Greek God of War: Why Ancient Greeks Hated Ares

While most people name Ares when asked about the Greek god of war, ancient Greeks largely hated him—viewing the deity of war’s chaos and brutality with suspicion rather than reverence.

Primary Deity: Ares · Roman Equivalent: Mars · Parents: Zeus and Hera · Key Domain: Brutal warfare · Olympian Status: One of 12

Who is the actual Greek god of war?

Ares is the ancient Greek god of war—or, more properly, the spirit of battle itself. According to Britannica, he was the personification of warfare in its most primal form: carnage, bloodshed, and unrestrained violence. Unlike deities who might represent victory or military discipline, Ares embodied the panic and chaos that swept across battlefields.

The research notes confirm that Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera, making him a full Olympian—but his family status did him little favors among his siblings. Wikipedia and other classical sources document that nearly every other god on Mount Olympus despised him. His own mother, Hera, was said to have harbored complicated feelings about her violent son, and even his father’s patience wore thin when Ares caused trouble.

Origins and identity

Ares’ mythology places him as one of the twelve Olympians, the major deities who gained their supremacy after a ten-year war of the gods, led by Zeus against the Titans. The Olympians were named after their dwelling place: Mount Olympus. However, despite his official status among these supreme deities, Ares occupied an awkward position. While Athena, Apollo, and other Olympians received temples and dedicated worship, Ares did not.

Distinction from Athena

The contrast with Athena is striking. Where Ares was brute force and savagery, Athena represented strategy and forethought. Ancient Origins notes that Athena was the goddess of wisdom in warfare, emphasizing careful planning over uncontrolled bloodshed. The ancient Greeks, who valued philosophical discipline even in their approach to war, clearly favored Athena’s methods.

Stories of Ares and Athena locked in battle inevitably result in victory for Athena. — Ancient Origins mythology guide

Ares was the ancient Greek god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. — Britannica encyclopedia

This pattern of divine failure reveals how Greek society valued intellectual mastery over raw aggression.

Who are the two Greek gods of war?

Out of twelve Olympian gods, two deities were devoted to armed conflict. Ancient Origins confirms that Ares and Athena represent the dual nature of warfare in Greek thought. This dualism reflects how the ancient Greeks understood battle: as both a physical and philosophical act.

Ares and Athena were half-siblings who shared Zeus as their father—Ares’ mother was Hera, while Athena’s mother was Metis. Yet their approaches to war could not have been more different. Ares resolved disputes through battling rather than compromising, while Athena remained calm and diplomatic before heading into battle.

Ares’ role

Study.com documents that Ares was known for his proneness to violence and for resolving disputes through battling rather than compromising. The ancient Greeks viewed this approach negatively, and Ares was not highly regarded among either gods or men because of his hubris, anger, and repeated defeats. He was less honored than Athena, with few temples dedicated to him and limited formal worship.

Athena’s contrasting domain

Athena received widespread reverence, particularly in Athens, the city that bore her name. GreekReporter notes that the ancient Greeks favored Athena’s approach to war, as reflected in both their myths and religious practices. While Ares embodied savagery, Athena represented the wise approach to war—careful strategy, forethought, and disciplined execution.

What are the 12 main Greek gods?

The twelve Olympians are the major deities of the Greek pantheon. Wikipedia confirms they are commonly considered to be Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, and either Hestia or Dionysus depending on the source.

These gods gained their supremacy in a ten-year-long war of the gods, in which Zeus led his siblings to victory over the Titans. They were named after their dwelling place on Mount Olympus, and together they represented the main forces of nature and human experience in Greek mythology.

Olympians list

The roster typically includes Zeus as king of the gods, Hera as his wife, Poseidon as god of the sea, Demeter as goddess of the harvest, Aphrodite as goddess of love, Athena as goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, Artemis as goddess of the hunt, Apollo as god of the sun and arts, Ares as god of war, Hephaestus as god of the forge, Hermes as messenger, and either Hestia (goddess of the hearth) or Dionysus (god of wine) completing the twelve.

Ares’ place among them

Despite being one of the twelve Olympians, Ares occupied a peculiar position. The research notes that all the other gods despised him except Aphrodite, his frequent lover. While the other Olympians received temples and festivals, Ares inspired comparatively little devotion. This rejection likely reflected Greek values that prized moderation and strategy over raw aggression.

Who is the girlfriend of Ares?

Ares’ most famous relationship was with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Study.com documents that their affair was well-known in Greek mythology, though it was not without complications. Hephaestus, Aphrodite’s husband, once trapped the couple in a magical net and exposed them to the ridicule of the other gods.

Unlike Athena, who remained a virgin deity throughout Greek mythology, Ares fathered many children by several different lovers. Study.com notes this contrast in their approaches to relationships and sexuality, with Athena embodying disciplined self-control while Ares pursued desire without restraint.

Relationship with Aphrodite

The union of the god of war and the goddess of love created an ironic pairing that appealed to Greek storytellers. Their relationship represented the entanglement of violence and passion, chaos and beauty. In many depictions, Aphrodite is shown as the only one who could soften or control Ares’ violent nature.

Children and myths

Ares fathered numerous children who became notable figures in Greek mythology. These offspring often inherited aspects of their father’s violent nature, becoming warriors, Amazons, and other figures associated with conflict. The exact roster varies by source, reflecting the fluid nature of mythological genealogies.

Is it Aris or Ares?

The correct spelling of the Greek god of war is Ares, with two syllables: Ar-es (pronounced approximately “AIR-eez” or “AH-res” depending on the transliteration tradition). “Aris” is primarily a modern Greek and Slavic given name that derives from Ares but is not the mythological name itself.

Correct spelling and pronunciation

In academic and classical contexts, the name is consistently spelled Ares. The pronunciation varies between different traditions: some scholars emphasize the first syllable (AIR-es), while others use a more open first vowel (AH-res). Both are acceptable in English-language scholarship.

Common confusions

The confusion between Ares and Aris often arises because Aris is a common contemporary given name in Greece, Turkey, and other regions. Media coverage and modern adaptations sometimes use “Aris” informally, but when referring to the mythological deity, the standard form is Ares. In the video game franchise “God of War,” the antagonist is explicitly named Ares.

Ares vs Athena: A side-by-side comparison

The Greek pantheon included two distinct approaches to warfare, and the contrast between Ares and Athena reveals much about Greek values.

GreekReporter notes that stories of Ares and Athena locked in battle inevitably resulted in victory for Athena. During the Trojan War, Athena attacked Ares with a boulder and assisted Diomedes in wounding him—and Zeus reportedly had to intervene to stop the conflict. This divine rivalry underscores how the Greeks crafted mythology to celebrate strategy over savagery.

Key myths involving Ares

The mythology of Ares includes tales that underscore his violent nature and the complicated relationships among the Olympians.

The Cadmus myth

GreekReporter recounts the myth of Cadmus and the dragon, which illustrates the Greek preference for Athena. After Cadmus killed a dragon sacred to Ares, the war god demanded eight years of servitude. Athena then helped Cadmus found Thebes, positioning her as the divine patron of civilization over Ares’ demands for blood.

The Trojan War

Study.com documents that during the Trojan War, Athena actively assisted Greek heroes in confronting Ares. She helped Diomedes wound the god of war, demonstrating that even the gods themselves recognized Athena’s superior approach to armed conflict.

Ares and the giants

According to some sources, Ares was once captured by the Aloadae giants and imprisoned in a bronze jar for thirteen months before Hermes rescued him. This story underscores how even Ares could be vulnerable despite his association with warfare—a reminder that brute strength alone did not guarantee victory.

The legacy of the god of war

Despite his lack of widespread worship in ancient Greece, Ares looms large in modern culture. The video game “God of War” features the deity as a central antagonist, and films, novels, and other media continue to draw on his mythology.

The dualism between Ares and Athena remains relevant today as a framework for thinking about conflict. The ancient Greek philosophy of war favored careful and strategic killing while shunning uncontrolled bloodshed—a distinction that resonates in contemporary discussions about the ethics of warfare and the balance between force and strategy.

Related reading: Ares Myths, Family and True Facts

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