Ares (T1)

Ares is the god of war in Greek mythology. He is often represents the physical and untamed aspects of war. He is seen as the opposite of the goddess of wisdom, Athena, who is known for her strategies in war used in a more modest way in comparison.

Ares is the one of the sons of Hera and Zeus.His siblings consist of Eris, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces, Enyo, and Eileithya. Incest is often expressed in Greek mythology, so the myth including Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares was not seen as taboo as it would be conceived as today.

In that myth, Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus. This is a punishment inflicted upon her by Zeus for messing up other god’s and goddess’s relationships. Throughout the myth, Aphrodite constantly cheated on her husband, Hephaestus, with Ares. She was impressed by his brutality and his incredible power and strength. She is used to the lame Hephaestus, so Ares was the exact opposite of her current husband.  Within this myth, another god, Hermes, tells Hephaestus that his wife is cheating on him. Then Hephaestus, with his strong skills in metal working and crafting, created a trap. He caught Ares and Aphrodite in the act and captured them in his trap. He then invited all the gods and goddesses to come look at Ares and Aphrodite in their embarrassed and vulnerable condition. This resulted in conflict between the gods.

The Greeks had mixed feelings about Ares because of his extensive history with war encounters and his brutal strength and power. His value as a war god was doubted by the people because he was n the losing side of the Trojan War, when the other war god, Athena, was o n the winning side.