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Mars, Father of Rome
Mars, Father of Rome
Posted October 7th, 2007 by Darkgolem
Mars, Father of Rome
By DarkgolemMars is the most warlike of the Roman gods, however, he was not only the primary god of battle in the Roman pantheon, but also had other responsibilities over aspects of Roman life.
The Nature of Mars
Mars was considered the most ruthless and powerful of the war gods of the Roman pantheon. Miverva was considered having oversight over the more tactical, strategic and thoughtful parts of battle while Mars was considered more of a hothead, driven by passions for blood and battle. This nature was less emphasized by the Romans than his Greek equivalent, Ares. Mars developed to be more of a noble and benevolent warrior with great skill in battle than a vicious murderer as Ares was.Interestingly, Mars originally did not have the aspect of war god as his aegis. In early roman history, he was a god of spring, natural growth, fertility and the protector of cattle. In time he was considered a god of the earth, which may eventually have led to his being considered a god of death, and in turn war, though this link is unclear. His nature as an agricultural patron was eventually credited to other gods by the Roman people, and he was considered solely concerned with the Roman state in wartime.
The Romans
seem to have to adopted Mars as a very powerful patron for their
culture. He was said to be the father of Romulus, and as such,
the Roman people considered themselves children of Mars.Aspects of Mars
With the changing aspects of Mars over time, it can be expected that Mars had many names to reflect his many natures. The acquisition of many names by Roman gods is the case even more so for Mars than the other Roman gods, as other cultures were subsumed by conquering Romans. Because of this conquest, many of the gods of war of other cultures were changed to involve the name or nature of Mars in some way.The Celts had many gods who were connected in some way to Mars, their names being Mars Camulos (Cumulus was a Celtic war god), Mars Cocidius (Cocidius was a Celtic hunting god), and so on. By the same token, the Gauls, Britains and Iberians all had their gods subsumed by Mars. For example, Mars Capriociegus was the Iberian name for their god of war, and Mars Corotiacus for the Britains.
Within the Roman culture (aside from the names given Mars by conquered peoples), Mars might be called Mars Ultor (Mars the avenger), Mars Gradivus (He who precedes the army in battle), or Mars Pater (Mars the father).
Interestingly, one of the symbols of Mars is the Spear, and the circle with arrow symbol for masculinity may be based upon this symbol. Because of the associations of Mars with the origins of Rome, the wolf is a symbol of his. Also, the Horse (because of Roman cavalry most likely) is another animal sacred to Mars. The fig tree, oak and dogwood also are associated with this god.
Stories of Mars
Mars is said to have been born of either a fertile flower and Juno or of Juno and Jupiter, depending upon what mythological reference you find.There are very few stories that involve Mars directly, even counting stories involving Ares. In most stories he is mentioned as fighting enemies of the gods, sometimes of his own accord, sometimes after being sent into battle by the other gods. Aside from being mentioned as fighting one or another foe, not many myths seem to refer to him doing other things.
He is said (as Ares in Greek myth) to have fathered the Amazon race with a nymph named Harmony, though the Amazons favored their father's warlike ways. Mars (again as Ares) is said to have been accompanied into battle by his sister Eris (meaning Discord) and Altercatio (Strife).
Worship of Mars
On
Palatine Hill the temple of Mars stood, originally it was the residence
of the pre-republic kings of Rome. His tokens of the shield and
spear were kept here, and were considered sacred. Twelve shields
were eventually created as his sacred shields, placed under the care of
a “Salii” of priests, who cared for them. The other priests of
Mars were the Flamen Marialis. In the forum of Rome, the
spears of Mars were kept. The consul of Mars would ceremonially
shake these spears when war broke out, symbolically waking Mars up.While the former king’s residence upon Palatine Hill was in a sense a temple to Mars in that his icons were kept there, his first true temple, made and dedicated to him, was the outside the Porta Capena, the gate through with the army marched on military campaigns. Another site dedicated to Mars was kept at the Campus Martius, where the army exercised at home.
The month of March, dedicated to Mars, was moved to be later in the calendar to emphasize that war should not be the first thing Romans dwelled upon (symbolically). Festivals and ceremonies dedicated to Mars were conducted in the warmer months, since this was the time of war. The first day of March was the day of the Feriae Marti, considered holy to Mars.
The Equirriae were two festivals involving horse racing, and referring to the months ending and opening of the war seasons (February and March) and the horses involved in warfare.
As the father of the Roman people, held in a special place in Roman culture and heart, understanding the view of Mars by the Roman people and his worship by the Roman people is key to understanding the Roman point of view. In addition, understanding the aspects of Mars assists players of Gods and Heroes in immersion in the settings of Gods and Heroes and the comments of NPCs in the game.
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