and ridiculed. But that didn't stop Ares from continuing his secret liaisons with Aphrodite. He even went to the extent of killing Adonis (another one of Aphrodite's lovers) by taking on the form of a boar.
Apart from Aphrodite, Ares had many other consorts including Atalanta, Eos, Callirrhoe, Demonice, Harmonia, Aerope, etc. Some of his popular children from these consorts include Eros, Phobos, Biston, Sinope, etc. Later on, when the Romans conquered the Greeks, he was equated with the God Mars. Since Mars was the father of Romulus and Remus, he attained some amount of respect there.
Although notorious for his various activities, Ares, the Greek God of war is admired for his qualities like courage, fearlessness and strength. Lastly, we can conclude by saying that along with Zeus, Apollo and Athena, Ares is also one of the important figures of the Greek mythology!
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