He never used trickery or force to form a union with a woman – although he never married either. The Amazons were a fierce group of female warriors and many of them were born through a union between Ares and a nymph named Harmonia (not his daughter). Instead of confronting Ares directly, he made a net of the finest metals that he had. Hermes later freed him from the jar after 13 months. Before he could do so, however, Hercules wounded Ares in the thigh, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The Areopagus (Hill of Ares, aka. Despite his title and attitude, he is quite spoiled. Ares wasn’t the only undesirable god among Zeus and Hera’s offspring. Among these demands were that Hephaestus be allowed back onto Mount Olympus and that he be given Aphrodite’s hand in marriage. The only exception being his daughter Harmonia who he turned into a snake along with her husband Cadmus (who he turned into a snake in revenge for killing his birds). He is also often called the God of Courage, though Homer's Iliad depicts him as running away when he is injured by Diomedes and Athena. There was once a pair of giants called the Aloadae. But each brother loved one goddess, Artemis and Hera. When Ares saw what had happened, he was enraged. Hercules was sent to steal the mares and is known to have lost a dear friend to the cannibalistic beasts because he did not know that they feasted on human flesh. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. His brother Hephaestus was also rejected because of his terrible ugliness. Diomedes fed these horses human flesh, which caused them to become mad and gave them strange capabilities like breathing fire. Phobos and Deimos (the gods of fear and terror) were born to Ares by Aphrodite and were known to frequently accompany their father into battle. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There is a story that tells of one of Ares’ daughters, whose name was Alcippe. Although we know it as Mars today, the Greeks named ‘the red planet’ Ares, the famed war god. The last of Ares’ children from his union with Aphrodite was the Erotes. He fought with terrifying rage to help the Trojans in their battle against the Achaeans. Omissions? Legend tells that Ares was one of few children that was born to Zeus by his union with Hera (a few of the others being Eris [goddess of chaos and strife] and Enyo [goddess of war and destruction]). However, because Aphrodite was their mother, they were also the gods of fear of significant loss. Also associated with him were two lesser war deities: Enyalius, who is virtually identical with Ares himself, and Enyo, a female counterpart. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ares-Greek-mythology, Ares - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). In addition, a nocturnal offering of dogs—an unusual sacrificial victim, which might indicate a chthonic (infernal) deity—was made to him as Enyalius. All the best Ares God Of War Sketch 34+ collected on this page. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... What musical instrument is the Greek god Pan associated with? They were twins and they believed that they were better than the gods. From at least the time of Homer—who established him as the son of the chief god, Zeus, and Hera, his consort—Ares was one of the Olympian deities; his fellow gods and even his parents, however, were not fond of him (Iliad, Book V, 889 ff.). Ares, the Unloved God Since he was the savage god of senseless war, Ares was almost universally detested. This lack of support meant that the other gods and goddesses didn’t have to go out of their way to show kindness to Ares – and many didn’t. Priapus was also considered to be a warlike god, though he was never given the same level of attention as Ares and Athena. Knowing of Ares’ fate, however, was not enough to motivate the other gods and goddesses to come to his aide. Although most of Ares’ children were born to him by Aphrodite, he did have a few demi-god children as well. It was common for many of the gods to take advantage of women or force them into sexual relations, which likely made Ares’ aggression and defense of his daughter unusual. Though Ares’ family was often rough around the edges, they did have respect for their father and worked to show their admiration in strange and often grotesque ways. This is likely because of his reckless and irresponsible behavior that often led him to be rash and act on his impulses instead of patiently contriving a thorough battle plan. Although Ares is thought to be the only son that was born to Zeus from his marriage with Hera, Zeus was never fond of Ares. It was this thirst for aggression that caused him to displease the Aloadae. Ares, in Greek religion, god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. King Diomedes is most famous for his strange handling of four horses that came to be known as the Mares of Diomedes (also the Mares of Thrace). Unlike his Roman counterpart, Mars, he was never very popular, and his worship was not extensive in Greece. Priapus’ teaching Ares would go on to shape the young god’s character and skillset. During his festival at Geronthrae in Laconia, no women were allowed in the sacred grove, but at Tegea he was honoured in a special women’s sacrifice as Gynaikothoinas (“Entertainer of Women”). Hercules was instructed to kill Cycnus to bring an end to his reign of terror. Ares, classical sculpture; in the National Roman Museum, Rome. Despite this he is shown to be beaten a lot by other supernatural beings in several myths. When Ares went to Zeus to tell him of what had happened on the battlefield, Zeus told Ares that he was “the most hated of all gods who hold Olympus.” Still, Zeus ensured that Ares was properly cared for by instructing Paieon to tend to his son’s wounds. By Aglauros, the daughter of Cecrops, he was the father of Alcippe. The Areios) is located on the Acropolis of Athens. He was the sire of at least three of Heracles’ adversaries: Cycnus, Lycaon, and Diomedes of Thrace. He was, however, required to host a sporting event in Halirrhothius ’ honor – an event that would later be associated with Ares as well. Instead of moving on, Halirrhothius decided to rape Alcippe (or at least attempted to do so according to legend). The one exception among the Greeks and their perspective of Ares was the Spartans. Ares, in Greek religion, god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. These were the Erotes (the winged gods of love) and their names were Eros, Anteros, Himeros, and Pothos. This place is named for Ares because it is supposedly where his trial was held when he killed Halirrhothius for assulting his daughter, Alcippe. She was often associated with any sort of revenge and retribution because of her attributes.