Western Regional Button Association is pleased to share our educational articles with the button collecting community. This article appeared in the November 2017 WRBA Territorial News. Enjoy! WRBA gladly offers our articles for reprint, as long as credit is given to WRBA as the source, and the author. Please join WRBA! Go to www.WRBA.us

Greek Mythology #28: ARES by Joy Journeay

God of: War Home: MOUNT OLYMPUS, Thrace, Macedonia, Thebes, Greece, Sparta, Mani Symbols: Spear, helmet, dog, chariot, flaming torch, vulture, and boar Parents: Zeus and Hera Consorts: Aphrodite Siblings: Eris, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Perseus, Minos, the Muses, the Graces, Enyo, Eileithyia Children: Eros, Anteros, Phobos, Deimos, Phylegyas, Harmonia, Adrestia Roman Counterpart: Mars

As gods, Ares and Athena represented the realm of war: Athena as the tactical strategist and Ares as its uncontrolled violence. Ares had the physical power to conduct war. Combined with the uncontrolled violence, this dangerous force made those around him quite uncomfortable. He took to war with him his sons, Deimos (terror) and Phobus (fear). During the Trojan War, the gods chose sides and Ares was on the losing side, Ares, from Hadrian’s Villa the Trojans, while his sister Athena was on the side of the Greeks. in Tivoli, Italy. Ares passed on his murderous war powers to his son, Cycnus, who was so heinous that Heracles killed him. Ares consorted with Aphrodite despite her marriage to Hephaestus. Once Helios spied Ares and Aphrodite together amorously in Hephaestus’ hall and reported it to Hephaestus. Hephaestus fashioned a nearly invisible net to snare the lovers and sprung it on them when they were quite completely involved in a very private act. Hephaestus increased their humiliation by then inviting the rest of the Olympian gods and goddesses to view them. The ladylike goddesses declined—but the gods came willingly, commenting on Aphrodite’s beauty—but all mocked the couple. Once set free, Ares returned to his homeland of Thrace, fully embarrassed and humiliated. In one version of this myth, Ares had stationed Alectryon by the door to warn Brass button of Ares of Helios arrival, and he failed in his task when he fell asleep, so Ares turned resting with his shield. him into a rooster. From this version comes the crowing of the cock, which now Division I. announces the coming of the sun each morning. Courtesy of Lou Yeargain.

Transfer on porcelain, set in metal. Division I. Courtesy of Jocelyn Howells.

Front and back of a stamped metal button of Ares (Mars). Sam Biern backmarked. Courtesy of Katrinka Quirk.