Ares: god of war

Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera, perhaps the only Olympian offspring they had together (since some sources say Hephaistos was born without Zeus).

As the god of war, Ares represents all the horror and suffering that conflict brings. He can be contrasted to Athena, who represents military strategy and victory in battle.

In Homer’s Iliad, Ares is actually injured by the Greek warrior Diomedes, and runs away screaming in pain. In the Odyssey, Ares is having an affair with Aphrodite, behind Hephaistos’ back. Hephaistos catches his wife and her lover in a thin metal web, and many other gods come and laugh at the helpless pair. Thus, Ares is not always depicted as a terrifying god, but sometimes as a somewhat pathetic figure.

Responsibilities

• War: Ares represents the violence and horror of brutal warfare.

Ares iconography

Weapons and armour: helmet, spear, shield, greaves.