Ares
Ares was the Greek god of War, and the son of Zeus and Hera. He has been seen wearing a golden helmet and riding in a chariot brandishing his enormous spear.
Ares was not a popular god. A vicious crowd always followed him: Pan, Panic Famine, Oblivion, Fear (his son Phobos) and Terron (his son Deimos). The Romans identified him as the god Mars but he wasn't close to Mars' nobility. The followers of Ares and the humiliation and defeats that plagued him symbolized the horror the Athenians felt toward him because of his love for senseless war and brutality.
For them wars were waged only for a good and noble reason. But Ares needed no reason for war; he just loved to battle. Ares was bloody and brutal and many gods on Mount Olympus hated his behavior. Even his own half-sister Athena didn't like him. She hated him so much that she helped the hero Diomedes defeat him in battle by wounding him very badly.
Heracles (Hercules) also defeated him in battle when fighting in defense of his son Cynus. Otus and Ephilates, known as the Aloeids also despised Ares. They somehow managed to imprison him in a broze jar where he remained for 13 months until Hermes found and relesed him. Even his brother Hephatestus hated him.
But Hephatestus didn't hate him for his love of war and brutality, he hated him because of his love for Aphrodite, Hephatestus's wife. Hephatestus, being a god of excellent construction and brilliance, crafted an invincible net of gold. So when Ares and Aphrodite were together it would capture them and that ultimately led to his humiliation in the face of all the gods on Mount Olympus.
Ares also had many children, all off which were unlucky in battle. Ares was the father of Alcippe by the nymph Aglaurus. And when Alcippe was violated by Halirrhothius, a son of Poseidon, he killed him. Ares was put on trial on a hill in Athens now named the "Hill of Apes". Ares' trial is also known to be the first historical trial in legend.
Ares' son had bad battle records. His son Diamedes who fed his horses flesh was put to death by Heracles (Hercules) while performing the 12 labors. His son Cyncus by Pelopia or Pyrene was also killed by Heracles whom he challenged in battle. Another soul, Oenomaus, was defeated in a chariot race by Harpina and subsequently died. The only son of Ares who was not unluchy was Eros (Cupid), who was the god of love and also the son of Aphrodite.
by Michael Booker
Source Book: Greek and Roman Myths A to
Z
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