Ares-God of War

Ares is always depicted as the epitome of strength.  He is muscular, tall, and often cruel.  In fact, he is notably the most hated God by all of the Olympians. 


Birth

Born son of Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of the Gods.  He is the ultimate personification of war and strife.

Mythology

Ares is always mentioned as over zealous for war and blood, and the first one to engage in any battle at any time.  In combat he is often characterized by his shining helmet, armor, and sword and arrives to battle in a chariot.  In Homer's Iliad which we read in class, Zeus says of his own son, "Most hateful to me are you of all Gods on Olympus, for ever is strife dear to you and wars and fighting." It is interesting to note also that very few myths feature Ares is a main component, he instead is featured in smaller roles in various other myths.  

Ares in Art

Much like in literature, in art Ares is depicted as handsome, and a youthful warrior.  Most artistic representations of him are sculptures rather than paintings.  The most famous sculpture being the Ares Borghese, which was carved in 125 CE and named after the Borghese family which purchased it.



Children of Ares  

Ares had many children with many goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women.  Most of his children were bloodthirsty like their father, known for their lack of compassion and heart and several met with horrible deaths.  

Discussion

We see that not many people favored Ares, or ended up worshiping him as we saw with Aphrodite and will see with other Gods.  Why do you think that is? Do you find anything admirable about him? What are some modern day literature foils for Ares that you can think of?