ROMA

ROMA Διόνυσος Άρης

The Harbor

ARES GOD ΑΡΗΣ

GENERAL INFO

I) What was Ares the god of?

GOD OF WAR & BATTLE


Patron of: Warriors
Favour: Driving armies; Bravery; Fighting-strength & endurance
Curse: Routing armies; Cowardice; Death on the battlefield

GOD OF WAR BOOTY


Patron of: War booty

GOD OF CITY DEFENSE


Patron of: City defenses, City defenders
Favour: Averting war (peace); Repelling invading armies
Curse: Military invasion; Sacking of cities

GOD OF CIVIL ORDER


Patron of: City guards / police
Favour: Maintain civil order; Crush rebellions
Curse: Rebellion; Uprisings; Sedition

GOD OF ANGER & VIOLENCE


Patron of: Rage; Violent deeds; Fights; Murder; Manslaughter; Quarrels
Blessing: Restraint of violent impulse

GOD OF COURAGE & FEAR


Patron of: Courage; Manliness
Blessings: Courage
Curse: Fear; Cowardice

II) What were his symbols, attributes,
sacred plants and animals?

SYMBOLS


Spear; Helmet

ATTRIBUTES


Spear; Shield; Helmet; Armour

CHARIOT


Drawn by four fire-breathing horses:
Aithon (Red-Fire), Phlogios (Flame), Konabos (Tumult) and Phobos (Fear)

SACRED PLANTS / FLOWERS


None known

SACRED ANIMALS


Serpent (Greek "drakon")

SACRED BIRDS


Vulture (Greek "gups"); Woodpecker (Greek "ipne");
Barn Owl (Greek "aigolios"); Eagle Owl (Greek "buas")
(NB Athena's owl was a different speices: the Little Owl "glaux")

PLANET OF ARES


Mars (named after Mars, the Roman god or war identified with Ares). The Greeks themselves called the planet "Aster Areos" (Star of Ares).

DAY OF ARES


Tuesday (named after the Germanic god Tiu or Tyr, who was identified with Mars, the Roman Ares). The Greeks called the day "Hemera Areos" (Day of Ares).

III) Who were the family & attendants of Ares?

FATHER


ZEUS King of the Gods, son of the Titanes Kronos and Rhea

MOTHER


HERA Queen of the Gods, daughter of the Titanes Kronos and Rhea

WIFE


Unmarried (his consort was APHRODITE Goddess of Love)

DIVINE CHILDREN


PHOBOS God of Fear
DEIMOS God of Terror
HARMONIA Goddess of Harmony
DRAKON OF THEBES Dragon which guarded the spring of Ismene at Thebes. Armed warriors sprang from its teeth when they were sown in the ground.

HERO CHILDREN


MELEAGROS Prince of Aitolia and hero who led the Hunt for the Kalydonian Boar
KYKNOS Warrior who challenged Herakles and was slain by the hero
DIOMEDES King of the Bistones of Thrake whose man-eating mares Herakles was sent to fetch as one of his twelve labours
HIPPOLYTE Queen of the Amazones whose belt Herakles was commanded to fetch as one of his twelve labours
PENTHESILEIA Queen of the Amazones who came to the aide of Troy in the Trojan War

ATTENDANTS & MINIONS


ERIS-ENYO Goddess of Strife, Discord and War
DEIMOS God of Terror
PHOBOS God of Fear

IV) Where and how was he worshipped?

PATRON OF REGIONS


Aitolia in Greece; Thesprotia in Greece; Phlegyantis in Thessalia, Greece;
Edonia & Bistonia in Western Thrake

HOLIEST SHRINE


Odrysia in Bistonia, Thrake (his birth-place)

OTHER SHRINES


Temples; Altars with a standing sword in place of a statue (in Thrake)

ASPECTS OF ARES


Titan Iapetos (Piercing); Titan Menoitios (Battlerage); Titan Epimetheus (Afterthought); Phobos (Fear); Deimos (Terror)

IDENTIFIED WITH
NON-GREEK GODS


Mars (Roman god); Onuris-Anhur (Egyptian god); Tiu-Tyr (Germanic god);
unnamed war-god (Scythian god)

V) What were some of the popular myths about Ares?

SAGA OF THE GODS


* Ares slew the giant Ekhidnades, a monstrous enemy of the gods.
* He was imprisoned in a brazen jar by the Aloadai giants in their attempts to conquer heaven.
* He assisted the Trojan armies in their war against the Greeks, but was wounded in an encounter with the hero Diomedes and the goddess Athena.

LOVE STORIES


* Ares was caught in an invisible net by the god Hephaistos whilst committing adultery with the god's wife Aphrodite.

FAVOUR & BLESSINGS


* He bestowed a "manly" spirit upon his daughters, the warrior Amazones.

WRATH & PUNISHMENT


* Ares slew the Athenian youth Halirrhothios as punishment for the rape of his daughter Alkippe. He was acquitted of murder by the twelve gods in the court of the Areopagos.

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