Ares Greek Mythology: The God of War Nobody Wanted Around

Ares, in Greek mythology, starts off strangely, since even his own parents didn't like him. Zeus once called Ares the Olympian he hated most, and Hera was not quick to defend her son.

That's a tough situation for someone whose whole role was war. Ares was one of the twelve Olympians, the son of Zeus and Hera, and represented bloodlust and combat. Still, a peer-reviewed study of the Temple of Ares in the Athenian Agora found no confirmed temple to Ares in Athens before the Roman Imperial period. This means Greece's god of war hardly had a proper place of worship.

This guide explains who Ares really was, the family drama that surrounded him, and the myths that his more famous relatives, especially Athena, often overshadowed.

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Here's a quick summary before you get into the myths.

• Ares is the Olympian god of war and bloodlust in Greek mythology.
• Son of Zeus and Hera, disliked by both parents.
• His Roman counterpart, Mars, earned far more respect.
• Father of Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, Eros, and Anteros with Aphrodite.
• Symbols include the spear, shield, helmet, and vulture.

Ares is the Olympian god of war in Greek mythology, born to Zeus and Hera on Mount Olympus. They also raised Hebe, the goddess of youth, and Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, so Ares grew up with siblings who had much gentler roles.

Many scholars think Ares's character comes from Thrace, a rough region north of Greece known for raiding. Early poets like Archilochus sometimes called him Enyalius, a name that later belonged to a minor war god in some city cults. No matter his origin, Ares was known as a fighter who preferred chaos over discipline.

Zeus, Ares's father, ruled the sky with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Meanwhile, Ares grew up with half-siblings who were better than him at almost everything: Athena was skilled in strategy, Apollo in music and prophecy, Artemis in hunting, Hermes in cleverness, and Dionysus in parties. Ares's main skill was fighting, and that was about it.

Ares vs Athena: Two gods of war, two different jobs

Greek mythology gave the Greeks two war gods who were very different from each other. Here's how they compare.

Ares stood for the parts of war people avoid talking about, like panic and bloodlust. Athena stood for the qualities that actually win wars. Greek city-states saw this difference, which is why Athens focused on Athena and mostly ignored Ares.

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Ares's most famous relationship was with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who was already married to Hephaestus, the god of the forge. When Aphrodite and Ares had an affair, Hephaestus built an invisible bronze net, caught them together, and invited the other gods to see. Even the gods liked a scandal.

The affair produced several children: Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Dread), who rode beside their father into battle, as well as Harmonia, Eros, and Anteros. Harmonia later married Cadmus, the legendary founder of Thebes, thereby tying Ares's bloodline directly to one of Greek mythology's most important cities.

Some myths go further and say Ares was the father of the Amazons, the famous tribe of warrior women. Heracles later fought them during his ninth labor, when he had to get their queen's girdle. No matter which version you believe, life around Ares was never quiet.

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The Areopagus is a rocky hill in Athens that became the name of one of the city's oldest courts. The story behind the name starts with Ares. According to myth, Ares killed Halirrhothius, a son of Poseidon, after Halirrhothius attacked Ares's daughter Alcippe.

Instead of ignoring the killing, the gods put Ares on trial before a jury of Olympians. He was found not guilty, and the hill kept the name Areopagus for the court that met there for centuries. This is one of the few times Greek mythology directly shaped a real historical institution.

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Ares appears in many Greek myths, but he rarely looks good. In Homer's Iliad, he fights for Troy in the Trojan War but is wounded by the mortal hero Diomedes, who had help from Athena. Losing to humans with some divine help became a pattern for Ares.

Ares also met Heracles several times. When Heracles killed Cycnus, one of Ares's sons, in a duel, Ares tried to get revenge and fought Heracles himself. He was wounded and had to retreat to Olympus. Even his own children could not help him win a rematch.

Some myths were even harsher. The giant twins called the Aloadae once captured Ares and locked him in a bronze jar for thirteen months, until Hermes freed him. When the monster Typhon attacked Olympus, Ares ran away with the other gods, which was not a proud moment for a god of courage.

Ares's story is also connected to the Golden Fleece. In some versions, the ram with the golden fleece was sacred to Ares, and its fleece hung in a grove near Colchis and Scythia, guarded by a dragon until Jason and the Argonauts arrived. On the battlefield, Ares was rarely alone. Eris, the goddess of strife, and Enyo, another war goddess, often rode with him, creating the chaos he enjoyed most.

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For an Olympian, Ares had a surprisingly small role in Greek religious life. A peer-reviewed study of the Temple of Ares in the Athenian Agora found no confirmed temple to Ares in Athens before the Roman Imperial period. This means the god of war had fewer shrines than almost any other major Olympian.

Even Sparta, which many people think worshipped a war god most, actually focused its religious life on Athena and Apollo. Ares's cult was stronger in places like Thrace and Scythia, where raiding was common and matched his personality better than the organized religion of Athens or Sparta.

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Ares carried the usual weapons of war: a spear, shield, helmet, and sword. This made him hard to tell apart from other warriors in Greek art. His most unique symbol was the vulture, a bird linked to the aftermath of battle instead of the fighting itself.

Some regional cults also connected Ares to the boar and the serpent, but these appear less often in art than the spear and vulture. Without a special weapon like Zeus's thunderbolt or Poseidon's trident, Ares often blends into the background of ancient pottery, which fits a god who never got much respect.

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You don't need a degree in mythology to enjoy stories like Ares's trial or his rivalry with Athena. Nibble makes topics like Greek mythology into short daily lessons you can read, watch, or play in less than ten minutes.

Nibble's History and Religion topics include figures like Ares and explore the wider world of ancient beliefs. The app's trivia and educational games help facts like the Areopagus trial stick without feeling like homework. You can even chat with historical personalities in the app, which makes a unique god like Ares easier to remember than any list of facts.

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