On the Good

[sdi]

Those [Gods] who watch over [the world] are Hestia, Athena, and Ares. [... But] if there is no ordering power[, ...] whence comes the fact that all things are for a purpose[? ... To] attribute men's acts of injustice and lust to Fate, is to make ourselves good and the Gods bad. [Sallustius VI, IX]

Herostratus, an Ephesian, set fire to the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which had been begun by Chersiphron, and completed by Demetrius and Paeonius. It was burnt on the same night that Alexander the Great was born, B. C. 356, whereupon it was remarked by Hegesias the Magnesian, that the conflagration was not to be wondered at, since the goddess was absent from Ephesus, and attending on the delivery of Olympias[. ...] Herostratus was put to the torture for his deed, and confessed that he had fired the temple to immortalize himself. The Ephesians passed a decree condemning his name to oblivion; but Theopompus embalmed him in his history, like a fly in amber. [William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]

Of Hestia, we barely remember the name of Chersiphron. Of Athena, we have forgotten the names of the judges. But of Ares, we remember well the name of Herostratus.

We may not like Ares, but that does not mean He is not Good, and neither does it mean He does not look after His own.

Comments

[boccaderlupo]

Have you read the Homeric hymn to Ares? Really casts him in a different light that how he is usually presented.

[sdi]

O blessed one, give me the boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.

I certainly concur that it takes dauntless audacity to thrive in a civilized life! (Geomantically, that's Puer (boldness) plus Acquisitio (law) equals Laetitia (happiness).)

[boccaderlupo]

Yes, great line!

I also enjoy "bulwark of Olympos" and "paragon of manly excellence." A different view of mighty Ares...

[sdi]

paragon of manly excellence

It surprises me to hear this, since our culture-hero manly-men are, if anything, more Ares than theirs were: Heracles and Odysseus are men of many devices, but our Rambos and John McClanes are not!

[barefootwisdom]

It's a magnificent hymn, and well worth using in devotion!

I'll throw in, from a scholarly curiosity perspective, the general consensus is that the Hymn to Ares was written much, much later than the other Homeric Hymns... like, 2nd century CE, give-or-take! At one time, a few scholars even wanted to attribute it to the philosopher Proclus (5th century CE), but that's generally been walked back, even by some of those same individuals themselves.

Of course, none of that affects how excellent of a prayer it is. In fact, I may shut this computer down, and go sing this hymn to Ares right now. Hail Ares!

[barefootwisdom]

To quote one of my favorite lines from the Chaldean Oracles: "Don't you know that every God is good? Sober up, you drudges!"

[sdi]

I had to verify this for myself, but you're right, that's what it says! That's just too great.

We say that the Gods are the definition of good. Don't you know what definition means!?

[boccaderlupo]

Although in a Christian context, Pseudo-Dionysius has an interesting image of The One/The Good as the point of unity in the center a circle, with the persons (in a pagan context, henads) radiating out from it, as the first participants in The One/The Good (obviously this is a meager comparison, as The One/The Good both informs and resists all such exercises). To push the comparison, though, the mythological representations of the gods would be further down along the lines, such that they diverge more from The One and each other, but the closer to the center they become, the closer they grow not only to each other but to The One/The Good itself. I thought this was a neat image, for what it is worth.

I believe Butler also recently identified an ancient Ares cult that hailed him for his prowess in divination, although this is another aspect that is often not attributed to him (sadly I cannot find the reference).