Ares (Mars) Sightings
- The Odyssey 800BC - 600BC
The story of Ares' scandalous love affair with Aphrodite is found in Homer's ancient Greek epic poem.
- The Iliad 800BC - 600BC
Homer brings the gods into The Iliad as well, which tells the story of the mythic Trojan War. Most of the gods of Olympus take sides in the human war: Hera, Athena, and Poseidon are rooting for the Greeks, while Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are fighting for the Trojans. Be sure to check out Book 5, where Ares gets his butt kicked.
- The Metamorphoses 2
The Roman poet Ovid collected all kinds of wild stories about the gods in The Metamorphoses. Here you'll find myths about Mars (a.k.a. Ares), including the story of how his affair with Venus (Aphrodite) was made public.
- The Canterbury Tales: The Knight's Tale 1387
Part of Chaucer's story takes place on Mount Olympus. Here we see Mars (Ares) and Venus (Aphrodite) bickering about which knight should win a joust and get the girl, Jupiter (Zeus) feeling totally fed up with the argument, and Saturn (Cronus) stepping in to save the day.
- Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys 1995 - 2001
The god of war was a recurring character on the super-cheesy TV shows Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series 2005
Percy Jackson has run-ins with all of the gods of Olympus, including Ares. In the first book, The Lightning Thief, Percy actually battles with Ares on the beach and wins. Ares also has a lot of mortal children who go to camp with Percy, including a total bully named Clarisse.
- God of War 2005
The Greek gods make it onto the PlayStation in the God of War video game trilogy. The mortal hero of the games, Kratos, butts heads with the gods of Olympus, starting with Ares. In the first game, Kratos destroys Ares and replaces him as the god of war.
- Ares, from Marvel Comics 2006
This five-issue Marvel miniseries adds some depth to Ares' character. Check out the description: "For thousands of years, Ares, The God of War, has been the most violent and ruthlessly efficient killer in Zeus’s stable. The Nuclear Option to be sent in when absolutely, positively, need to kill everything in sight. Now, Ares […] has turned his back on Olympus and centuries of brutal warfare to begin life anew on Earth with one goal: to raise his child. But what happens when Olympus – under siege and in danger of falling – calls on its most violent son to come to its rescue? And what happens if Ares refuses?"