Ares (Mars)God of Warlike Frenzy

And the personification of slaughter

• Ares is known as the God of War. More specifically he is associated with the negative aspects of war, including brutality and slaughter.

• He is thought of as very handsome but cruel and brutal• Ares is one of the sons of Zeus and Hera• None of the Gods or Goddesses were very fond of Ares• He is called Mars by the Romans• He has two sons with Aphrodite: Phobos and Deimos (Panic

and Rout) and Harmonia and it is said by the Simonides in the 6th Century BC- Eros (god of love)

• His female counterpart is Enyo• He is accompanied in battle by his sons and his sister Eris

(Strife)

Who is Ares?

Who liked him?• Ares was one of the less popular Gods and had a very small

following. Many Greeks did not like him because of the negative aspects of war he represented.

• However, he did have a small following in the northern areas of Greece

• There were no social, moral or theological associations with him as a God

• Spartans in early times would give human sacrifices to Ares from prisoners of war

• Spartans would also sacrifice vultures and dogs at nighttime (animals not typically sacrificed). This was a possible sign of him being a chthonic deity (underworld God). These are also animals that feasted upon the dead on the battlefield.

Myth of Ares• Ares is either depicted as a mature bearded man

constantly dressed in war attire or a young, nude boy with a spear and helm. He is also most recognized by his helmet

• He had (like many other Gods) a scandalous affair with Aphrodite while she was married to Hephaestus. When Hephaestus found out, he snared the two lovers in a trap that froze them in their embrace. Hephaestus was not satisfied with this revenge so he invited all the other gods to come and mock the two lovers. The affair ended Aphrodite and Hephaestus’ relationship and resulted in Aphrodite and Ares having three children (Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Terror) Harmonia (Harmony))

Myth of Ares cont. • It is also said that Ares was trapped in a bronze urn by

giants that were given to Aphrodite to protect her by her mother Dione. He was trapped in the urn for 13 months (a lunar year) until he was rescued by Hermes and Artemis.

• Ares became involved in the Trojan war and was said to have been persuaded by Aphrodite to join the Trojan side even though he was supposed to join the Achaeans on the side of Athena. In multiple encounters with Athena she speared him and threw a boulder on him. In the end Ares son was killed, he began to cry and wanted to fight on the Achaeans side even though Zeus said that no god should become involved in the war. Athena stopped him and helped him take off his armor.