The War Cries of Mars
Mars, the Roman God of War, was one of the most worshipped and revered gods throughout ancient Rome. He was the son of Jupiter and Juno and according to legend, fathered Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, with the vestal virgin Rhea Silvia. Because of this “divine” lineage, the Roman people felt as though they were also the children of Mars and he was regarded as their protector. Mars held a special place in the Roman Pantheon not only for his patron influence, but because of the importance of military achievement in the republic and the Roman Empire, conquering Northern Africa and much of Europe and the Middle East.
The month of March was dedicated to (and named after) god Mars, that's why he was also, considered the God of Spring - the beginning of spring also meant the beginning of the war campaigns. He was also celebrated in October, the month when the war campaign was over, and the weapons were purified and stored.
God Mars was later identified with the Greek god Ares. Ares, God of War, had a miserable childhood. The only son of the mighty Jupiter, ruler of the Olympians, and his wife Juno, Ares was disliked by his father from the moment he was born and was barely tolerated from then on.
Perhaps Jupiter just couldn't warm up to the little guy because Jupiter hear rumor that he hadn't had a part in Ares' conception or his birth!!!! According to the rumor; Juno, with the help of a magical herb, had managed to "get herself pregnant" with no help from Jupiter or any man, a process called parthenogenesis.
Virility as a kind of life force (Vis) or virtue (virtus) is an essential characteristic of Mars. As an agricultural god, he directs his energies toward creating conditions that allow crops to grow, which may include warding off hostile forces of nature. As an embodiment of masculine aggression, he is the force that drives wars — but ideally, war that delivers a secure peace.
The priesthood of the Arval Brothers called on Mars to drive off "rust" (lues), with its double meaning of wheat fungus and the red oxides that affect metal, a threat to both iron farm implements and weaponry. In the surviving text of their hymn, the Arval Brothers invoked Mars as ferus, "savage" or "feral" like a wild animal.
Mars' potential for savagery is expressed in his obscure connections to the wild woodlands, and he may even have originated as a god of the wild, beyond the boundaries set by humans, and thus a force to be propitiated. In his book on farming, Cato invokes Mars Silvanus for a ritual to be carried out in Silva, in the woods, an uncultivated place that if not held within bounds can threaten to overtake the fields needed for crops. Mars' character as an agricultural god may derive solely from his role as a defender and protector, or may be inseparable from his warrior nature, as the leaping of his armed priests the Salii was meant to quicken the growth of crops
The Roman god Mars was considered the father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of the city of Rome. He fell in love with a vestal, Rhea Silvia, and seduced her. The twins were abandoned in the forest by their grandfather (who obviously wasn't very happy about this birth) and Mars sent a she-wolf to take care of them (the wolf and the woodpecker were his sacred animals). That's why the Romans considered themselves god Mars' sons - and so did other Italic tribes, too (as you can see, he was quite popular as a forefather).
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