Mars, also known as Maris or Ares, was the Roman deity of war and agricultural. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and he was the most prominent of the military gods in the religion of the Roman army.
Description[]
Unlike his Greek incarnation, Mars was a prestige and majestic god, who was seen as a brave warrior and protector of Roman Empire and its people. He favored the soldiers who fought with courage and honor. Besides war, he also resided over agriculture and was worshipped by all farmers. As an agricultural guardian, he directs his energies toward creating conditions that allow crops to grow, which may include warding off hostile forces of nature.
Overview[]
Mars is the reincarnation of Ares and as his original incarnation was the son of Zeus and Hera, Mars is usually considered to be the son of Jupiter and Juno. However, in the Roman version of his birth, he was the son of Juno alone. Jupiter had usurped the mother's function when he gave birth to Minerva directly from his forehead (or mind); to restore the balance, Juno sought the advice of the goddess Flora on how to do the same. Flora obtained a magic flower and tested it on a heifer who became fecund at once. She then plucked a flower ritually using her thumb, touched Juno's belly, and impregnated her. Juno withdrew to Thrace and the shore of Marmara for the birth.
He was also the lover of several goddesses like Bellona, Nerio and Venus, and the father of Cupid. His love affair with Venus symbolically reconciled the two different traditions of Rome's founding; Venus was the divine mother of the hero Aeneas, celebrated as the Trojan refugee who "founded" Rome several generations before Romulus laid out the city walls.
Myth and Legends[]
Unlike his Greek counterpart though, Mars was seen as a prestige and majestic god, who was seen as a brave warrior and protector of Roman Empire and its people. He favoured the soldiers who fought with courage and honour.
The Romans compared Mars to deities of other cultures, such as the Celtic Nodens and Germanic Tyr.