Zeus is the king of the Greek gods, ruler of Olympus and god of sky and thunder. Ares is his son, the god of war in its violent aspect. Greek sources treat them very differently: Zeus commands respect, while Ares is disliked even by his own family — Homer has Zeus tell him he is the most hateful of the gods.
The core difference
- Zeus — king of the gods, wielder of the thunderbolt, guardian of oaths, hospitality and justice.
- Ares — god of war, specifically its violence and bloodlust, and one of the twelve Olympians.
Ares is Zeus's son by Hera, so the relationship is father and son.
How the Greeks regarded Ares
Unusually for a major god, Ares is treated with open dislike in Greek literature. He loses fights, is wounded and complains, and is bested by Athena more than once. In the Iliad, Zeus tells him he is the most hateful to him of all the gods. Greek cities honoured him far less than his prominence might suggest, and Sparta is one of the few places where his worship was substantial.
Ares and Athena
Greek religion split war between two deities, and the split is the point:
- Ares — the fury of battle, slaughter, the loss of control
- Athena — strategy, discipline, the defence of the city
Athena consistently prevails over Ares in myth, which reads as a statement about which the Greeks valued.
The Roman contrast
Rome identified Ares with Mars, but Mars was a respected state deity associated with agriculture as well as war and regarded as a father of the Roman people. That is why martial is a positive word in English and Ares left no equivalent.
Frequently asked questions
How are Ares and Zeus related?
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. Zeus is king of the gods; Ares is the god of war.
Why did the Greeks dislike Ares?
He represented the uncontrolled violence of war rather than its discipline. Greek literature has him losing fights and complaining, and in the Iliad Zeus calls him the most hateful of the gods.
What is the difference between Ares and Athena?
Both are war deities, but Ares embodies slaughter and fury while Athena embodies strategy and the defence of the city. Athena usually prevails in myth.