Athena and Ares and a comparison of the two as divinities of war

Abstract

The aim of this paper will be to set forth the conception of Athena as found in the principal early sources of Greek mythology, namely the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer; the Theogonia, Works and Days, and Shield of Heracles, of Hesiod; the Homeric Hymns; and the excerpts of Proclus from the Epic cycle. Her birth, appearance, worship, and importance among the gods will be treated, also the modes of her manifestation to men and her prerogatives in dealing with them. The second part of this paper will focus on Ares. The sources of information for the discussion of Ares are the same as those stated for Athena. We shall find that he is the war god and a personification of war; that he engages in combat, with all the vicissitudes of a mortal warrior; and that he is an inferior god in character and in power.