Ares, the fierce God of War and Defence

Parents: Ares was a son of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and Hera, the goddess of marriage.
Siblings: Eilithyia, the goddess of childbirth, Hebe, the goddess of youth and Hephaestus, the Olympian god of Metallurgy.
Relationships: Ares' secret mistress was Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty.
Children: Among Ares' children with Aphrodite were Himeros (desire), Pothos (desire), Phobos (fear), Deimos (terror), Armonia (harmony), Eros (love) and Anteros (mutual love). Ares also had one daughter with Aglaulus called Alcippe, who was raped by Allirothios, a son of Poseidon.

Just like his mother Hera, Ares had a very difficult character to deal with and was therefore rather unpopular among the other deities and mankind. For this reason, no Greek city wanted to have him as its patron. He often had conflicts and fights with his half-sisters Artemis and Athena, especially during the Trojan War.

Ares had his residence up on Mount Olympus and his throne was upholstered with human skin. Usually he was accompanied by Eris, the goddess of discord.

Ares was a simple warrior with swift feet. Usually he was riding a chariot, wearing a helmet on his head. In his hands he was holding a shield, a sword or a spear.

Ares was the first Greek god to be tried on the hill of Areopagus, the highest council of Ancient Greece. Ares was accused by the Greek god Poseidon for having murdered his son Alirrothios, because Allirrothios attempted to rape Ares' daughter, Alkippe.

The month March was named in honour of Ares (Mars), and war dances were held during that period.

The symbols of Ares were his weapons, the shield and the spear. According to the legend, the male gender symbol 's shape ( a circle with an arrow emerging from it) is associated with the weapons of Ares.
The sacred animal of Ares was the dog.