7  Ares

Son of Zeus and Hera，Ares was appointed god of war．Hewas terrible and majestic ，and his march shook the world．Of all the major gods at Olympus，he was the most hateful，loving struggle and war and ever thirsty for blood ．On the other hand he signified courage and victory in battle，and was devoutly worshipped by soldiers going to war．Prayers were addressed to him before the war and spoils presented at his altar after it．

He was the one god who ever had to submit to the power ofhis inferiors ．At one time lack of tact and good udge ment led to his shame．He was fighting with two giants，and finding himself no match for the two monstrous creatures，laid down hisarms and was imprisoned in chains． He was set free in the end by the artful  Hermes，but not before he had suffered all the humiliations .

He was as thoughtless as he was unkind ．A son of Poseidon's，attempting to kidnap his daughter，made the war-god unhappy，so that he killed the youth Without he sitation.In retaliation ，Poseidon dragged him before a group of Athenian judges for trial．The court was held on a hill outside Athens．Ares presented his case and was declared innocent . The hill was ever after called Areopagus，“the hill of Ares”，and the judges receivedthe names of Areopagitae．

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