Ares V

Artist's impression of an Ares V during SRB separation
Function	Cargo Launch Vehicle (unmanned)
Manufacturer	TBD (stage I) TBD (stage II)
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	116 m (381 ft) or 109 m (358 ft)
Diameter	10 m (33 ft) or 8.4 m (28 ft)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to LEO	188,000 kg (410,000 lb)[1]
Payload to TLI	71,100 kg (157,000 lb) or 60,600 kg (134,000 lb)
Launch history
Status	Canceled
Launch sites	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Total launches	0
Boosters (Stage 0) - 5- or 5.5-segment Shuttle-derived SRB
No. boosters	2
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	TBC
Burn time	TBC
Fuel	APCP (solid)
First stage
Engines	5 or 6 RS-68B[2] or 5 SSME
Thrust	TBC
Burn time	TBC
Fuel	LH2/LOX
Second stage - Earth Departure Stage
Engines	1 or 2 J-2X
Thrust
Burn time
Fuel	LH2/LOX

The Ares V (formerly known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV) was the planned cargo launch component of the Constellation program, which was to have replaced the Space Shuttle after its retirement in 2011. Ares V was also planned to carry supplies for a human presence on Mars.^[3] Ares V and the smaller Ares I were named after Ares, the Greek god of war, which is the equivalent to the Roman god Mars.

Initially, the Ares V would have launched the Earth Departure Stage and Altair lunar lander had NASA returned to the Moon, which was planned for 2019, but would also have served as the principal launcher for missions beyond the Earth-Moon system, including the program's ultimate goal, a manned mission to Mars after 2030.^[4] The unmanned Ares V would complement the smaller, and human-rated Ares I rocket for the launching of the 4-6 person Orion spacecraft. Both rockets, deemed safer than the current Space Shuttle, would have utilized technologies developed for the Apollo program, the Shuttle, and the Delta IV EELV programs.^[5] However, the Constellation program, including Ares V and Ares I was canceled in October 2010 by the passage of the 2010 NASA authorization bill. In September 2011 NASA detailed the Space Launch System as its new vehicle for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.^[6]

Development[link]

Early concepts[link]

In the 1997 book The Case for Mars, Robert Zubrin discussed a possible future heavy launch vehicle named Ares.^[7] In the book the rocket would have consisted of the Space Shuttle's External Tank powered by four Space Shuttle Main Engines and a second stage powered by an RL-10 engine. One notable difference in the Zubrin et al. design is the mounting location of the SSMEs, which were side-mounted on a small flyback craft. This design was meant to allow the Ares to fly using existing Space Shuttle infrastructure.^{[citation needed]}

Constellation[link]

Artist's impression of the Ares V at liftoff

Ares V was to be the cargo launch component of the Constellation program. Unlike the Saturn V and Space Shuttle, where the crew and cargo were launched together on the same rocket, Project Constellation was planned to use two separate launch vehicles, the Ares I and the Ares V, for crew and cargo respectively. This configuration would have allowed the two launch vehicles to be optimized for their respective missions. Constellation therefore combined the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous used by Apollo with the Earth Orbit Rendezvous mode proposed by Dr. Wernher von Braun (along with the "Direct Ascent" proposal) during the early planning stage of Apollo.

Development of the rocket and its Earth departure stage was led by Marshall Space Flight Center. Ames Research Center was responsible for the Ares V integrated health management system supports in developing its payload shroud. Glenn Research Center led the development of the lunar lander ascent stage as well as Ares V power system, thrust vector control system and payload shroud. Langley Research Center had a lead role on Ares V aerodynamics.^[8]

In 2007 NASA announced that Alliant Techsystems will be the contractor for the SRBs of both Ares I and Ares V.^[9]

Further roles[link]

Although the Ares V was a medium to long term project, NASA planned to deploy its lift capability in a range of projects,^[10] along the lines of the former Apollo Applications Program.

One proposal was to build an 8 to 16-meter Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope^[11] to be placed in the Sun/Earth L2 point. It would be a significant increase in dimension and performance over the Hubble Space Telescope and the Ares V vehicle was expected to carry this to its destination in a single launch.^{[citation needed]} Future Ares V missions could also have served as a cost-effective, mass transport of construction materials for future spacecraft and missions, delivering raw materials for example to a Moon dock.^{[citation needed]}

In May 2010 NASA planned flight demonstrations of Ares V hardware along with Ares I hardware after the scheduled upcoming Ares I-X Prime test of the Ares I 5-segment SRB first stage. Several flights were listed as "Heavy Lift" test flights for testing the first stage of the Ares V simultaneously with the Ares I upper stage attached on top of the Ares V first stage. This would save both time and money in avoiding the gap between testing Ares I and Ares V hardware with current limited funding.^[12]

Cancellation[link]

The Augustine Commission concluded that "Under the FY 2010 funding profile, the Committee estimates that Ares V will not be available until the late 2020s".^[13] Even if NASA had been given the $3 billion increase and the ISS had been retired in 2015, the committee still believed that the Ares V would not be ready until the mid-2020s.^[14]

On February 1, 2010, President Barack Obama announced a proposal to cancel the Constellation program effective with the U.S. 2011 fiscal year budget,^[15] but later announced changes to the proposal in a major space policy speech at Kennedy Space Center on April 15, 2010. In October 2010, the NASA authorization bill for 2010 was signed into law, which canceled Constellation.^[16] But previous legislation keeps Constellation contracts in force until a new funding bill is passed for 2011.^[17][18]

Design[link]

The Ares V was intended as a heavy-launch vehicle to send large hardware and materials to the Moon, or to send supplies beyond Earth orbit to sustain human presence there.^[2] The Ares V was designed to be a three-stage rocket: the first and second stages, which burn together, were to utilize both solid and liquid propulsion with the upper stage providing the necessary propulsion to send the hardware and staples beyond low-Earth orbit and onto a trajectory to the Moon.

Ares V underwent a preliminary design review after the results of the 2009 Augustine Commission.^[19] Like the Space Shuttle, the Ares vehicle was to utilize a pair of solid-fuel first stage rocket boosters that burn simultaneously with the liquid-fueled second (core) stage. The solid rocket booster on Ares V was first envisioned as an improved version of the current Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster, but with five or five and a half segments instead of the current four segments.^[2][20][21] The liquid-fueled second stage was to be derived from the Space Shuttle External Tank and was to use either five or six RS-68B engines attached to the bottom of a new 10 m tank, or five SSMEs attached to the bottom of a stretched version of the Space Shuttle's 8.4 m tank. It was to be fueled by liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).^[22]

Comparison of Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Ares I, Ares IV and Ares V

The upper stage, derived from the S-IVB upper stage used on the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, was named the Earth Departure Stage (EDS). The EDS would be powered by an Apollo-derived J-2X rocket engine, which was also to be used on the liquid-fueled upper stage of the Ares I booster. The EDS was to be used to steer the Altair lunar lander into its initial low-Earth "parking" orbit for later retrieval by the Orion spacecraft, and then would propel both the Altair and Orion to the Moon.^[2] The EDS could also have been used to haul large payloads into low-Earth orbit, along with placing large unmanned spacecraft onto trajectories beyond the Earth-Moon system.

The Ares V was designed to have a payload capacity of over 414,000 lb (188 metric tons) to Low Earth orbit (LEO), and 157,000 lb (71 metric tons) to the Moon.^[2] Upon completion the Ares V would be the most powerful rocket ever built, lifting more into orbit than even the American Saturn V, the failed Soviet N-1 for the canceled Soviet Moonshot, and the successful Soviet/Russian Energia booster developed for the Buran Shuttle.^[23] Besides its lunar role,^[2] it could also support a manned Orion expedition to a Near-Earth asteroid, and could boost an 8 to 16-meter successor of the Hubble Space Telescope to the Sun-Earth L₂ point.

Derivatives[link]

Ares IV[link]

The Ares IV concept combines an Ares I upper stage with an Ares V first stage.^[24] Specifically, the vehicle would consist of the liquid-fueled core stage from the Ares V design, two five-segment solid rocket boosters, and the liquid-fueled upper stage from the Ares I, as described by NASA in January 2007. The Ares IV would be a combined 367 ft (112 m) tall and could be used to reach the Moon. Total payload capacity would be 90,420 lb (41,000 kg) to 240 miles (390 km) for direct trans-lunar injection.^[25]

NASA was considered using Ares IV to evaluate high-speed "skip" reentry profiles of the Orion capsule in 2007.^[26] NASA had planned flight demonstrations of Ares I and Ares V hardware in "Heavy Lift" configurations from 2013. The "Heavy Lift" test flights were to test the first stage of the Ares V simultaneously with the Ares I upper stage attached on top to save both time and money. The later Heavy Lift test vehicle configurations are similar to the Ares IV vehicle.^[27]

Ares V Lite[link]

Ares V Lite was an alternative launch vehicle for NASA's Constellation program suggested by the Augustine Commission. Ares V Lite was a scaled down Ares V.^[28][29] It would have used five RS-68 engines and two five-segment SRBs and have had a low Earth orbit payload of approximately 140 metric tons (309,000 lb).^[30] If chosen, Ares V Lite would have replaced the Ares V and Ares I launchers. One Ares V Lite version would have been a cargo lifter like Ares V and the second version would have carry astronauts in the Orion spacecraft.^[30]

See also[link]

• Comparison of orbital launch systems
• DIRECT launch vehicle
• Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle
• Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

• Augustine Committee. "Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, Final Report". NASA, October 2009.

External links[link]

• NASA Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle page
• Can we power future Mars missions?
• Inside the Ares Projects - a six-part online video series about the Ares Projects from The Futures Channel
• NASA Funding Cuts

v t e Constellation program Launch tests Ares I-X Ares I-Y Ares V-Y Later missions List of Constellation missions Orion Asteroid Mission Orion Mars Mission Components Orion Ares I Ares V Earth Departure Stage Altair J-2X RS-68 Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle Launch sites Kennedy Space Center LC-39 Abort Orion abort modes Orion Abort Test Booster Launch Abort System (LAS) Max Launch Abort System (MLAS) Related topics Vision for Space Exploration Exploration Systems Architecture Study DIRECT Constellation Space Suit Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (AT-LAST) NASA Authorization Act of 2005 Augustine Commission List of missions

v t e National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Policy and history NACA (1915) National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958) Paine (1986) Rogers (1986) Ride (1987) Space Exploration Initiative (1989) Augustine (1990) U.S. National Space Policy (1996) CFUSAI (2002) CAIB (2003) Vision for Space Exploration (2004) Aldridge (2004) Augustine (2009) General: Space Race Administrator and Deputy Administrator Chief Scientist Astronaut Corps Budget Spin-off technologies NASA TV Robotic programs Past Hitchhiker Mariner Mariner Mark II MESUR Mars Surveyor '98 New Millennium Lunar Orbiter Pioneer Planetary Observer Ranger Surveyor Viking Project Prometheus Current Living With a Star Lunar Precursor Robotic Program Earth Observing System Great Observatories program Explorer Small explorer Voyager (Sounds of the Cosmos) Discovery New Frontiers Mars Exploration Rover Mars Scout Human spaceflight programs Past X-15 (suborbital) Mercury Gemini Apollo Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (with USSR) Skylab Shuttle–Mir (with Russia) Space Shuttle program Constellation program Current International Space Station program Future/planned Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Individual featured missions (human and robotic) Past COBE Apollo 11 Mercury 3 Mercury 6 Magellan Pioneer 10/11 Voyager 1/2 Galileo WMAP WISE Space Shuttle Currently operating MRO Mars Odyssey MESSENGER Dawn New Horizons Kepler International Space Station Hubble Space Telescope Spitzer RHESSI SWIFT GALEX THEMIS Mars Exploration Rover Cassini GOES 14 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter GOES 15 SDO Aquarius Juno GRAIL MSL Future NuSTAR NPP James Webb Space Telescope MAVEN WFIRST RBSP Space Comm and Nav (SCaN) Space Network Near Earth Network Deep Space Network (Goldstone Madrid Canberra) NASA categories and lists NASA personnel NASA programs NASA probes NASA images NASA Tweetup NASA List of NASA Astronaut Groups List of astronauts by selection List of NASA aircraft List of NASA missions List of NASA contractors

For the Zodiac sign, see Aries (astrology).

Ares
Statue of Ares from Hadrian's Villa
God of war and violence
Abode	Thrace, Mount Olympus, Macedonia & Sparta
Symbol	spear, helmet, dog, chariot, boar
Parents	Zeus and Hera
Siblings	Eris, Hebe, Hephaestus, Enyo,and Eileithyia
Children	Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, Phlegyas, Harmonia, and Adrestia
Roman equivalent	Mars

Ares (Ancient Greek: Ἄρης [árɛːs], Μodern Greek: Άρης [ˈaris]) was the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera.^[1] In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and generalship.^[2]

The Greeks were ambivalent toward Ares: although he embodied the physical valor necessary for success in war, he was a dangerous force, "overwhelming, insatiable in battle, destructive, and man-slaughtering."^[3] Fear (Phobos) and Terror (Deimos) were yoked to his battle chariot.^[4] In the Iliad his father Zeus tells him that he is the god most hateful to him.^[5] An association with Ares endows places and objects with a savage, dangerous, or militarized quality.^[6] His value as a war god is even placed in doubt: during the Trojan War, Ares was on the losing side, while Athena, often depicted in Greek art as holding Nike (Victory) in her hand, favored the triumphant Greeks.^[7]

Ares plays a relatively limited role in Greek mythology as represented in literary narratives, though his numerous love affairs and abundant offspring are often alluded to.^[8] When Ares does appear in myths, he typically faces humiliation.^[9] He is well known as the lover of Aphrodite, the goddess of love who was married to Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship,^[10] but the most famous story involving the couple shows them exposed to ridicule through the wronged husband's clever device.^[11]

The counterpart of Ares among the Roman gods is Mars, who as a father of the Roman people held a more important and dignified place in ancient Roman religion for his agricultural and tutelary functions. During the Hellenization of Latin literature, the myths of Ares were reinterpreted by Roman writers under the name of Mars. Greek writers under Roman rule also recorded cult practices and beliefs pertaining to Mars under the name of Ares. Thus in the classical tradition of later Western art and literature, the mythology of the two figures becomes virtually indistinguishable.

Names and epithets[link]

The etymology of the name Ares is traditionally connected with the Greek word ἀρή (arē), the Ionic form of the Doric ἀρά (ara), "bane, ruin, curse, imprecation".^[12] There may also be a connection with the Roman god of war Mars, via hypothetical Proto-Indo-European *M̥rēs;^{[citation needed]} compare Ancient Greek μάρναμαι (marnamai), "to fight, to battle", or Punjabi maarna (to kill, to hit).^[13] The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek a-re, written in Linear B syllabic script.^[14] Walter Burkert notes that "Ares is apparently an ancient abstract noun meaning throng of battle, war."^[15]

The adjectival epithet Areios was frequently appended to the names of other gods when they take on a warrior aspect or become involved in warfare: Zeus Areios, Athena Areia, even Aphrodite Areia. In the Iliad, the word ares is used as a common noun synonymous with "battle."^[3]

Inscriptions as early as Mycenaean times, and continuing into the Classical period, attest to Enyalios, another name for the god of war.

Character, origins, and worship[link]

Ares was one of the Twelve Olympians in the archaic tradition represented by the Iliad and Odyssey, but Zeus expresses a recurring Greek revulsion toward the god when Ares returns wounded and complaining from the battlefield at Troy:

Then looking at him darkly Zeus who gathers the clouds spoke to him:
'Do not sit beside me and whine, you double-faced liar.
To me you are the most hateful of all gods who hold Olympos.
Forever quarrelling is dear to your heart, wars and battles.
…
And yet I will not long endure to see you in pain, since
you are my child, and it was to me that your mother bore you.
But were you born of some other god and proved so ruinous
long since you would have been dropped beneath the gods of the bright sky."^[16]

This ambivalence is expressed also in the god's association with the Thracians, who were regarded by the Greeks as a barbarous and warlike people.^[17] Thrace was Ares' birthplace, true home, and refuge after the affair with Aphrodite was exposed to the general mockery of the other gods.^[18]

A late 6th-century BC funerary inscription from Attica emphasizes the consequences of coming under Ares' sway:

Stay and mourn at the tomb of dead Kroisos
Whom raging Ares destroyed one day, fighting in the foremost ranks.^[19]

Ares in Sparta[link]

In Sparta, Ares was viewed as a masculine soldier in which his resilience, physical strength and military intelligence was unrivaled. Human sacrifices were also offered to him.^[20] Also, there was an ancient statue, representing the god in chains, to indicate that the martial spirit and victory were never to leave the city of Sparta.

Ares in the Arabian Peninsula[link]

Ares was also worshipped by the Baharna of Tylos, however it is not known in the form of which Arabian god or if he was worshipped in his Greek form.^[21]

Attributes[link]

The birds of Ares (Ornithes Areioi) were a flock of feather-dart-dropping birds that guarded the Amazons' shrine of the god on a coastal island in the Black Sea.^[22]

Cult and ritual[link]

Although Ares received occasional sacrifice from armies going to war, the god had a formal temple and cult at only a few sites.^[23] At Sparta, however, youths each sacrificed a puppy to Enyalios before engaging in ritual fighting at the Phoebaeum.^[24] The chthonic night-time sacrifice of a dog to Enyalios became assimilated to the cult of Ares.^{[citation needed]}

Just east of Sparta stood an archaic statue of the god in chains, to show that the spirit of war and victory was never to leave the city.^[25]

The temple to Ares in the agora of Athens that Pausanias saw in the second century AD had only been moved and rededicated there during the time of Augustus; in essence it was a Roman temple to the Augustan Mars Ultor.^[23] The Areopagus, the "mount of Ares" where Paul of Tarsus preached, is sited at some distance from the Acropolis; from archaic times it was a site of trials. Its connection with Ares, perhaps based on a false etymology, is purely etiological myth.^{[citation needed]} A second temple has also been located at the archaeological site of Metropolis in what is now Western Turkey.^{[citation needed]}

Attendants[link]

Deimos, "Terror" or "Dread", and Phobos, "Fear", are his companions in war^[26] and also his children, borne by Aphrodite, according to Hesiod.^[27] The sister^{[citation needed]} and companion of the violent Ares is Eris, the goddess of discord, or Enyo, the goddess of war, bloodshed, and violence. Enyalius, rather than another name for Ares, in at least one tradition was his son by Enyo.^[28]

Ares may also be accompanied by Kydoimos, the demon of the din of battle; the Makhai ("Battles"); thev "Hysminai" ("Acts of manslaughter"); Polemos, a minor spirit of war, or only an epithet of Ares, since it has no specific dominion; and Polemos's daughter, Alala, the goddess or personification of the Greek war-cry, whose name Ares uses as his own war-cry. Ares's sister Hebe, "Youth," also draws baths for him.

According to Pausanias, local inhabitants of Therapne, Sparta, recognized Thero "feral, savage" as a nurse of Ares.^[29]

Founding of Thebes[link]

One of the roles of Ares that was sited in mainland Greece itself was in the founding myth of Thebes: Ares was the progenitor of the water-dragon slain by Cadmus, for the dragon's teeth were sown into the ground as if a crop and sprung up as the fully armored autochthonic Spartoi. To propitiate Ares, Cadmus took as a bride Harmonia, daughter of Ares' union with Aphrodite, thus harmonizing all strife and founding the city of Thebes.^[30]

Consorts and children[link]

The Areopagus as viewed from the Acropolis.

The union of Ares and Aphrodite created the gods Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, Harmonia, and Adrestia. While Eros and Anteros' godly stations favored their mother, Adrestia by far preferred to emulate her father, often accompanying him to war.^{[citation needed]}

Ares, upon one occasion, incurred the anger of Poseidon by slaying his son Halirrhothius, who had raped Alcippe, another daughter of the war-god. For this deed, Poseidon summoned Ares to appear before the tribunal of the Olympic gods, which was held upon a hill in Athens. Ares was acquitted, and this event is supposed to have given rise to the name Areopagus (or Hill of Ares), which afterward became famous as a court of justice.^[31]

There are accounts of a son of Ares, Cycnus (Κύκνος) of Macedonia, who was so murderous that he tried to build a temple with the skulls and the bones of travellers. Heracles slaughtered this abominable monstrosity, engendering the wrath of Ares, whom the hero wounded.^[32]

List of Ares' consorts and children[link]

Hymns to Ares[link]

Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) 

"Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defender of Olympos, father of warlike Nike (Victory), ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of the righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere [the star Mars] among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aither wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth! Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death."

Orphic Hymn 65 to Ares (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) 

"To Ares, Fumigation from Frankincense. Magnanimous, unconquered, boisterous Ares, in darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars; fierce and untamed, whose mighty power can make the strongest walls from their foundations shake: mortal-destroying king, defiled with gore, pleased with war’s dreadful and tumultuous roar. Thee human blood, and swords, and spears delight, and the dire ruin of mad savage fight. Stay furious contests, and avenging strife, whose works with woe embitter human life; to lovely Kyrpis [Aphrodite] and to Lyaios [Dionysos] yield, for arms exchange the labours of the field; encourage peace, to gentle works inclined, and give abundance, with benignant mind."

Other accounts[link]

The Ludovisi Ares, Roman version of a Greek original ca. 320 BC, with 17th-century restorations by Bernini

In the tale sung by the bard in the hall of Alcinous,^[45] the Sun-god Helios once spied Ares and Aphrodite enjoying each other secretly in the hall of Hephaestus, and he promptly reported the incident to Aphrodite's Olympian consort. Hephaestus contrived to catch the couple in the act, and so he fashioned a finely-knitted and nearly invisible net with which to snare the illicit lovers. At the appropriate time, this net was sprung, and trapped Ares and Aphrodite locked in very private embrace.^[46]

But Hephaestus was not yet satisfied with his revenge — he invited the Olympian gods and goddesses to view the unfortunate pair. For the sake of modesty, the goddesses demurred, but the male gods went to witness the sight. Some commented on the beauty of Aphrodite, others remarked that they would eagerly trade places with Ares, but all who were present mocked the two. Once the couple were loosed, Ares, embarrassed, returned to his homeland, Thrace.^[46]

In a much later interpolated detail, Ares put the youth Alectryon by his door to warn them of Helios' arrival, as Helios would tell Hephaestus of Aphrodite's infidelity if the two were discovered, but Alectryon fell asleep. Helios discovered the two and alerted Hephaestus. Ares was furious and turned Alectryon into a rooster, which now never forgets to announce the arrival of the sun in the morning.

Ares and the giants[link]

In one archaic myth related only in the Iliad by the goddess Dione to her daughter Aphrodite, two chthonic giants, the Aloadae, named Otus and Ephialtes, threw Ares into chains and put him in a bronze urn, where he remained for thirteen months, a lunar year. "And that would have been the end of Ares and his appetite for war, if the beautiful Eriboea, the young giants' stepmother, had not told Hermes what they had done," she related.^[47] "In this one suspects a festival of licence which is unleashed in the thirteenth month."^[48]

Ares remained screaming and howling in the urn until Hermes rescued him and Artemis tricked the Aloadae into slaying each other. In Nonnus' Dionysiaca^[49] Ares also killed Ekhidnades, the giant son of Echidna and a great enemy of the gods; it is not clear whether the nameless Ekhidnades ("of Echidna's lineage") was entirely Nonnus' invention or not.

The Iliad[link]

In the Iliad,^[50] Homer represented Ares as having no fixed allegiances, rewarding courage on both sides: he promised Athena and Hera that he would fight on the side of the Achaeans (Iliad V.830–834, XXI.410–414), but Aphrodite was able to persuade Ares to side with the Trojans. During the war, Diomedes fought with Hector and saw Ares fighting on the Trojans' side. Diomedes called for his soldiers to fall back slowly (V.590–605).

Athene, Ares's sister, saw his interference and asked Zeus, his father, for permission to drive Ares away from the battlefield, which Zeus granted (V.711–769). Hera and Athena encouraged Diomedes to attack Ares (V.780–834). Diomedes thrust with his spear at Ares, with Athena driving it home, and Ares' cries made Achaeans and Trojans alike tremble (V.855–864). Ares fled to Mt. Olympus, forcing the Trojans to fall back.

When Hera during a conversation with Zeus mentioned that Ares' son Ascalaphus was killed, Ares wanted to again join the fight on the side of the Achaeans disregarding Zeus' order that no Olympic god should enter the battle, but Athena stopped him (XV.110–128). Later, when Zeus allowed the gods to fight in the war again (XX.20–29), Ares was the first to act, attacking Athena to avenge himself for his previous injury, but Athena managed to overpower him by striking Ares with a boulder (XXI.391–408).

Renaissance[link]

In Renaissance and Neoclassical works of art, Ares' symbols are a spear and helmet, his animal is a dog, and his bird is the vulture. In literary works of these eras, Ares is replaced by the Roman Mars, a romantic emblem of manly valor rather than the cruel and blood-thirsty god of Greek mythology.

Popular culture[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ares (god)

Ares figures in war-themed video games and in popular fictions. Ares is also the name of NASA's transport ship replacing the Space Shuttle, an extension of NASA's uses of Saturn for manned rockets, Mercury for a satellite program, and the Apollo program, rather than as any reflection of the intrinsic nature of the war god.

See also[link]

Related Greek Deities

• Aphrodite (Goddess of love)
• Hera (Mother )
• Zeus (Father)

Children by Aphrodite

• Harmonia (Concord)
• Eros (Passionate Love)
• Phobos (Fear)
• Deimos (Terror)
• Adrestia (Revenge)
• Anteros (Requited Love)

Friends and Counselors

• Themis (Divine Law)
• Nike (Victory)
• Dike (Good Judgement)

Attendants

• Achlys (Death)
• Androktasiai (Slaughter)
• Alala (War Cry)
• Eris (Strife)
• Enyo (Violence)
• Hebe (Life)
• Homados (Battle Din)
• Hysminai (Combat)
• Kydoimos (Confusion)
• Keres (Death Spirits)
• Makhai (Spirits of Battle)
• Palioxis (Backrush)
• Polemos (War)
• Proioxis (Onrush)

Similar Deities in Non-Greek Cultures

• Britannia
• Kathleen Ni Houlihan
• Liberty
• Mars
• Nergal, Babylonian god associated with the planet Mars
• Tyr, a Norse god of war
• List of War Deities

Archetype Characteristics

• Aggression
• Courage
• Boldness
• Divine law
• Freedom
• Masculinity
• Righteous indignation

Notes[link]