Ares: The Great and Terrible
The Greeks' physical representation of masculinity and violence, Ares and his followers valued strength over rationality, which overtime created the religious figure who best represents human warfare. Cruelty towards the weak and the value of strength became so important to Ares' followers and the worship of him so great, that his ideals would influence much of Western European society, especially the Roman Empire, through great ballads, sonnets, epics, and poems written by Greeks.
Overtime, the strength associated with the God Ares would garner him a wide following among average Greek workers and fighters, or anyone who admired power, whether influential or not. In fact, Ares was so popular among warrior and athletic society that he has today become associated with vehemence and leadership among toilers, and military forces.
Ares became a legendary figure in Greek society, not because of his affluent placement upon Mt. Olympus, but because of his popular, and usually controversial, standards of living, and his barbaric mannerisms in an otherwise sophisticated and proud Pantheon. It was not that Ares was reflected by Classical values, but rather that he influenced the values of many Greeks, from the early ancient era the end of the Classical age.
Overtime, the strength associated with the God Ares would garner him a wide following among average Greek workers and fighters, or anyone who admired power, whether influential or not. In fact, Ares was so popular among warrior and athletic society that he has today become associated with vehemence and leadership among toilers, and military forces.
Ares became a legendary figure in Greek society, not because of his affluent placement upon Mt. Olympus, but because of his popular, and usually controversial, standards of living, and his barbaric mannerisms in an otherwise sophisticated and proud Pantheon. It was not that Ares was reflected by Classical values, but rather that he influenced the values of many Greeks, from the early ancient era the end of the Classical age.