Ares: The God of War

Essay by 2hvy4grvtyJunior High, 9th grade January 2005

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Greek mythology is one of the greatest creations created of all times. It is filled with vivid and descriptive stories about the Greek gods and heroes that were part of their religion in that time. Greeks worshipped each of these gods and heroes, also creating different temples in various cities. As a result, many of these gods still have enormous influences on how our world works today. One of those gods, the Greek god of war, exemplifies many qualities which many people expect from him, although strongly disliked by most. The Greek God of war, Ares, is the son of Zeus and Hera (Van Aken 18), and has had difficulties living in the world of the Greeks, whilst many different views have been given of him. For example, in early Greek vases, Ares was depicted as an old and seasoned warrior with a shield and a helmet, but in later vases, he was seen as more youthful and less warlike (Van Aken 18).

Ares, as the god of war, has an emblem of a wild boar and a bloodstained spear. These are supposed to represent his strength and ruthless urge to fight (Graves 9). However, Ares is also sometimes associated with vultures and dogs. He delights in the pure destruction of war, and enjoys seeing people suffer (Van Aken 18). The true testament of his cruelty however lies within how his throne has been made. Custom built, his throne that sits opposite to Aphrodite is built of brass, strong and ugly, while the huge brass knobs on the edges are in the shape of skulls, finally covered with human skin (Graves 8-9)! In this way, many people have detested him for his disturbing nature and his way of fighting (Van Aken 18), however, there are also a few people...