Mythology : Tales Of Gods And Heroes

“Great victory require great risk” said Hera (Rick, 2015). Hera is the queen of the gods. She was the daughter of titans Cronus and Rhean. Hera had a brother named Zeus which she eventually married. Hera had four kids named Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe, and Ilithyia. Ares the god of war, Hephaestus the god of fire, Hebe the goddess of youth, and Ilithyia the goddess of childbirth. Hera was the goddess of marriage and protector of married women. There is a lot of controversy on websites about if she was the goddess of marriage and childbirth or just the goddess of marriage. Hera had many powers and weakness, her myths tells us about her personality, and she is very significant to Greek mythology.

The gods of war are Ares from Greek mythology and Mars from Roman mythology. There are some major differences between these gods, a lot more than the others. Aries for one was a god to be feared because he was the god of war, bloodshed, and murder that and he just liked to watch mortals kill each other. When he is on the battle field he is usually accompanied by some gnarly people. “He was followed into battle by Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Terror), two lesser gods who sometimes are said to be his sons. He was also followed by the goddesses Eris (Strife) and Enyo (Horror)” (“Encyclopedia Mythica” n.d.) Mars on the other hand was kind of like Ares and Athena put together because he was a god of war and its tactics. Mars was also the god of fertility of crops. Mars is said to have fathered the founders of Rome and the Roman people thus the Romans styled themselves after him. No Greek would be caught dead trying to stylize themselves after Ares. Both of them are portrayed as being fully armored. But these warriors needed something to protect and that was the queens of the gods.

Zeus was not faithful; Hera had a belligerence toward Zeus. She started a revolt against him and planned to kill him. She thought that she could strap him under a tree with some ropes and whip him. It seemed like the plan would work but it only became total chaos. Zeus came back, and punished Hera in a portentous way by hanging her and whipping her. He made her promise not to harm him again.

Heroes in classical mythology are often compared with gods and are seen to be more akin to gods than mortal men. They are famously known for the quests or the deeds carried out by them. These quests usually do not take place near where they originate from. They need to travel long distances and usually transgress geographical, cosmological and physical boundaries. During these quests, they come across and have to interact with a range of divine and supernatural creatures, objects, and people. In doing so, they can be seen helping keep the society more ordered and civilized. Due to their deeds they too like gods have their own cults and/or are worshipped. Many of the heroes also gain apotheosis (immorality). Heroes can have divine parentage which classifies them as hemitheoi (half gods/ demi-gods). All these qualities of heroes truly makes them more akin to gods than mortal men.

Hera: Queen of all the gods and goddesses, she is the goddess of marriage and family. Her symbols are the Peacock and the Cow. Hera is sister to Hades, Poseidon, and also wife of Zeus. Zeus had an affair with a mortal and had a kid named Heracles. When Hera heard about it she got mad so she decided to punish Heracles for it and sent snakes to attack him in his crib.

She was called the “Queen of Heaven’. Hera was a powerful queen in her right. Her symbols area: Cattle, Peafowl, Pomegranate, Lion, Diadem, Sceptre, Sacred Lotus, Lily, Cuckoos, Black Panther, Feather, and Throne. She was Zeus’s wife and sister. Hera was the reigning female goddess of olympus because she was Zeus’s wife.

When the Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which of three Olympian goddesses was the most beautiful, he chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena. The latter two had hoped to bribe him with power and victory in battle, but Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Ares was the Greek god of war and the most unpopular god because of his aggressiveness, quick temper and his unquenchable thirst for conflict. Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera and is from Thrace, home of a fierce people in the northeast of Greece. Ares was noted for his beauty and courage, which helped him win the affections of Aphrodite (which at the time was married to Hephaistos). When he was caught, the punishment was temporary banishment from Mount Olympus. Ares represented the more brutal and bloody side of war, which was in contrast to Athena who represented the strategic side of war. Ares was usually accompanied by his children with Aphrodite, Phobos, and Deimos. Although Ares embodied the physical aggression for success in war the Greeks thought of him as dangerous and an overwhelming instable force in battle. The "Roman Counterpart" (Roman equivalents) to Ares was Mars, who was also known as "The Father to The Roman People." Ares' worship was largely in the northern areas of Greece, and, although devoid of the social, moral, and theological associations usual with major deities, his cult had many interesting local features. At Sparta, in early times, at least, human sacrifices were made to him from among the prisoners of war. Ares' special powers were those of strength and physicality. As the god of war, he was a superior fighter in battle and caused great bloodshed and destruction wherever he went. Ares was usually pictured as a warrior carrying a spear and a shield. No one really liked his activities because, wherever he went, he left traces of misfortune and aberration behind. In Sparta, Ares was viewed as a model soldier: his resilience, physical strength, and military intelligence were unrivaled. An ancient statue, representing the god in chains, suggests that the martial spirit and victory were to be kept in the city of Sparta. That the Spartans admired him is indicative of the cultural divisions that existed between themselves and other Greeks

Athena was fierce and brave in battle. She was Zeus’ favorite child. She was not born of a mother rather sprang full grown and clad in armour from Zeus’ forehead. She was the goddess of reason, arts, literature, and intelligent activity.

Zeus, the god of thunder and the ruler of the sky, was married with Hera, goddess of marriage. Hera was jealous about Zeus because he was a womanizer. Hera knew that Zeus was unfaithful and he had already cheated on her sometimes. She always felt alone and wanted Zeus’ attention, but he was interested in another woman. Hera did not know about this woman, but she was mistrustful that he could be cheating on her again.

Mars, God of War. Considered the fiercest of the Gods next to Jupiter. His Greek equivalent was Aries.

Ares the god of war otherwise known by the Romans as Mars he is one of the main twelve olympians. His mother is Hera and his father is Zeus. Thought Zeus is not very fond of Ares. Aaron J. Atsma, creator and editor of the website Theoi Greek Mythology: Exploring Mythology in Literature & Art states that Zeus might not be fond of ares because Hera made herself pregnant by a special Plant and not by Zeus himself. (Atsma)

If I could be any god, goddess, or hero I would be the Greek god Zeus or the Roman god Jupiter. I would be Zeus because he leads the other Olympians and is the King of all the other gods. When most people think of Zeus they think of the thunder bolt throwing avenger of the people but, when you do a little bit more research you see Zeus wasn’t all about striking people down with lightning he actually loved to party and relax in Olympus. Sometimes it seems to me as if Zeus has a split personality. Sometimes he’s the protector of the people while other times he’s a goofy party loving god.

Ares was one of Zeus and Hera's 12 kids. Ares was dangerous, quick tempered, and humiliated a lot. One of the most well known stories of Ares was when he was caught in an affair with aphrodite(greek). Ares roman name was Mars, the father of the roman people. He was called this because he was more calm and less aggressive.

He may be fierce, but Ares is too reckless and is always an insatiable force in battle (Charilaos 1). An insatiable person is one that is never satisfied. In this context, Ares is a person who’s thirst for blood cannot be quenched . This makes a ridiculously bad leader since he will make lots of enemies with the Olympians. Everyday in Mount Olympus will be filled with the sounds of burnt cities and crying victims. Ares’s thirst for killing makes him impulsive and brainless (Geary 1). Therefore, Ares does not have enough knowledge to rule. To be a leader, one must be very knowledgeable (Curry 1). A dim-witted fool like Ares should not even be able to touch Zeus’s throne. Therefore, Ares should never, above any circumstance, be the next leader of the