Ares Vs. Mars

Representation

Representation

Ares was the Greek god of war. He represented the more brutal and bloody side of battle, in contrast to Athena who represented the strategic side of warfare. Ares was known for his quick temper, aggressiveness and unquenchable thirst for justice as well as his beauty and courage. He was considered by the Greeks to be from Thrace, perhaps in attempt to associate him with what they thought of as foreign, war-loving people.

Origin

Origin

Ares was one of the twelve major gods who lived on Mount Olympus. Most of the other Olympians, including his parents Zeus and Hera, didn't like him very much. He had many "adventures." Through immortal deity, he was bested by Heracles in battle and was almost killed and stuffed into a jar by two giants. When another hero wounded him during the Trojan War, he received scant sympathy from Zeus. He was later temporarily kicked out of Olympus for sleeping with Persephone, who was already married.

Genealogy

Genealogy

Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera. He had many siblings, such as Hermes, and Aphrodite. He also had many consorts, with whom he had many children. His favourite consort was his sister, Aphrodite. The Amazons were thought to be be descendants of Ares.

Symbols and Importance

Symbols and

Importance

In Renaissance and Neoclassical works of art, Ares symbols are a spear and helmet, his animal and dog and his bird is the vulture. Other symbols that represent Ares are a chariot, boar and flaming torch as well as the colours red and purple. Ares was important especially to the Spartans, who viewed him as the model soldier with qualities of resilience, strength and military intelligence. His temple in the Athenian agora was where Athenian trials were held and where the armies gave sacrifices before going off to war.

Representation

Representation

Mars was the Roman god of war, the equivalent the the Greek god Ares. He was the protector of Rome and the Roman way of life and defender of their city borders and frontiers, and important festivals connected to warfare were held in his honour. In addition to this, he also was an agricultural guardian.

Origin

Mars was second in importance, only to Jupiter and he was the most prominent of the military gods in the religion of the Roman army. Although most of the myths involving Mars were borrowed from the Greeks, Mars had some features that were uniquely Roman. He was seen as a more virtuous figure by the more martial-oriented Romans. Mars was originally the god of agriculture but then became a god of war, which was when the Romans identified him with the Greek god, Ares.

Genealogy

Genealogy

Mars was the son of Jupiter (god of the sky and thunder) and Juno, and brother to Vulican and Juventia. He had two children, Romulus and Remus. He also had multiple consorts, such as Nerio, Venus and Bellona.

Symbols and Importance

Symbols and Importance

Mars was often depicted clothed in bronze armour. His symbols were a spear, vulture, woodpecker, dog, eagle, owl and a burning torch. Mars also rode a chariot drawn by fire-breathing horses. As earlier stated, many festivals were held for Mars where the Romans sacrificed pigs to their god of war. Mars was symbolic of fatherly themes such as: Provision, Security, Order, and teaching male-centric skills of the time. He was very important to the Romans as he was one of the most prominent military gods. Before he became the god of war, he was the protector of agriculture. They valued this because agriculture was necessary for life. As the god of war, he was highly valued because the Romans loved to conquering and they believed that their god would help them with this.