Ares

In Greek mythology, Ares (Ancient Greek: Ἄρης, modern GreekZeus (ruler of the gods) and Hera. Though often incorrectly referred to as the Olympian god of war, he is more accurately the god of savage war, or bloodlust, or slaughter personified. The Romans identified him as Mars, the Roman god of war (whom they had inherited from the Etruscans), but among them, Mars stood in much higher esteem.

Among the Hellenes, Ares was always distrusted. Though Ares' half-sister Athena was also considered to be a war deity, Athena's stance was that of strategic warfare while Ares' tended to be the unpredictable violence of war. His birthplace and true home was placed far off, among the barbarous and warlike Thracians (Iliad 13.301; Ovid, Ars Amatoria, II.10;), to whom he withdrew after he was discovered on a couch with Aphrodite.

"Ares" remained an adjective and epithet in Classical times: Zeus Areios, Athena Areia, even Aphrodite Areia. In Mycenaean times, inscriptions attest to Enyalios, a name that survived into Classical times as an epithet of Ares. Vultures and dogs are sacred to him.