Ares, the son of Zeus and Hera,
was the god of war, who gloried in strife for its own sake; he loved the tumult
and havoc of the battlefield, and delighted in slaughter and extermination; in
fact he presents no benevolent aspect which could possibly react favourably
upon human life.
Epic poets, in particular,
represent the god of battles as a wild ungovernable warrior, who passes through
the armies like a whirlwind, hurling to the ground the brave and cowardly
alike; destroying chariots and helmets, and triumphing over the terrible
desolation which he produces.
In all the myths concerning
Ares, his sister Athene ever appears in opposition to him, endeavouring by
every means in her power to defeat his bloodthirsty designs. Thus she assists the
divine hero Diomedes at the siege of Troy, to overcome Ares in battle, and so
well does he profit by her timely aid, that he succeeds in wounding the
sanguinary war-god, who makes his exit from the field, roaring like ten
thousand bulls.