35 Ares Facts: Learn Everything About The Greek God Of War

The Greek god, Ares, represents war, bloodshed, and violence.

According to Greek mythology, Ares is the god of war. He is one of the most fearsome Olympian gods residing atop Mount Olympus.

Although the first heir of the King and Queen of the Greek gods, Zeus and Hera, Ares has always been depicted as an antagonistic character, who brings chaos and death. Greek art portrays him as a bold yet unpredictable, half-naked man with several war weapons and animals, which give away major symbolic representations. This god represents hostility, jealousy, betrayal, and violence, all of which arouse feelings of loathing and revulsion in the hearts of other deities. He was worshipped mostly in northern Greece, in places such as Thessaly, Thesprotia, and Thrake.

Soldiers usually made human sacrifices (mostly the prisoners of war) to him before going to battle. A special women's sacrifice was made to him known as Gynaikothoinas or Entertainer of Women. At the foot of the Areopagus or Ares' Hill resides one of the temples that is dedicated to him. In Ares' honor, just a few festivals were observed.

Facts About Ares

Ares, the god of war, is also considered the spirit of battles. He was a typically armed warrior who encouraged violence and indifference amongst his fellow deities. Let us learn some more facts about his life and relationship with the other immortals of Mount Olympus.

• Ares, an ancient Greek god, was the son of two deities. Zeus, the king of Greek gods, was the father of Ares, and Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage, was his mother. According to Greek myths, Ares was the eldest child and only son of Zeus and Hera.
• His parents were the King and Queen of the Olympian Gods in Greek mythology.
• The Greek deity Ares is one of the 12 Olympian deities.
• Mars is considered as Ares' counterpart in Roman mythology.
• The sword, helmet, shield, dog, boar, chariot, flaming torch, and vulture are the symbols associated with Ares.
• Aphrodite was the chief love interest of Ares, and they produced several children.
• Ares and Aphrodite parented eight children, namely Eros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Adrestia, Anteros, Pothos, and Himeros.
• Some of Ares' semi-divine and mortal children include Aeropus, Alcippe, and Amazons.
• Ares was accompanied by two of his sons into battles, Phobos, the god of fear, and Deimos, the god of terror.
• Some of Ares' children who represented peace and sanctity included Harmonia, the god of Harmony, and Eros, the god of love.
• Although deeply in love with Aphrodite, Ares had remained unmarried.
• Ares had indulged in several love affairs with both mortals as well as divine beings.
• Many children of Ares were mortal than divine as he had numerous affairs with mortal beings.
• Out of the 12 months, the month of March is named after Ares.
• Ares featured in the 2017 film 'Wonder Woman,' where the character served as the main villain.

Ares' Powers

Being the son of King Zeus and Queen Hera, Ares possessed several divine powers. In ancient Greek art, he is associated with a number of animals that possess severe attributes such as ill fortune, aggression, cruelty, immorality, and so on. Besides, he is associated with several war materials that he carried to war. His role as the Greek god of war was to inform Greeks about the various dangers of war and ill traits. Here is a list of powers that this god possessed.

• Ancient Greek art portrays Ares as a young unclothed, or semi-clothed warrior who is always ready for war.
• His physical appearance includes soft, curly hair, a muscular body, and brown eyes.
• A helmet, metal breastplates, armored boots, and a shield are some objects that Ares is seen wearing in various pictures.
• The illustrations also portray Ares riding on horses alongside other animals like dogs, serpents, owls, boars, and vultures. The association of snakes with Ares stems from their sneaky habits and raging temper. Vultures and owls are associated with the god of war because they are indicative of destruction and ill-fortune.
• He lost against the Greek hero Heracles, twice at war.

Myths About Ares

As is known to all, Greek mythology is a culmination of several divine stories and myths. Ares, the god of war, also entails a number of mythical anecdotes that will keep you on your toes. Read on to learn some of the more amusing myths about this god!

• It is believed by ancient Greeks that Ares was born out of goddess Hera with the help of a magical herb and that Zeus had no role to play in it. The goddess of flowers, Chloris (Khloris), and a nymph helped Hera in this endeavor.
• According to Greek mythology, during Ares' infancy, two giants, Otus and Ephialtes, collectively known as Aloadae, who were sons of Poseidon, had captured and put him inside a bronze jar where he was supposed to wait and confront death. Ares stayed inside for 13 months before being rescued by the Greek god Hermes, who was informed about this by the mother of giants.
• Greek mythology states that during the Trojan War, Ares was on the side of Troy. He fought against the Olympian Gods, including the goddess Athena. Being wounded in war, he had gone to complain to Zeus, who had turned a blind eye to his misfortunes.
• Ares was mesmerized by the intelligence, strategy, and skill shown by Athena in Greece's victory over Troy.
• Ares became extremely jealous after learning about Aphrodite and, the mortal, Adonis' love relationship. In the disguise of a boar, he killed Adonis, the lover of Aphrodite, with his tusks.

Ares' Characteristics

Ares is characterized by a number of traits that make him one of the most loathed Greek gods. Some of these traits include aggression, cruelty, boldness, moodiness, unreliability, ill-temper, and disloyalty. The various mortals of Greece were afraid by his powers, and they were urged to learn from the result of his evil deeds. Let us read some instances that clearly depict his true character.

• Being the most unlikable Greek god, Ares was nothing like his Roman counterpart, Mars. Mars, apart from being the god of war, was also the god of agriculture and the father of the Roman civilians.
• Athena was Ares' sister and the goddess of war who was the symbol of intelligence and strategy required in wars. Unlike Athena, Ares represented the cruelty and violence that came as collateral of warfare. He cared less about winning wars and more about fighting and killing in them.
• Although a great warrior, he was never liked by his parents or any of the other Greek gods due to his character traits, which were a culmination of violence, fraudulence, and bloodlust.
• Ares has been associated with cowardice and for overreacting to minor inconveniences with uncontrollable wrath.
• Ares plays no major role in the literature of Greece, apart from the minor instances where he was subjected to humiliation by the other Greek deities.
• Ares' trial took place at the hill of Areopagus, in the highest council of Ancient Greece for murdering the son of Poseidon. He had murdered Poseidon's son because he was accused of raping Ares' own daughter, Alcippe.
• Tereus, Ares' son, is believed to be just like his father, possessing several unpalatable traits.
• Aphrodite, Ares' lover, was the wife of Hephaestus during Ares' and Aphrodite's courtship. As a result, Hephaestus tried to humiliate them in front of others by bringing their love affair to light, hoping to teach them a lesson.
• Due to Ares' hostile nature, he does not have any Greek cities named in his honor, unlike other Greek gods.
• Being one of the most unlikable gods of Mount Olympus, very few temples have been made in his honor.