![god of war aphrodite god of war aphrodite](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wSlik--tpm0/maxresdefault.jpg)
When the birds rained down their feathers, Jason and his men raised their shields to block the endless volleys-eventually using Spears to poke the birds out of the sky and drive the flock away.
![god of war aphrodite god of war aphrodite](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s_X9x08GS5o/maxresdefault.jpg)
The only story that features Ares’ birds was Jason and his Argonauts when they came across the birds during their quest for the golden fleece. The Amazons’ sacred shrines were also said to be guarded by the birds of Ares, which was said to have arrow-like feathers and were quite similar to the Stymphalian Birds slain by Heracles in his 12 labours.
![god of war aphrodite god of war aphrodite](https://assets.mycast.io/posters/god-of-war-greek-pantheon-fan-casting-poster-84384-medium.jpg)
The female warrior tribe known as the Amazons were also said to be direct descendants of Ares, who the most famous example being Hippolyta, who became Queen when Ares gave her a magical girdle that signified strength and authority. So, the name has existed for some time and generally has connotations of war.Īres also fathered the goddess Harmonia, who will be discussed later on, and Adrestia, the goddess of equilibrium. At which times, he was referred to as Enyalios. There are some accounts of Ares or at least what we can consider the God of War, existing during the time of the Mycenaean Greek people. Together Enyo and Ares had one son named Enyalios, who was said to replace his father as the god of war-and no, Kratos didn’t kill him either. These children included Phobos, meaning panic and Deimos, meaning fear and Enyo, who’s often associated with discord, but who also appeared in numerous forms depending on the story, ranging from his mother or sister to even one of his numerous lovers. It was often said that Ares rode a chariot into the battlefield with his children, so the apple would didn’t fall far from the tree. With Athena once again emerging the victor. The few appearances that Ares does make, I’m sure many of you have guessed, feature around war and conflict, with the most famous being the Trojan War, which he was unfortunately on the wrong side of. And this might be true, but it might also be because Athena did more than just wage war. We do see this directly addressed in book 5 of Homer’s Iliad (The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer), where Ares accuses his father of sure in favour towards Athena, claiming that it’s because she was physically born from Zeus. With most of his father’s praise and attention being directed towards his sister, we can see that Ares is affected by this. So, we can see that Athena was favoured than Ares in the Greek people’s eyes, but she was also a favourite of Zeus. Athena represented the best of both aspects, the scholar and the warrior, whereas, Ares would have been seen as not much more than a soldier. She was calm, intelligent and highly skilled in warfare. Most of this comes down to Athena being seen as superior-if you haven’t already guessed, Athena and Ares were bitter rivals, who found themselves in constant competition most of this comes down to the attitudes beliefs of the ancient Greek people.Īres represented what many Greeks strive not to be, whereas Athena was seen as much more well-rounded. If the role Ares plays in Greek mythology is relatively small. Not all Greeks agreed, and it’s quite fitting that his most extensive worship took place in Sparta, with their most significant opposition being the Athenians and Athena. Image Illustration of Ares and Athena, the goddess of war All things that we can associate back to the god of war. The Spartans saw Ares as the perfect example of what a soldier should be-physically robust, resilient and well versed in combat. He only had a handful of cults and temples with most been located in Sparta. He represented its necessity and unpredictability, but much like war itself, Ares divided the Greek people. To the ancient Greeks, Ares embodied war. So, the unbridled rage violent behaviour and constant need for bloodshed isn’t a huge surprise, considering that his parents aren’t exactly known for their calm and forgiving nature. No, I’m not referring to Kratos - no today’s article will be on Ares, the god of war.įor anyone who’s already familiar with Ares, you know that he was one of the twelve Olympic deities, the son of Zeus and Hera. But there is only one that is considered ‘the god of war’.
![god of war aphrodite god of war aphrodite](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CWyuNuyrGqc/maxresdefault.jpg)
Many deities and spirits can be found throughout the Greek pantheon, which has some association with war.