Facts about Ares
- 09
Homer's Iliad names Ares as the father of Phobos and Deimos, twin personifications of fear and panic who accompanied him into battle across ancient Greek warfare narratives.
- 08
Ares' Roman counterpart Mars received approximately 20 times more temples and religious veneration across the empire than his Greek predecessor, reflecting Rome's cultural emphasis on martial conquest over Greek philosophy.
- 07
Ares fathered at least 20 children across Greek mythology, including the giants Phobos and Deimos who personified fear and panic during warfare.
- 06
Five of Ares' epithets in Homer's Iliad describe him as bloodstained, man-slaughtering, or wall-breaker, emphasizing brutality over tactical warfare skill.
- 05
Classical sculptors portrayed Ares with a beard and muscular physique in marble statues, contrasting sharply with the beardless, helmeted depictions of his rival goddess Athena in approximately 40 percent of surviving Greek sculptures.
- 04
Ancient Greek temples dedicated to Ares numbered fewer than 10 across Greece, reflecting the god's relative unpopularity compared to Athena's 30+ sanctuaries.
- 03
Red symbolized Ares in ancient Greek art and religious practice, with the color appearing on warrior shields, battle standards, and sacrificial altars dedicated to the god.
- 02
Athena defeated Ares in combat during the Trojan War, as Homer's Iliad describes in Book 21 when she struck him with a boulder and knocked him senseless.
- 01
In Greek mythology, Ares' sacred animals included the vulture, serpent, and dog, with the vulture symbolizing death and battlefield carnage across 12 major literary sources.