Ares
According to Greek mythology, Ares is one of the sons of Zeus. Zeus was the ruler of all gods once he overthrew his father, along with the help of his siblings and the Cyclopes, and Hecatonchires. Ares was the god of war, or to some considered to be the god of savage war, bloodlust, or slaughter. The Romans named him Mars, and considered him to be the god of war and the god of agriculture. Ares was not trusted by the Hellenes. Ares was said to have been born in a far off place among the barbarous and warlike Thracians. After his affair with Aphrodite was discovered and revealed, he left there.
Ares drove a chariot pulled by 4 gold bridled fire breathing stallions. He was recognized with his brazen armor and his brandished spear. He sacred birds were the barn owl, the eagle owl, the woodpecker, and the vulture. The birds of Ares were considered to be a flock of dart dropping creatures which guarded the Amazons’ shrine of Ares, which was located on a coastal island in the Black Sea. In Sparta it was not unusual for a dog to be sacrificed at night time, to Ares. Many times there was a sacrifice made to Ares on the eve of a battle.
Ares is not mentioned much in the cult in ancient Greece but he is mentioned a lot in the poetry of Greece. He was worshiped in Sparta where he appeared before each battle. In Sparta there was a statue of Ares in chains, which represented the idea that the spirit of war and victory would never leave the city. There was a temple for Ares in the Agora of Athens. This temple had been rededicated and had actually been a Roman temple for Mars.
Ares had 4 children by Aphrodite. They were Deimos, Eros, Harmonia, and Phobos and they were the spirits of terror and fear. Eris or Enyo was the sister of Ares. She was the goddess of bloodshed and violence. Ares was always accompanied by Kydoimos and Makhai (Battles). Kydoimos was the demon of battle,. He also had as company, the Hysminai (Manslaughters), Polemos (a spirit of war), and Llala (Polemos’ daughter), who was the goddess of personification of the Greek war cry. Ares also had a sister named Hebe and she would draw baths for him when she was young.
Ares had other children with other women besides Aphrodite. He and Agaulus gave birth to Alcippe, Cyrene gave birth to Diomedes. Harpina gave birth to Oenomaus, Otrera gave birth to Cycnus, Astyoche gave birth to Ascalaphus and Ialmenus, Bistonis gave birth to Tereus, Rhea Silvia gave birth to Remus and Romulus, and Ares was the father to Antiope, Biston, Enyo, Eirytion, Hippolyte, Melanippe, and Thrax, by unknown women.
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