Sibling Rivalry Essays (330 words) - War Gods, Ares, Athena, Zeus

Sibling Rivalry Sibling Rivalry Sibling rivalry is as natural as the human tendency to solve problems through war and bloodshed. Throughout time siblings have competed against each other in every matter imaginable. These competitions sometimes result in happy, memorable times and sometime cause life altering consequences. The causes of the rivalry seem to be about differences in personality, people and experiences outside the family, or the need to be distinguished. It is particularly intense when siblings are very close in age or desire the same thing. No sibling rivalry among mortals or immortals was more well-known, more violent, and lengthy than the rivalry between Ares and Athena. Ares was the god of war and his half-sister Athena was the goddess of war. They share Zeus, the king of the gods, as their father. Ares mother is the queen of the gods, Hera, while Athenas mother was the titan Metis. Both of them held powers in the different aspects of war. Ares was the god of war who in detail was more interested in the bloodshed, fear, and savagery of warfare. He is portrayed as a ruthless god with power which he uses to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies and he uses a barbaric fighting style. His lack of cleverness, wisdom, and over dependence on raw power made him easily outwitted. However Athena was a skilled fighter who enjoyed the intellectual side of war. She, unlike Ares, had principles such as justice, wisdom, and courage. She was interested in planning, tactics, and deliberate moves forward to execute a strategic war. She was worshipped in many cities of the Greeks who, due to her wise skills and love of peace, favored her more than the barbaric A res. The great city state of Athens was named after Athena and the Parthenon was built in her honor. Ares however was worshipped by the militaristic city-state of Sparta and by the women warriors called the Amazons. Because of their different approaches to...