Ares was the god of war. He wore armor and a helmet, and he carried a shield, sword, and spear. He was big and strong and had a fierce war cry, but his war cry was mostly just a lot of noise. Ares didn’t fight at all well. The armored goddess Athena was a much better warrior.
The Ancient Greeks didn’t like war, and they didn’t like Ares, either. They considered him a troublemaker. And like many troublemakers, Ares was a coward and a bully.
In fact, Ares was never really of use to anybody in a war. One time a group of giants declared war on the gods. The giants wanted to rule the entire universe. To keep Ares out of the fighting, they sneaked up on him and knocked him out cold, then they stuffed him into a jar.
The other gods heard Ares screaming for somebody to let him out. They just ignored him because they figured they could fight better without him. They went on to defeat the giants, and then they let Ares out of the jar after the battle was over. Ares bragged about how he could have beaten the giants if he’d been free. The other gods only laughed.
Ares never stayed loyal to one side or the other in a war. He just enjoyed watching people fighting and dying. The war between Greece and Troy was one of the worst ever fought, and even the gods joined in the battle. When the war started, Ares promised his mother, Hera, to help the Greeks. But he was in love with the goddess Aphrodite, so she easily talked him into helping the Trojans.
The Trojans would have been just as happy without Ares’s help. Always the bully, he didn’t pick fights with other gods. Instead, he challenged a mortal Greek warrior named Diomedes, but Diomedes wounded Ares.
Ares liked to cause pain for others, but he whined and complained whenever he got hurt. This time was no different. The wound he got from Diomedes wasn’t very serious, but even so, Ares didn’t keep fighting. He went running back to Olympus, the home of the gods, and wept and wailed to his father Zeus. Even though Zeus bandaged up Ares’s wound, he was not at all proud of his warrior son.
That wasn’t the only time Ares was wounded. The great hero Heracles wounded him twice, and one of those times he took away Ares’s armor and weapons. Both times Ares ran away crying to Olympus.
Here are some interesting facts about Ares’s story:
•For a long time, historians thought that the city of Troy was just a legend. But the ruins of Troy have been found in modern-day Turkey.
•The Trojan War was also thought to be only a legend. But today some historians think that there really was such a war. It was fought between Greece and Troy.
•The Greeks had good reason to dislike war. The cities of Greece fought each other in a terrible war that lasted for 27 years. It’s called the Peloponnesian War.
•Although the Ancient Greeks didn’t like Ares, the Ancient Romans admired him. They called him Mars. They told stories that made Mars sound like a hero.
•The Romans liked Ares because they thought that war was noble. The Romans spoke Latin. The Latin words for “war” and “beauty” are very similar. The word for “war” is “bellum.” The word for “beauty” is “bellus.”
The Ancient Greeks didn’t like war, and they didn’t like Ares, either. They considered him a troublemaker. And like many troublemakers, Ares was a coward and a bully.
In fact, Ares was never really of use to anybody in a war. One time a group of giants declared war on the gods. The giants wanted to rule the entire universe. To keep Ares out of the fighting, they sneaked up on him and knocked him out cold, then they stuffed him into a jar.
The other gods heard Ares screaming for somebody to let him out. They just ignored him because they figured they could fight better without him. They went on to defeat the giants, and then they let Ares out of the jar after the battle was over. Ares bragged about how he could have beaten the giants if he’d been free. The other gods only laughed.
Ares never stayed loyal to one side or the other in a war. He just enjoyed watching people fighting and dying. The war between Greece and Troy was one of the worst ever fought, and even the gods joined in the battle. When the war started, Ares promised his mother, Hera, to help the Greeks. But he was in love with the goddess Aphrodite, so she easily talked him into helping the Trojans.
The Trojans would have been just as happy without Ares’s help. Always the bully, he didn’t pick fights with other gods. Instead, he challenged a mortal Greek warrior named Diomedes, but Diomedes wounded Ares.
Ares liked to cause pain for others, but he whined and complained whenever he got hurt. This time was no different. The wound he got from Diomedes wasn’t very serious, but even so, Ares didn’t keep fighting. He went running back to Olympus, the home of the gods, and wept and wailed to his father Zeus. Even though Zeus bandaged up Ares’s wound, he was not at all proud of his warrior son.
That wasn’t the only time Ares was wounded. The great hero Heracles wounded him twice, and one of those times he took away Ares’s armor and weapons. Both times Ares ran away crying to Olympus.
Here are some interesting facts about Ares’s story:
•For a long time, historians thought that the city of Troy was just a legend. But the ruins of Troy have been found in modern-day Turkey.
•The Trojan War was also thought to be only a legend. But today some historians think that there really was such a war. It was fought between Greece and Troy.
•The Greeks had good reason to dislike war. The cities of Greece fought each other in a terrible war that lasted for 27 years. It’s called the Peloponnesian War.
•Although the Ancient Greeks didn’t like Ares, the Ancient Romans admired him. They called him Mars. They told stories that made Mars sound like a hero.
•The Romans liked Ares because they thought that war was noble. The Romans spoke Latin. The Latin words for “war” and “beauty” are very similar. The word for “war” is “bellum.” The word for “beauty” is “bellus.”