Last week, we left you off with the Gods and Goddess of Olympus. I must admit that I enjoyed digging up the stories of those deities. Among the list, Ares, the God of War really caught my attention. Maybe because I am so fond of war movies or it's just fascinating to know someone who is a major factor in a nation's glory in the ancient times.

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Over the ages, many civilizations have come and gone, each with their own Gods and deities. Although the Gods themselves have been different, some of their associations are the same.

Most ancient cultures has a God of War or someone who is in-charge of the military who soldiers and generals would pray to for success in battle.

Which among these gods are you most particular with?

Norse War Gods

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In the Norse mythology, there were three Gods associated with war. Odin, the most important God of the pantheon, was associated with battles and wars in general and victory in particular. His beautiful warrior-women, the Valkyries, would ride into battle on the side that he selected. He was also the host of Valhalla, the great hall where the spirits of slain warriors would await the chance to fight again at Ragnarok, the great battle of the end of time.

Odin’s son Tyr was the God associated with single-combat and glory. Tyr lost one of his hands while binding the great wolf Fenrir.

The beautiful warrior-Goddess Freyja is also associated with war, although she is more commonly associated with love, fertility and beauty.

Greek War Gods

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Ares and his sister Athena were the Greek Gods of War. Ares was generally associated with the violence, slaughter and mayhem of war as opposed to strategy and tactics, which were the responsibility of Athena.The son of Zeus and Hera, Ares was considered one of the more important and powerful Gods of the Pantheon. He was considered an unpredictable God compared to the others.

Athena, on the other hand, represented the art of warfare and was the patroness of the city of Athens.

Roman War Gods

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The Romans adopted most of the Greek Gods: Ares became Mars and Athena became Minerva. In terms of their personalities and characteristics they were pretty much the same, although Mars was a little more respectable than Ares; he was venerated by the Roman legions and was therefore very important in Roman culture.

Egyptian War Gods

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Ancient Egypt was divided in two: Upper and Lower Egypt. In Lower Egypt, cat-headed goddess Bast was the Goddess of war. When Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt, their own war Goddess Sekhmet became the principal war deity. Sekhmet, often depicted as a lioness, was also responsible for protecting the Pharaohs, and so was very important to Egyptian life.

Aztec War God

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Huitzilopochtli was the principal deity of the Aztecs and also served as their sun god and the patron of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City). His name means “hummingbird of the south” but don’t let that fool you: Huitzilopochtli was a tough master to the Aztecs.

Thousands of people (mostly prisoners of war) were sacrificed to Huitzilopochtli before the arrival of the Spanish.

Irish War God

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The Morrígan isn’t exactly a Goddess; she’s more of a spirit or harbinger of doom. She would often appear as a woman or a crow, and her appearance to any given warrior meant that he was going to die. She wasn’t really worshiped like the others on this list: she was more of a force of nature and not someone to be flattered or convinced to intervene by prayer or devotion.

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There you have it guys, the generals and war initiators of the ancient times. Which of these fierce warriors do you recognize?

Which of them leaves a mark and interests you to go digging the web for additional information.

_{Reference: WIkipedia - List o f War Deities}

Interested in the Greek Mythology? You may check my other posts for further reading.

• Mythical Creatures and Beasts of the Greek Mythology
• The Legend of Perseus
• Theseus: Greek Hero and Legendary King of Athens
• Mythical Creatures: The Centaurs
• Mythical Creatures: The Seductive Sirens
• Ancient Greek Myth: Theseus and the Minotaur