Mars (mythology)

Information about Mars (mythology)

For the fourth planet from the sun, see Mars.


Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and either Jupiter or a magical flower. As the word Mars has no Indo-European derivation, it is most likely the Latinized form of the agricultural Etruscan god Maris. Initially the Roman god of fertility and vegetation and a protector of cattle, fields and boundaries, Mars later became associated with battle as the growing Roman Empire began to expand, and he was identified with the Greek god Ares. He was also a tutelary god of Rome. Unlike his Greek counterpart, Mars was generally well liked and rivaled Jupiter as the most honored god. He was regarded as the legendary father of Rome's founder, Romulus, it was believed that all Romans were descendents of Mars.

Names and epithets

Enlarge picture
Mars celebrated as peace-bringer in this coin struck under Aemilianus.


Mars was called Mavōrs in some poetry (Virgil VIII, 630), and Mamers was his Oscan name. He was also known as Marmor, Marmar and Maris, the latter from the Etruscan deity Maris.

Like other major Roman deities, Mars had a large number of epithets representing his different roles and aspects. Many of Mars's epithets resulted from mythological syncretism between Mars and foreign gods. The most common and significant of these included:
  • Mars Alator, a fusion of Mars with the Celtic deity Alator (possibly meaning "Huntsman" or "Cherisher"), known from inscription found in England, on an altar at South Shields and a silver-gilt votive plaque at Barkway, Hertfordshire. [1][2]
  • Mars Albiorix, a fusion of Mars with the ancient Celtic deity Toutatis, using the epithet Albiorix ("King of the World"). Mars Albiorix was worshiped as protector of the Albici tribe of southern France, and was regarded as a mountain god. Another epithet of Toutatis, Caturix ("King of Combat"), was used in the combination Mars Caturix, which was worshiped in Gaul, possibly as the tribal god of the Caturiges.[2]
  • Mars Balearicus, statues of a warrior discovered in the Mallorca Island, associated by the archeologists to the Roman god Mars http://www.agendamallorca.net/monograficos/pagina.en.html?cIte=2836.
  • Mars Barrex, from Barrex or Barrecis (probably meaning "Supreme One"), a Celtic god known only from a dedicatory inscription found at Carlisle, England.[2]
  • Mars Belatucadrus, an epithet found in five inscriptions in the area of Hadrian's Wall in England, based on equating the Celtic deity Belatu-Cadros with Mars.
  • Mars Braciaca, a synthesis of Mars with the Celtic god Braciaca. This deity is only known from a single inscription at Bakewell, England.[2]
  • Mars Camulos, from the Celtic war god Camulus.
  • Mars Capriociegus, from an Iberian god who was linked to Mars. He is invoked in two inscriptions in the Pontevedra region of northwest Spain.
  • Mars Cocidius, a combination of Mars with the Celtic woodland hunting god Cocidius. He is referenced around northwest Cumbria and Hadrian's Wall, and was chiefly a war god only in instances where he was equated with Mars.
  • Mars Condatis, from the Celtic god of the confluence of rivers, Condatis. Mars Condatis, who oversaw water and healing, is known from inscriptions near Hadrian's Wall, at Piercebridge, Bowes and Chester-le-Street.[2][3]
  • Mars Corotiacus. A local British version of Mars from Martlesham in Suffolk. He appears on a bronze statuette as a cavalryman, armed and riding a horse which tramples a prostrate enemy beneath its hooves. [4]
  • Mars Gradivus, God of War.
  • Mars Lenus. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic healer-god Lenus. In the main cult centre of the god, the indigenous name always comes first (Lenus Mars), an indication that Lenus was an established god, with whom Mars was later equated. [5]
  • Mars Loucetius. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Loucetius.
  • Mars Mullo. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Mullo
  • Mars Nodens. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Nodens.
  • Mars Ocelus. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Ocelus.
  • Mars Olloudius. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Olloudius.
  • Mars Rigisamus. Mars was given this title (which means 'Greatest King' or 'King of Kings') in at West Coker in Somerset, where a bronze figurine and inscribed plaque dedicated to the god were found in a field, along with the remains of a building, perhaps a shrine. The figurine depicts a standing naked male figure with a close-fitting helmet; his right hand may have once held a weapon, and he probably originally also had a shield (both are now lost). The same epithet for a god is recorded from Bourges in Gaul. The use of this epithet implies that Mars had an extremely high status, over and above his warrior function. [6]
  • Mars Rigonemetis ("King of the Sacred Grove"). A dedication to Rigonemetis and the numen (spirit) of the Emperor inscribed on a stone was discovered at Nettleham (Lincolnshire) in 1961. Rigonemetis is only known from this site, and it seems he may have been a god belonging to the tribe of the Corieltauvi. [7]
  • Mars Segomo. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Segomo.
  • Mars Teutates. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Teutates (Toutatis).
  • Mars Thinesus. A form of Mars invoked at Homesteads at Hadrian's Wall, where his name is linked with two goddesses called the Alaisiagae. Anne Ross associated Thinesus with a sculpture, also from the fort, which shows a god flanked by goddesses and accompanied by a goose - a frequent companion of war gods. [8]
  • Mars Visucius. A fusion of Mars with the Celtic god Visucius.
  • Mars Vorocius. A Celtic healer-god invoked at the curative spring shrine at Vichy (Allier) as a curer of eye afflictions. On images, the god is depicted as a Celtic warrior. [9]

Notes

  • The name Mars survives in everyday use in reference to military or extraordinary circumstances, such as martial arts or martial law.
  • The common forename or surname Martin (also spelt Martyn, Martijn and Marten, amongst other ways, in different languages) derives from Mars with the meaning dedicated to Mars or man of Mars.
  • The third day of the week in Roman times was dedicated to Mars: Martis Dies (Tuesday). It has survived in the Romanic languages as Martes (Spanish), Mardi (French), Martedi (Italian).
In the Thai solar calendar, Tuesday is named for Mars from a Pali word that also means "Ashes of the Dead".http://www.thai-language.com/id/131679 The colour associated with the day is Scarlet.
In many languages Tuesday is named for the planet Mars or the God of War: See Days of the Week Planetary table.
Also known as the marsmon named after him
The Roman Consul and General Gaius Marius' last name meant "son of Mars"

See also

References

1. ^ Phillips, E.J. (1977). Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani, Great Britain, Volume I, Fascicule 1. Hadrian's Wall East of the North Tyne (p. 66). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-725954-5.
2. ^ Ross, Anne (1967). Pagan Celtic Britain. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0-902357-03-4.
3. ^ Jones, Barri & Mattingly, David (1990). An Atlas of Roman Britain (p. 275). Oxford: Basil Blackwell. ISBN 1-84217-067-8.
4. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997
5. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997
6. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997
7. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997
8. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997
9. ^ Miranda J. Green. "Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend" (p. 142.) Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1997

External links

Roman mythology series
Major deities
Apollo | Ceres | Diana | Divus Augustus | Fortuna | Divus Julius | Juno | Jupiter | Lares
Mars | Mercury | Minerva | Neptune | Pluto | Quirinus | Sol | Venus | Vesta | Vulcan
Mars  

Mars as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope
Orbital characteristics
Epoch J2000<ref name="nssdc" />
Aphelion distance: 249,228,730 km
1.66599116 AU
Perihelion distance: 206,644,545 km
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Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. One part, largely later and literary, consists of whole-cloth borrowings from Greek mythology.
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Juno (Latin: IVNO ) was a major Roman goddess, called Hera by the Greeks. She was queen of the gods. An ancient and central deity in Roman religion, Juno was the sister and wife of the ruler of the gods, Jupiter, and the mother of Hebe, Vulcan and Mars, one of the most important
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Jupiter (Iuppiter in Latin) held the same role as Zeus in the Greek pantheon. He was called Juppiter Optimus Maximus Soter (Jupiter Best, Greatest, Savior); as the patron deity of the Roman state, he ruled over laws and social order.
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Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Although the existence of such a language has been accepted by linguists for a long time, there has been debate about many specific
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romanization (or Latinization, also spelled romanisation or Latinisation) is the representation of a word or language with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system (or none).
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Maris (or Mariś) was the Etruscan god of agriculture and fertility later borrowed by the Romans as a war/agricultual god Mars and equated with Greek Ares by interpretatio romana.
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Fertility is the natural capability of giving life. As a measure, "Fertility Rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. This is different to fecundity, which is defined as the potential
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Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere.
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Interpretatio graeca is a Latin term for the common tendency of ancient Greek writers to equate foreign divinities to members of their own pantheon. Herodotus, for example, refers to the ancient Egyptian gods Amon, Osiris and Ptah as "Zeus", "Dionysus" and "Hephaestus".
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Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices.
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Ares (Ancient Greek: Ἄρης, ancient Greek Άρης [pron. "áris"]) is the son of Zues (ruler of the gods) and Medusa.
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A tutelary spirit or patron god is a god, often a minor god, who serves as the guardian or watcher over a particular site, person, or nation. For example, in Greek polytheism, Athena was the patron goddess (or "matron goddess") of the city of Athens; in Roman polytheism,
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Romulus
Reign April 23, 753 BC - 717 BC
Born 771 BC
Alba Longa
Died 717 BC
Rome
Predecessor None
Successor Numa Pompilius
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Publius Vergilius Maro

A bust of Virgil, from the entrance to his tomb in Naples, Italy.
Born: October 15, 70 BC
Andes, North Italy
Died: September 21, 19 BC
Brundisium
Occupation: Poet
Nationality: Roman
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Oscan, the language of the Osci, is in the Sabellic branch of the Italic language family, which is a branch of Indo-European that also includes Umbrian, Latin, and Faliscan. It was spoken in Samnium and in Campania, as well as in Lucania, Ager Bruttius, and Abruzzo.
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Maris (or Mariś) was the Etruscan god of agriculture and fertility later borrowed by the Romans as a war/agricultual god Mars and equated with Greek Ares by interpretatio romana.
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An epithet (Greek — επιθετον and Latin — epitheton; literally meaning 'imposed') is a descriptive word or phrase that has become a fixed formula.
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Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought.
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit   (French)
"God and my right"
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No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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South Shields

OS grid reference _region:GB_scale:25000 NZ365665
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Barkway

Barkway (United Kingdom)

Barkway shown within the United Kingdom
Population 656[1]
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(pronounced [ˈhɑːtfʊdʃə] or [ˈhɑːʔfʊdʃə
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Toutatis or Teutates was a Celtic god worshipped in ancient Gaul and Britain. On the basis of his name's etymology, he has been widely interpreted to be a tribal protector.
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