Origin
Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera. For the Greeks he embodies war at its most brutal: the fury of battle, not strategy, which belongs to Athena. The other gods fear him more than they love him. In the Iliad, his own father calls him the most hateful god on Olympus.
The story
Ares' most famous myth is not a battle but a love story. He falls for Aphrodite, even though she is married to Hephaestus, the smith god. Warned by the Sun, Hephaestus forges an invisible net and catches the two lovers. He then calls all the gods, who burst out laughing at the sight.
In Rome, everything changes. Mars becomes a respected god, protector of the city and father of Romulus and Remus, its legendary founders. The month of March bears his name: it opened the Roman year and the season of military campaigns.
The symbol
The planet owes its red colour to the iron oxide on its surface, which recalls the blood of battle. In 1877, the astronomer Asaph Hall named its two moons Phobos and Deimos, Fear and Terror, after the sons of Ares who went with him into battle.
In astrology, Mars stands for energy, the drive to act and the way you assert yourself. It rules Aries, and tradition also gives it Scorpio.