Ares was a Greek god, and indeed was one of the ruling Twelve Olympians, relatives of Zeus who ruled from Mount Olympus. Despite this prominent position the name of Ares, and his achievement have been overshadowed by the stories of Zeus and even the mortal heroes of ancient Greece.
The limited knowledge that many people have about Ares has meant that he is often called the Greek God of War; this though was a title that was also given to his half-sister, Athena. Ares in truth was more widely recognised as the Greek god of the slaughter, rather than war in a military sense.
Ares was said to have been and raised in Thrace, the son of Zeus and his third wife, Hera. A full blooded Olympian god, born of two first generation Olympians, ensured that he was given an honoured position in Mount Olympus. The early stories about Ares though have not survived in any great detail, and the most that can be ascertained is that he soon had a reputation amongst the other gods of being a violent and tricky deity.
For most people Ares is just another character who makes an appearance in Homer's Illiad, in which he would often appear on the battlefields of Troy. Initially it appeared that Ares was just looking forward to the fight, and just wanted to be a central figure, willing to fight on the side of Agamemnon's force or that of the Trojans. The lack of morals though came to light, and although the Olympian gods were not renowned for the trustworthiness, Ares was virtually trusted by anyone, even the Greeks who worshipped him. Ares promised his mother, Hera, and his half sister, Athena, that he would fight for their cause, but he was easily swayed when Aphrodite instead asked him to defend Troy. Thus it was that Ares was to be found on the battlefield taking on the Greek heroes.
Zeus though had decreed that no god was to take an active role in the fighting, and so Ares had gone against his word. Hera therefore convinced Zeus that it was time for their son to be punished, and so had the Greek hero Diomedes attack the god. Diomedes was able to fling his spear and have it drive into the body of Ares, causing a wound that forced Ares to depart the fighting to return to Mount Olympus for it to be healed by his father.
Once fit again though it appeared that Ares had learnt his lesson, and he stayed away from the fighting. As the war dragged on though, Zeus changed his mind about allowing the gods to fight and lifted his previous decree. Ares once again was one of the first onto the battlefield, and immediately sought out Athena as an antagonist. Ares indeed managed to overpower his sister, but was stopped from taking any further action by the news that his own son, Ascalaphus had been killed during the surrounding battle. The former Argonaut had fought with the Greeks, and his demise changed Ares' mind about whose side he would fight on. Gods though were once again denied the privilege of fighting by Zeus, and instead it was the sympathetic hand of Athena that comforted Ares, and escorted him away from the Trojan battlefield.
Like Hestia, Ares was one of the twelve Olympians who appear in only limited numbers of tales, and he was often then not depicted in the best light. Despite known for his bloodlust, away from the battlefield Ares would often act more like a coward than a hero.
There is an obvious reason as to why Aphrodite had been able to persuade Ares to back the Trojans in the war, as the pair had been lovers for a long time, this despite the fact that Aphrodite was married to Ares' half brother Hephaestus. Aphrodite was said to be really beautiful, whilst Hephaestus was one of the ugliest. Hephaestus though discovered his wife's unfaithfulness, through the actions of Helios, although by then six children had been conceived, these children being Adrestia, Anteros, Deimos, Eros, Harmonia and Phobos. Hephaestus though was master craftsman and designed a trap that ensnared the couple as they lay together. The adulterous couple then were put on show for the other gods to mock. Eventually released, Ares showed his yellow streak by fleeing to Thrace, leaving his partner behind.
The lack of fight is also shown in Ares' dealings with the two giants, Otus and Ephialtes. The pair of giants managed to capture Ares and imprisoned him in a bronze urn for thirteen months. This action went unnoticed by the other Olympian gods, although Zeus may have known what had happened and ignored it. Ares indeed could not escape from the urn and was forced to rely on Hermes to rescue him, and for Artemis to cause the demise of the two giants.
The imagery of Ares is far removed from a cowardly one though, although he was often escorted on to the battlefield by a number of attendants, normally his own offspring. These attendants included Phobos, fear; Deimos, terror; Ertis, discord; Enyo; Alala; and Enyo. The children of Ares were often linked with their father's bloodlust, and Cycnus was said to have built a monument about the bones of those he had killed. Ares would ride into battle on a chariot, clad in bronze armour, with vultures flying above him.
Ares was not a trusted god amongst the worshipping Greeks, although the war like Spartans and residents of Thebes, a city Ares was said to have founded, would sacrifice to him.
Ares though despite being one of the Twelve Olympians was not widely recorded in the stories of the Greek gods. He was though a god of two distinct images, brave and bloodthirsty on the battlefield, and weak off of it.