Ares is the god of war. Symbol of the god Ares

It is known that many ancient peoples had their own beliefs, which today are called paganism. The mythology of the ancient Greeks is especially interesting with a great variety of legends and characters - titans, immortal gods, nymphs and muses. Each of them occupies its own place, has a unique character and its purpose. An important place in mythology is occupied by Ares, the god of war, - he is one of the twelve major gods of Olympus.

The Origin of God

It is generally accepted that Ares is the only son of Zeus and Hera. In addition, in Roman mythology, there is a version according to which Ares was born a Hero on his own, without the participation of Zeus, - the conception was due to the touch of a magical flower that gave fertility. It is known that Hephaestus was thus born.

There is another, less common, version of his name - Aray, or Areyon.

Characteristics

Ancient Greek god Ares was not the only patron of the war - his sister Athena Pallada personified a fair and just war. Ares was bloodthirsty, reckless, always trying to fight, despite the fact that the Olympians were forbidden to directly interfere in the affairs of people and participate in battles. He preferred war for the sake of war itself, and often under the influence of emotions could stand on someone's side and fight, crushing everything in its path.

Ares is the god of bloody and cruel war. Concerning other spheres of life, he is characterized as aggressive, quick-tempered and impulsive, making rash acts, for which he is disliked by the rest of the inhabitants of Olympus. Reasonable Athena even despises Ares for his violent disposition and constantly strives to teach a lesson. Also dislikes God and his father - Zeus. However, the Olympians have to reckon with Ares only because of his noble origin.

But Ares has also good qualities - it's loyalty and loyalty, a willingness to stand up for his loved ones and protect those to whom he is supportive. It is worth noting that not all the gods of Olympus can boast of these qualities.

Lover and father

Despite how cruel and insidious is Ares, God does not remain indifferent to the legendary beauty of Aphrodite. She was the wife of Hephaestus, but it is believed that it was with Ares that she had the strongest and passionate love. The Union of War and Love proved to be quite strong. Although between the gods of Olympus often arose love relationships, so that sometimes it is not clear who and whose lover was, the bonds of Ares and Aphrodite can rightly be called one of the strongest and durable.

As a result of this love, the gods had children: the sons of Phobos (horror) and Deimos (fear), who accompanied his father to the battlefield. And the name of their daughter - Harmony - symbolizes the coherence of relations between Ares and Aphrodite, who are opposite each other. The god of love of Eros (Eros or Cupid) and the opposite of Anteros are also considered their descendants, however this is not the only version regarding their origin.

The god of war had other descendants, at least three of them participated in the march behind the golden fleece, and one of the daughters became the queen of the Amazons. Many of his children inherited the character traits that characterized Ares. God is very attached to his children and, if necessary, was always ready to intercede for them.

Myths about Ares

Ancient Greek mythology abounds with an infinite number of legends and legends. In fact, there are so many of them that sometimes some myths can contradict each other. God of ancient Greece Ares is no exception and he also has his own story.

As a child, Ares had to spend thirteen months chained in a chain and imprisoned in a bronze vessel - so the twins-giants Aloada Ot and Ephialt "joked" over him. Later, the stepmother of the giants told Hermes about this, who saved little Ares and stopped his torment.

Initially, Ares studied the art of dance with Priapus, who was entrusted with the education of the young god by his parent Hera. And only after that the future god of war began to comprehend the basics of military affairs.

Another myth about the god Ares tells of those episodes when he was the beloved of Aphrodite. The husband of the goddess, Hephaestus, having learned about the betrayal of his wife, wanted to expose his lovers and take them in red. To do this, he created a strong and invisible network, which he secured over his wife's bed, then pretended to leave his business. Ares did not take long to wait and after a while he already crouched with Aphrodite, not knowing about the trap that Hephaestus had prepared for them. When the lovers realized that they were trapped, the legal spouse called the gods of Olympus to witness this treachery, but as a result, none of this came to pass - the celestials only laughed at the caught lovers.

Symbols and attributes of the god of war

Hand in hand with Ares followed by his companions - bloodthirsty Enio and the goddess of discord Eris. Well, how about fighting without a horse? The patron of the war had as many as four, and called them respectively - Glitter, Flame, Terror and Noise. However, the symbol of the god Ares is the war itself, its destruction, sacrifices and everything connected with it. His attributes were mainly a spear and a lit torch, as well as furious dogs and a kite, which plagued the warriors who had fallen in battle.

Usually, Ares was portrayed as a strong and energetic man. He can have a beard, and maybe even without it, but he must have the attributes of a warrior: a helmet, a shield, and also a sword or a spear. Sometimes it wears armor or a metal breastplate. He is a huge, blood-stained destroyer of people, destroying cities, - this was how the ancient Greeks Ares, the god of war.

Attitude to Ares

In ancient Greece, Ares was generally treated negatively, did not like and was afraid of him. This is reflected in the poems of Homer, describing, for example, the Trojan War, in which the god of war himself took part. The bloodthirsty madman, rushing from side to side, is the description of God in the Iliad. Ares is boastful and unrestrained, and when he suffers defeat, he even has complaints and nagging. It happened when Athena once again brought certain inconveniences to her brother, sending Diomedes' hand, which helped him to injure the immortal and strong god with a spear. But Zeus did not heed his son's complaints and only further humiliated him, saying that he is disgusting to him in connection with Ares's penchant for fights and carnage.

However, not only the thunderbolt Zeus was bad for the war god, let alone talk about the constant confrontation between Ares and Athena Pallada. The ancient Greeks loved rationality and prudence, and Ares just did not have these qualities. However, even Homer had positive epithets about the god of war - in "Hymn to Ares" he is referred to as the father of victory, a supporter of justice, a model of masculinity.

In Roman mythology

If the Greeks did not particularly venerate Ares, then the Romans, on the contrary, treated the god of war with great respect. In the ancient Roman tradition, Ares was called Mars, and he occupied a significant place in the pantheon of the gods - above him was only Jupiter (Zeus). Mars is considered the patron of the people and the state, as well as the father of Romulus and Remus, the founding brothers of Rome.

Sculptures

In ancient Greece, Ares was not too popular, so in our time, not so many of his sculptures are known. The most significant are the statues of antiquity "Ares Borghese" and "Ares Ludovisi", which in fact are Roman copies.

In the Louvre of Paris today is one of these monuments, which depicts the god Ares, his photo is presented above.