Modern Hellenes are never sure how to take Ares. There
aren't too
many balanced views of him. Homer's interpretation seems to be where most people develop their opinions.
To generalize, most people seem to be polarized to either disliking his violent aspect, or celebrating it in an unhealthy
manner. The entry for Ares on Wikipedia reflects this:
"Many modern Neopagans maintain a somewhat traditional
view of Ares. Hellenistic sects in the United States, discourage worship of Ares
altogether. Some sects even forbid Ares
worship. Many modern neopagans believe that ancient civilizations believed much the same, but worshipped Ares out of necessity
rather than out of devotion. However, many other Neopagans do worship Ares, believing him to be a god who bestows courage,
strength and determination in times of hardship and difficulty."
Homer is not be-all and end-all of Hellenic religion,
however it is
widely read and therefore most people's first images of the gods are
set from his words. Additionaly,
in some Hellenic people's search for
a "bible" for our faith, Homer's two stories have by some been revered
as a sort
of "gospel". While the plays and epics are very good
sources for us to learn about ritual and about how people thought
about
the gods, they are poor tools for learning about the gods
directly.
Homer described rituals, he described historical
events as remembered. He interpreted them in a way the people could understand. His portrayals of the gods in them were
very sensational for literary effect. They were meant to be entertaining
Apart from Quintus Smyrnaeus, there
is little corroberation for
Homer's views of Ares. Quintus Smyrnaeus is one of the few writers who speaks of
Ares in the same fashion as Homer, but he is a latecomer who likely did nothing more but embellish the original stories.
Homer did not know or understand the will of the gods. He was an entertainer, not a mantis.
Some say the ancient
Hellenes did not honor him. They were wrong.
The Areopagos in Athens,
(http://patriot.net/~gbeale/images/greece_03_0616.jpg) is only one
example of site devoted to him which survived
to our modern times.
The Areopagos or Areios Pagos is the 'Hill of Ares', north-west of the
Acropolis.
The origin
myth of the Arepagos is a celebration of Ares as a wise and
fierce protector of his children. Apollodorus (3.180),
Pausanias and
Suidas all recount the myth of the rape of his daughter Alkippe by
Poseidon's son Aalirrhothios.
Ares slew the rapist and was tried by
the gods for it there, upon the Arepagos.
From the Shield of Herakles: "Ares
insatiable in battle, blazing like
the light of burning fire in his armour and standing in his chariot,
and his running
horses trampled and dented the ground with their
hooves, and the dust swirled up around them, beaten up between the
compacted
chariot and the feet of the horses, and the well-put-together chariots and their rails clattered to the gallop of
the
straining horses." In spite of Athena's words of caution, he
fought to honor and avenge Kyknos
He could be merciful
as well. Apollodorus (3.22) describes how he
punished Kadmos for slaying his child the serpent. The sources are
not
all consistent, but Kadmos' punishment was not death. Kadmos goes on to marry Ares' daughter Harmonia. Ares is
described as dancing at Kadmos and Harmonia's wedding where he celebrated as any proud father might.
Information about
Ares is somewhat scarce compared to other gods,
although with the recent breakthroughs in understanding Thrakian, more
information may be coming. Farnell notes, for example (1896:401-402) that "no inscriptions or dedications from Thebes attest
his influence nor does his form or countenance appear on the Theban coins."
Pausanias, in his Description of Greece
makes mention of temples and
altars to Ares. Herodotus describes an oracle amoung the the
Thrakians (7.76.1) They
had little shields of raw oxhide; each man
carried two wolf-hunters' spears; they wore helmets of bronze, and on
these
helmets were the ears and horns of oxen wrought in bronze, and
also crests; their legs were wrapped around with strips
of purple
rags. Among these men is a place of divination sacred to Ares. [also
translated as: Among these men there
is an Oracle of Ares.]
Modern researches such as Matthew Gonzales also refutes the negative
perceptions in his article
"The Binding of Ares in Myth and Cult: A
Re-assessment"
(http://www.apaclassics.org/AnnualMeeting/05mtg/abstracts/GONZALES.html)
"The complex rationales for Ares' binding appear most
clearly in two
inscriptions from southern Asia Minor, one from Pamphylian Syedra, and another example from Iconium. In
both cases, an oracle bade the cities to create a statue group depicting Ares bound before Hermes and Dike. While the position
of Ares as suppliant before an image of Justice
could imply a malevolent and hostile relationship between Ares and the
city,
a closer reading of the inscription tends to undermine this
reading. The relationship of Ares and Dike had earlier received
considerable
elaboration by none other than Aeschylus in his Septem
and Oresteia. In these four plays, Ares is constantly and consistently
depicted
as the träger of cosmic, retributive justice. It is in this
capacity that Ares appears alongside Zeus and Athena
at the heart of
the Athenian Ephebic oath, and similar concerns likely informed Ares'
binding at Syedra and Iconium.
Ares was bound and placed before Dike
so that his violent and retributive energies would not harm the polis.
Far from
diminishing the god's power, cities sought to focus Ares'
potentially destructive energies outward by binding his image
to the
land and subjecting him to Dike. This is the Ares found alongside
Athena on the Shield of Achilles and invoked
in the Hymn to Ares as
'ally of Themis.'"
Even our own Sannion disputes the misrepresentation of Ares as spoiled
masochist. In his description of Ares, he writes "The world can be ahard and cruel place: Ares helps us to get through it.
His blessings
are strength, courage, fortitude, cunning, and the passion to fight
for the things that we think are important.
He helps us to shed what
is not efficient, to become hard in order to meet life's adversity. He
is a tough master, but
when things start falling apart around you,
that's precisely the person you want on your side."
Most sources are
clear that he is the son of Zeus and Hera, although
some later sources have said that he was produced by Hera alone, out
of
spite for Zeus having given birth to Athena. There are similar
asexual myths surrounding the birth of Hephaistos.
From
birth it seems that Ares was no ordinary immortal. Thebaid
(4.786) refers to him playing in the Odrysian snow shortly
after his
birth.
His tutelage was attributed to to Priapus. In Lucian's Se Saltatione
21 Priapus was said
to have taught Ares how to dance. In every martial art the first thing the student learns is forms. Forms are a ritualized
sort of fighting, a dance designed for the student to practice their skills without and opponent present. When performed
by an advanced student, forms are indistinguishable from dance to the untrained observer. Forms practice benefits the
student in many ways. There is no better way to warm up the human body than forms done correctly. It is an excellent
form of isometric exercise. Forms encourage balance, grace and endurance in the student. Learning
additional forms
stretches mind, especially memory skills. Understanding the movements, performing them gracefully is the goal of every
student, and long after grandmasters age past jumping over six cars and breaking refrigerators with their earlobe, the forms
remain. The forms are the beginning and the end of martial arts.
As a martial artists, practicing martial arts forms
is an integral part of my personal devotions to Ares.
When I discuss my worship of Ares, frequently I lose people when
I
begin to how I worship him by training in the martial arts. It seems
to reinforce many peoples opinion of a
god of war and their dislike of
him. I mean after all, war is evil, right? And those kids of his,
Phobos
(Fear) and Deimos (Panic)? Nothing but trouble.
Wrong.
Ares is the god of conflict. Conflict, like
everything else in this existence can be good or evil. It is the choices the participants make, the actions they take
to resolve a conflict which may be characterized as good or bad.
Some number of months ago, Dallas/Fort Worth Star
Telegram Ed Brice
characterized Hellenists as "kooks". When this was brought to my
attention, did I not demand
an apology? And receive one
(http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13035773.htm)? The tone of the apology
may be argued, but
Mr. Brice understood that at least one of us would
not be ignored.
Do not shrink from conflict. Conflict is
his gift to us, use it to
grow.
Rosa Parks refused to get up from her seat and created a conflict.
Many would
argue that much good from that conflict.
I challenge you all to have another look at Ares. Even Phobos and
Deimos.
I have prayed to them more than once to stand beside me
rather than in front of me. Fear and panic can be good, if
they are
inspired in an opponent, or someone considering doing you harm.
I train in martial arts, between 6 and
8 hours a week. Each time I go
into the studio I offer my training to him. He does not look for
flowers
and chocolates from us. He expects us to prepare for conflict
and not shrink from it when it occurs and strive
for victory in each
conflict.
I praise Ares and his sons for the favor they have shown me. I will
honor
him every day of my life by training and teaching others his
way.
Listen to the drums. Feel the adrenaline rush
in your veins and move
you to action. Your heart pounds until it is impossible to ignore and
you must take action.
That
action? Vote. Protest. Write a letter. Run for your life. Defend
yourself.
I battle with many weapons. A blade,
my hands, my words, my keyboard.
He motivates us to get off the couch and make a change. Not to "sit
there and take
it" but to take action. He was with Rosa Parks when she
decided she needed a seat more than that ignorant redneck.
He
was with Gandhi.
He was with Martin Luther.
He was with Martin Luther King Jr.
He was with Miyamoto Musashi and sent
him enemies constantly to
develop and practice his skills.
He was with a young Temujin the day his family's horses where
stolen,
and with his grandson the day when his empire spanned from Korea to
Poland.
He is the embodiment of evolution.
Change or die.
Embrace conflict and look for the advantage in it. Pray to Phobos and
Deimos, his sons with his lover
Aphrodite. Pray they run beside you
and turn your opponents' blood to water and make them quake as they
face you.
Recently
I was discussing Aphrodite and Ares and their progeny. This
person felt close to Harmonia, but Phobos and Deimos
not so much.
Without Fear we'd all be in trouble. Fear of consequences is
something that helps us all avoid
doing something unfortunate on a
whim. Panic can be a motivator. Panic at the thought of losing a
lover
over a stupid argument. Panic at the idea of cutting your own
life short with stupid health choices.
Panic
when you close in for the first kiss with someone new. It's a
delicious heart-pounding sensation, isn't it?
Will they kiss back? Have I ruined it by doing this too soon? Too late? Will the
relationship be too passionate
and I'll lose myself?
Embrace that heart-pounding excitement. Roll in it! Don't you feel
most alive
at that moment?
When I'm in a confrontational situation I invoke both these two gods.
It is far better to have someone
confrontational decide that you are
too scary to mess with than it is to test either of your skills.
In the ring,
I ask Fear and Panic help me. I try to recognize when my
opponent is trying to intimidate me and I try to intimidate
them to
throw off their timing. When I'm facing a larger or faster opponent,
I use it to gain an advantage.
I remember several months ago
frightening a faster younger opponent and stunning him for long enough
to take control
of the match.
If you choose to walk Ares' path, he will not come to you with flowers
and pretty words. Do
not insult him by trying to win him with empty
promises. Make an offering of your actions. His reward will be to
toss
boulders in your way, to make things more difficult, each task a
larger challenge. Accept each as his special gift
to you.
It takes no special effort to sit on the couch. Choosing not to do
that makes anyone worth of praise.
Ares'
path is not just for martial artists. Spiritual warriors can
train their mind not to shrink from conflict, but find
ways to use
conflict towards positive ends. Conquer enemies, conquer fear,
conquer doubt. Not studying a
martial art, or sparring ring every
week doesn't mean that there are no worthy victories ahead of you.
Clearly there
are people who need help with conflict. Not everyone
was reared in an environment that has taught them to deal
with it
successfully and there are professionals that can help people learn
tools to transact successfully. Problems
should be worked on rather
than suppressed.
Ares celebrates rage, but finds productive uses for it. Focusing
it
on the enemy, on the despoiler of his daughter, on the people
attacking the city.
Deal with rage. Conflict
is a gift. It is a motivator that gets us
off the couch. What we do with that energy is up to us. We
can
bottle it, or we can use it productively. Since running your
supervisor through with a spear is frowned on
these days, the goal is
to find a use for that energy.
Many times self medicating and in some cases prescribed medications
only
deaden the sensations. It does nothing to solve the original
problem. There are two parts to the problem, first
the unacceptable
behavior on the other person's part and secondly our inability to deal
with it. Certainly there
are people who suffer from a chemical
imbalance and need assistance, but their numbers are dwarfed by those
who hide
beneath the sheets of a prescription pad.
I do not mean to emasculate Ares. He indeed is the god of conflict,
with
blood on his shield, armor and sword. His war-cry is jubilant
and he exults in victory with a worthy opponent.
He is the personal
god of war, the linebacker to Athena's quarterback.
Ares and Athena provide complimentary roles.
Consider a lumbermill.
At the top is the mill manager and at the bottom is the lumberjack.
It is the responsibility
of the mill manager to select forests for
harvest, to predict which sort of wood will be in demand, to organize
the
lumberjacks, to see they are well prepared for their days work.
If the mill manager is poor at his job, the mill fails.
A
lumberjack does not care which species the tree is. He does not
even care which tree he cuts. Direction comes
down from the manager,
he chooses a tree based on those instructions and has at it with his
broad ax.
Athena
is the mill manager, the mind of the strategist who is thinking
of the larger battle. Ares is the lumberjack concerned
with the work
at hand. As the lumberjack loves the woods, the smell of fresh wood
and cares for his ax, so Ares
loves the battlefield, the smell of
sweat and blood and cares for his weapons.
Yes, Ares is bloodthirsty but the
blood is not on his lips, it is on
his shield, his armor and his sword, as the lumberjack emerges covered
from head
to toe in wood chips and sap.
To honor him, train hard in martial arts and for other types of
conflict.
Do not avoid conflict, meet the opponent fairly and if you
do not win the moment, be worthy of Ares in your efforts.
Lastly,
be worthy of winning. Be ready.
PRAYER
Khaire Ares,
Blessed are those who choose your
path
Blessed are those who persevere when others cannot
Pluck up my courage and let not my springing knees fail
Tomorrow
I face an unknown opponent
Let him be worthy so that I may show my devotion to you
Blow wind into my lungs when they
burn and calm my racing heart
I offer my blood, sweat and tears to you.
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