warlike derived from the roman god of war

The next time someone suggests that the Roman and Greek gods were carbon copies, you can put on your Mythologian cap, and intellectually decimate them in the name of Mars. The differences between Mars and Ares (with particular regard to their origins) outweigh the similarities. Sure, just go ahead and do what everyone’s expecting you to do. Together they had four children, Cupid, Deimos, Phobos and Hermonia. Unlike Ares, Mars had a wife: Bellona, a Roman war goddess. However, like Ares, Mars also had an affair with the love goddess, Venus. Quirinus was a war god, said to be no other than Romulus, the founder of Rome, exalted after his death to a place among the gods. Mars’ symbols are the dog, sword, vulture and bloodshed. The Romans began life as farmers (back in the days before Romulus and Remus) and Mars protected them from the invading hordes of pests that ate and ruined crops. When the overall Roman mentality switched to a more warlike tone, Mars followed suit. As Mars had protected crops from invading pests, he now protected the people from invading barbarians and became the god of war. Mars was also considered the most revered god in the Roman pantheon. Even though Jupiter (the Roman analogue for Zeus) was the king of the gods, Mars was deemed the most powerful. The Romans also claimed a hereditary attachment to Mars through Romulus and Remus, the progenitors of the truly defined, 'new” Roman people at the birth of expansion and republic, as some saw it. So if you’re stuck in Greek mode, Mars was originally more of a Demeter-meets- Hermes type god rather than an Ares. Mars is the Roman God of war, but initially he was the god of fertility and vegetation and the protector of cattle, field and boundaries.

This is the case for most of the gods regarding their changes from Greek to Roman perspectives. Essentially, the Greek god Ares and the Roman god Mars are cousins, not clones. The Roman Pantheon was derived from the Greek to a certain degree. However, Mars has a different level of importance to the Romans along with different stories and symbols.

To those of you thinking “but I just read about him in the post about Ares!“: not so fast! Mars and Ares are similar, granted.

Warlike derived from the roman god of war