Discover Ares, the Greek god of war — a fierce and complex deity of courage, fury, and passion, torn between destruction and divine justice.
Who was Ares in Greek mythology?
He is among the most ancient—and most feared—deities of Olympus. Son of Zeus and Hera, Ares embodies the raw, untamed fury of war. Unlike his sister Athena, who personifies strategy and wisdom in combat, Ares represents blind rage and the chaos of hand-to-hand battle.
In the Iliad, Homer describes him as hated even by his own parents, a bringer of slaughter and ruin. On the battlefield, he is never alone—Deimos (Fear) and Phobos (Terror), his sons and constant companions, march beside him.
Despite his divine strength, Ares is often defeated by gods or heroes who combine intellect and courage—like Athena or Heracles—a reminder that raw bravery without thought leads to downfall.
An alternate version of his birth, told by Ovid, says that Hera, jealous that Zeus had begotten Athena alone, sought help from Flora and bore Ares without a man’s aid—a divine act of revenge.
Loves and passions
Ares and Aphrodite
Ares’s most famous love affair was with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Though she was married to Hephaestus, the god of fire and craftsmanship, Aphrodite became passionately entangled with Ares.
When Hephaestus discovered their betrayal, he forged an invisible golden net and trapped the lovers in their embrace, exposing them to the laughter of the Olympian gods—a tale of divine scandal that echoes through art and myth alike.
Their union produced four divine children: Deimos (Fear), Phobos (Terror), Eros (Love), and Harmonia (Harmony). The last, tragically, would inherit a cursed wedding gift.
Their love symbolizes the eternal tension between Eros and Thanatos—desire and destruction intertwined.
Other Children of Ares
Ares fathered numerous offspring marked by bloodlust and violence.
Among them:
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Oenomaus, king of Pisa, born of the nymph Harpina;
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Diomedes, the Thracian king who fed his horses on human flesh;
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Cycnus, who slew travelers in the Vale of Tempe;
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Phlegyas, father of Ixion;
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the Amazon queen Penthesilea;
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and Alcippe, daughter of Ares and Agraulos, princess of Athens.
He also reared the Stymphalian birds, later slain by Heracles, and thus Ares’s presence lingers in many of the hero’s trials.
The jealousy of Ares: Adonis
Another tale of passion and vengeance centers on Adonis, the beautiful youth beloved by Aphrodite.
Enraged by jealousy, Ares transformed himself into a boar and gored Adonis to death during a hunt. The myth reveals Ares’s darker nature—possessive, vengeful, and uncontrollably passionate.
Wrath and vengeance
The Killing of Halirrhothius
Ares was central to what myth calls the first divine trial.
When Halirrhothius, son of Poseidon, attempted to assault Alcippe, Ares’s daughter, the god slew him in rage. Poseidon summoned Ares to trial before the gods on the Areopagus, the Athenian hill that would bear his name.
Ares was acquitted, and the event marked the mythical origin of Athenian justice for blood crimes.
The vengeance on Cadmus
The Theban king Cadmus killed a dragon sacred to Ares that guarded the Ismenian spring. Enraged, Ares condemned him to eight years of servitude as penance.
When the punishment ended, Ares forgave Cadmus and gave him his daughter Harmonia as a bride. Yet the god’s resentment endured: in their old age, Cadmus and Harmonia were transformed into serpents, symbols of divine retribution and metamorphosis.
Ares in divine wars
The Trojan War
During the Trojan War, Ares fought alongside the Trojans, joined by his sister Eris (Discord) and his sons Deimos and Phobos.
Although two of his sons, Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, fought for the Greeks, Ares’s fury sided with Troy.
When he clashed with Athena, his rival, she struck and wounded him, proving once again that strategy overcomes brute force.
Titanomachy and gigantomachy
Ares fought beside Zeus in the cosmic wars—the Titanomachy and the Gigantomachy. In the latter, he killed the giant Mimas with his spear.
Yet during the battle against Typhon, the monstrous serpent, Ares was forced to disguise himself as a fish and flee to Egypt—an episode that exposes his vulnerability even amid his ferocity.
Conflict with Heracles
Ares often clashed with Heracles, the mortal son of Zeus.
During the hero’s labors, Heracles killed several of Ares’s children, including Diomedes and the Amazon Antiope. In direct combat, Heracles even wounded Ares in the thigh, proving that mortal valor and divine favor could surpass divine rage itself.
The cult of Ares
Ares was worshipped chiefly in Thrace and Sparta, regions famed for their martial spirit.
In Thrace, he was honored with sacred swords and warrior rites; in Sparta, a statue depicted him bound in chains—a potent symbol that violence must be restrained and directed toward civic good.
In most of Greece, however, his cult was limited and peripheral. Temples to Ares often stood outside city walls, signifying that war, while necessary, should remain apart from daily life.
In Scythia, his worship took darker forms, with animal—and at times human—sacrifices offered to the god.
Even in Colchis, a sacred grove was dedicated to Ares, where a dragon he had set guarded the Golden Fleece—thus linking him indirectly to the legend of Jason and the Argonauts.
Iconography and artistic depictions
In Greek art, Ares appears as a young, muscular, often nude warrior bearing his helmet, spear, and shield.
Sometimes he is shown amid the clash of battle; at other times in tender scenes with Aphrodite.
His associated animals include the serpent (rebirth and vengeance), the griffin (ferocity), and the vulture (omen of death).
Artists portrayed him less frequently than other Olympians—his character was seen as brutal and unbalanced, lacking the harmony the Greeks prized.
Ares: chaos and courage in balance
Ares is a complex, ambivalent god.
He personifies both blind fury and noble bravery—destruction and defense intertwined.
In the Greek cosmos, he is as necessary as he is dangerous: a primordial force that must be understood, feared, and guided.
His myths speak of passion, vengeance, and valor, making him one of the most compelling and paradoxical figures in the Greek pantheon.
FAQ: Ares, God of War
Who is Ares?
Ares is the Greek god of war, son of Zeus and Hera—though in some versions, born of Hera alone.
Despite his place among the twelve Olympians, ancient myth and cult gave him limited reverence, reflecting ambivalence toward his violent nature.
What does the name “Ares” mean?
The origin of his name is debated. One theory links it to the Greek word ἀρή (arē), meaning “ruin” or “bane,” fitting for a destroyer or striker.
How was Ares depicted in art?
He wore bronze armor, wielded spear and shield, and was often shown youthful and battle-ready.
His sacred birds included the owl, woodpecker, eagle owl, and vulture—symbols of war and death.
