Ares Candle

Ares is the Greek god of war, associated with violence, bloodlust, and courage in battle. He represents the physical and aggressive side of war, and the ancient Greeks often viewed him negatively as reckless and destructive compared to his sister, Athena, who embodied defensive war, strategy, and planning. 

Often painted as reckless and bloodthirsty, Ares has been wildly misunderstood as a god. He is a raw, unfiltered force that stands his ground and protects what matters. In a pantheon where gods regularly blur the line between desire and violence, Ares stands apart. He is the only Greek god whose myths don’t include acts of sexual violence. Ares is brutal, yes, but his violence has a boundary.

Ares can be seen as a god of protection just as much as he is a god of destruction. Most notably, he killed Halirrhothius, son of Poseidon, for assaulting his daughter Alkippe. He was tried by the gods in what became the first murder trial and Ares was acquitted, as the gods recognized his actions as justified.

As the god of war, Ares represents its aspects: courage, fear, rage, and the will to fight and survive. Where Athena governs strategy and discipline, Ares embodies the reality of battle itself. The Greeks often viewed him with caution, even discomfort, because he reflected the parts of war that could not be controlled. Yet, he was still called upon in moments that required strength, resolve, and courage the face of danger.

Ares was also deeply connected to loyalty and passion, most famously through his relationship with Aphrodite. Their union produced children that reflected both harmony and conflict like Harmonia and Phobos. Though their affair was scandalous, it showed another side of Ares: attachment and devotion, not just destruction. Ares is lowkey a loverboy.

In cult practice, Ares was not as widely worshiped as some of the other Olympians, but he held an important place in regions like Thrace and among warrior societies. He was invoked not for conquest alone, but for protection, endurance, and victory when it mattered most.

Taken together, Ares is not simply a god of violence, but a figure of boundaries. He represents the line between harm and defense, chaos and control. To understand Ares is to recognize that strength is not the absence of restraint, but the ability to wield it with purpose.