#also i like how Equus is the only one left and he's fighting the entire obsidona crew lol

[kairunatic]

Made by : ABSOL

[asklepiean]

30 Days of Devotion - Mars

1. A basic introduction of the deity

Mars is one of the Dii Consentes, the twelve major Gods honored in the Roman religion (or as Cicero calls it in “De Natura Deorum”, Cultus Deorum). He’s the God of soldiers, victory, battle and martial frenzy, and He’s the father of Romulus and Remus - hence He’s the divine father of Rome.

2. How did you become first aware of this deity?

Let’s just say that being interested in Roman and military history helped a lot with the introduction.

3. Symbols and icons of this deity

Mars is often depicted naked -as His Greek counterpart, Ares-, with a spear and a shield. Romans used to keep a spear in the Regia (the former residence of the kings of Rome), and it was said that this weapon moved or vibrated if Rome was in danger. He is also depicted with a lorica musculata, an anatomical armor used during the Republic and the Imperial period. Sacred animals are the horse, the wolf, the woodpecker.

4. A favorite myth or myths of this deity

Ovid tells the story of how Mars is tricked by Anna Perenna. The God is madly in love with Minerva (quote “Armifer armiferae correptus amore Minerue - Uror et hoc longo tempore uolnus alo” (Fasti, book 3, 681-2), that approximately means “I, a warrior, burn with love for the belligerent Minerva, and for a long time I’ve nurtured this wound”) and asks Anna to help Him. She agrees, but instead of speaking to Minerva, She lies and tells Him the Goddess accepted. Mars prepares Himself for the rendezvous, only to find out that Anna, disguised as Minerva, tricked Him and almost had an affair with Him.

5. Members of the family – genealogical connections

Rhea Silvia - The vestal virgin that gave birth to the sons of Mars; niece of Amulius, usurper of king Numitor’s throne

Romulus and Remus - His children, founders of the first settlement of Rome. Romulus killed his brother during a fight (there are many versions of this story: the most famous tells that Remus mocked the sanctity of the pomerium, jumping over the border while armed, and the fixed punishment for this transgression was death), becoming the first king of Rome. He became a God, Quirinus, after death (the senators killed him, but the myth says he ascended the heavens while speaking to his soldiers during the training).

6. Other related deities and entities associated with this deity

Janus - in times of war the doors of His temple were left open and were closed during peace (Emperor Augustus says that under his govern the temple was closed twice - an extraordinary event).

Nerio - the personification of valor, sometimes identified as Bellona; She’s said to be His consort

Iuppiter and Quirinus: with Mars, they were part of the archaic triad of Gods that ruled over Rome. Quirinus is the name of the divinized Romulus, a Deity (Dumézil in “Archaic Roman Religion“ offers a good explanation) and an epithet of Mars.

Venus: as in the Ares/Aphrodites couple, Mars is often depicted as one of Venus’ lovers thanks to the syncretism with the Hellenic mythology

Minerva: in Ovid’s “Fasti”, Mars is said to be in love with Her

Anna Perenna: certain versions of the myth tell that Anna was married to Mars

7. Names and epithets

Mars Gradivus (from gradus, “step”; the marching God))

Mars Quirinus (from quirites, “civilians”; God of the citizens)

Mars Grabovius (a title shared with Iuppiter and an Umbrian Deity, Vofionus)

Mars Pater (from pater, “father”;  Father Mars)

Mars Silvanus (found in Cato’s “De Agricoltura”, probably it's not an epithet but the name of another God, Silvanus)

Mars Ultor (from ultor, “avenger”; the avenging God)

Mars Augustus (from augustus, “venerable”; the venerable God)

8. Variations on this deity (aspects, regional forms, etc.)

I don’t want to turn this post into a wall of names, so I’ll leave here the link to the Wiki article about Mars, where you can find an exhaustive list of syncretic  Celtic Gods.

9. Common mistakes about this deity

In Cato’s “De Agricoltura”, we find a rite that involves Mars as a protector against the dangers of the woods and illness, and a prayer that asks His action in the growing of the crops, the wellness of the shepherds and the animals. This leads many into thinking that Mars is a rustic God, but it’s a shallow interpretation. Mars does not protect the fields per se, He stands against the chaotic forces of nature - He’s a sentinel on the border, and His duty is to block any intruder that tries to sneak in. He guards the perimeter and the entire land, and His role doesn’t change: He never becomes an agricultural God, He just shifts His attention from the wall of the city to the grass of the fields.

10. Offerings – historical and UPG

A common offering for Mars is the suovetaurilia (the sacrifice of an ox, a ram and a pig), and according to Plutarch, during the ides of October, one of the horses that pulled the winner’s chariot in a race is sacrificed to Him (the October Equus). Other common offerings are incense and wine.

11. Festivals, days, and times sacred to this deity

Equirria (February 27, March 14): in this day, the Romans organized chariot races

Quinquatrus (March 19): a sacred ceremony in which the weapons were polished and purified

Tubilustrium (March 23, May 23): a sacred ceremony in which the trumpets were polished and the army was purified

Tigillum sororium (October 1): a ceremony linked to the legend of Horatius and the purification after the war

October Equus (October 15): in this day, the Romans organized chariot races - one of the winning horses (the one who pulled the chariot on the right) was sacrificed to Mars

Armilustrium (October 19): a sacred ceremony in which the weapons were polished and purified

Mars was linked to the ceremony of the uer/ver sacrum (”the sacred spring”), a time when the new generation of warriors was sent out of the settlement in search of better lands and resources. Many groups used to follow sings, like animals, to find a new place and settle down - these groups usually took the name of the sign that helped them (e.g. the Picentes named themselves after the picus, “woodpeker”)

March and October are probably linked to Mars because they signed the beginning and the end of the martial season (wars were fought in spring and summer) - I haven’t found this info in any book/paper yet, it’s one of my assumptions.

12. Places associated with this deity and their worship

the campus martius (the place where the comitia centuriata, the citizens in arms, used to gather)

the Temple of Mars Ultor (erected 2 BC, founded by Emperor Augustus as a vow to avenge the death of Caesar)

the ara Martis in campo, located in the campus martius (in 138, Decimus Junius Callaicus founded a temple in that area as a vow)

the templum Martis extra portam Capenam, located near Porta Capena (where the legions gathered to intervene in the southern regions)

the sacrarium Martis in the Regia (a depository for holy objects related to war)

any temple dedicated to Mars was usually built outside the pomerium, the sacred border that circumscribed the first settlement of Rome, and because of its sanctity, it couldn't be violated with war. Other Deities, such as Bellona, Vulcano, and Venus, were kept out of the pomerium.

13. What modern cultural issues are closest to this deity’s heart?

Honestly, I don’t believe there’s something that still holds the values embodied by Mars, so I would say that our culture has nothing that this God would really care about. War is a useless, mindless bloodshed that kils innoncents; citizens are divided; leaders don’t care about the population. Probably I’m too cinic.

14. Has worship of this deity changed in modern times?

Apart from the obvious impossibility of animal sacrifices and public rites (the heart of the religion), what we can reconstruct from the literary sources is as similar as possible as what Romans used to do. We are lucky enough to have a lot of writings that can be used to refine our practice.

15. Any mundane practices that are associated with this deity?

Martial training and learning discipline (both physical and mental): Personally, I would add studying military history and military strategy.

16. How do you think this deity represents the values of their pantheon and cultural origins?

Romans were not priests who fought in times of need. Romans were soldiers who stipulated deadly serious vows with Gods and men.

There’s a theory that says that the Roman Empire spread its influence because Romans started fighting the neighboring populations as a way to defend themselves. In 390 BCE, Rome was plundered by a Celtic tribe and the shock was so severe that the entire Roman mindset changed immediately. War was no longer seen as an act of violent imposition on others but as an extreme act of defense. War was regulated by laws and rites, a specific group of priests (the fetiales) was involved in the declaration of the bellum iustum, the rightful war, and victory was seen as a sign of divine favor. Omens were taken before the fight, and it was possible to “bribe” the Gods of the opponents with prayers and vows, taking their statues from the temples and bringing them to Rome. War was a matter of religion, and religion permeated every aspect of Roman life.

Mars is defense, discipline, martial order. He’s the centurion, the man who marches with the wounded soldiers; He’s the vexillifer, holding the Roman banner in the middle of the fight. Mars is the sentinel, the last bastion, defending the Urbs, Rome, against its enemies - both outside than inside. He’s the embodiment of the essence of what Rome aspired to become, and what became after centuries of war and diplomacy.

Mars doesn’t just represent Rome and Roman values. Mars is Rome.

17. How does this deity relate to other gods and other pantheons?

*blank

18. How does this deity stand in terms of gender and sexuality? (historical and/or UPG)

With the exception of poetry, in the Roman religion and practice, there was little to no space regarding the sexuality of the Gods (apart from the Male/Female dichotomy). Mars can be considered straight, though.

19. What quality or qualities of this god do you most admire? What quality or qualities of them do you find the most troubling?

I don’t have a “best/worse quality” list because I don’t think that Gods should be analyzed like we do with people. Our Gods are the essence of the Cosmos, and saying that we prefere or oppose something They represent implies that we are disconnected from Them and that essential aspect of reality.

20. Art that reminds you of this deity

Jacques-Louis David - Oath of the Horatii

21. Music that makes you think of this deity

Dvořák  - Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B. 178 "From the New World": IV. Allegro con fuoco

22. A quote, a poem, or piece of writing that you think this deity resonates strongly with

Si sta come

d’autunno

sugli alberi

le foglie

(G. Ungaretti, Soldati - english translation here)

23. Your own composition – a piece of writing about or for this deity

Warcries crush the skies.

Your spear’s shaking, Mars Pater.

Tonight we’ll bleed again.

(I posted this is June, but who cares)

24. A time when this deity has helped you

*blank

25. A time when this deity has refused to help

*blank

26. How has your relationship with this deity changed over time?

*blank

27. Worst misconception about this deity that you have encountered

The blatantly idiotic idea that Mars is a bloodthirsty, mindless imbecile. People seem to have ginormous issues with war Gods and I’m so tired of this trend - it’s desrespectful for the Gods and the devotees. If Deities are not light and fluff and don’t stick to the “tumblr aesthetic”, it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to mock Them.

28. Something you wish you knew about this deity but don’t currently

29. Any interesting or unusual UPG to share?

Nothing I feel comfortable sharing on the internet.

30. Any suggestions for others just starting to learn about this deity?

Disinstal tumblr

Go to the library

Look for books on Greek and Roman religion/mythology

Read them, then read the bibliography

Look for the books you found in the bibliography

Repeat every time you want to research something

Resources:

Cicero, De Natura Deorum

G. Dumézil, Archaic Roman Religion

G. De Sanctis, La Religione a Roma

Ovid, Fasti

Cato, De Agricoltura

Emperor Augustus, Res Gestae Divi Augusti

the good ol’ Wikipedia (the article is really good and full of useful resources)