Homeric Hymn 8: To Ares
A short prayer-hymn of 17 lines invoking Ares not as the brutal war-god but as a purifying force — unique among the Homeric Hymns in its philosophical, possibly Neoplatonic, tone.
About the Poem
The eighth Homeric Hymn, a complete 17-line invocation to Ares, is unique in the collection for its explicitly philosophical and ethical tone. Unlike Homer’s Iliad, where Ares is the brutal, blood-loving god despised even by Zeus (Iliad V.890–891), this hymn asks Ares to grant peace and self-mastery — to help the poet restrain cowardice and the impulse toward strife, and to “abide within the harmless laws of peace.”
Scholars have long noted that this hymn’s character is unlike any other in the collection. Thomas W. Allen (Oxford critical edition) suggested it was likely composed in Roman times, possibly by a Neoplatonist philosopher. Its cosmological language — Ares “whirling his fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aether” — reflects Stoic or Pythagorean planetary cosmology rather than archaic Greek religion. The Hymn to Ares may be the latest-composed of the entire collection.
Complete Text
Greek (Homeric/Late Antique)
Ἄρης ὑπέρθυμε, βρισάρματε, χρυσεοπήληξ, ὀβριμόθυμε, φέρασπι, πολισσόε, χαλκοκορυστά, καρτερόχειρ, ἀμόγητε, δορυσθενές, ἕρκος Ὀλύμπου, Νίκης εὐπολέμοιο πάτερ, συναρωγὲ Θέμιτος, ἀντιβίοις δεσπόζων, ἡγήτορ δικαίων…
(Full Greek text at Perseus Digital Library, link below.)
English (Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914 — public domain)
[1] Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer, Saviour of cities, harnessed in bronze, strong of arm, unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defence of Olympus, father of warlike Victory, ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere among the planets in their sevenfold courses through the aether wherein your blazing steeds ever bear you above the third firmament of heaven; hear me, helper of men, giver of dauntless youth!
Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul. Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death.
The Paradox of the War God
The hymn’s central paradox — addressing the god of war in order to obtain peace — reflects a specifically philosophical understanding of Ares. In Stoic and Neoplatonic thought, Ares governs not mere battlefield violence but the martial logos: the principle of forceful action, courage, and resolve. Properly directed, this force drives away cowardice (τὸ κυδιανείρας) and the “deceitful impulses of the soul” — inner warfare — rather than external slaughter.
This interpretation aligns with the cosmological Ares of Pythagorean-influenced astronomy: the planet Mars (Ares’ celestial body) was the third from Earth in ancient models, governing courage and vital heat. The “sevenfold courses” (ἑπτάτροχος) refers to the seven planetary spheres of ancient cosmology.
The phrase “father of warlike Victory” (Νίκης εὐπολέμοιο πάτερ) connects to the genealogy in Hesiod (Theogony 921) where Ares and Aphrodite are said to be the parents of Eros, Anteros, and related divinities — though different traditions exist.
Dating Note
The scholarly consensus (Allen, Càssola, West) places this hymn as a later addition to the collection, possibly composed in the 1st–4th century CE. The cosmological language, the ethical focus on self-mastery, and the un-Homeric theology all support a Hellenistic or Roman-era date. It was included in the manuscript tradition of the Homeric Hymns and treated as canonical by medieval scribes.
Citations
- Evelyn-White, H. G. (trans.). Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Loeb Classical Library 57. Harvard University Press, 1914. Public domain. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html
- Allen, T. W., Halliday, W. R., and Sikes, E. E. The Homeric Hymns. 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1936.
- West, M. L. “Homeric Hymns.” In The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 4th ed. Oxford, 2012.
- Athanassakis, Apostolos N. The Homeric Hymns. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
- Perseus Digital Library, Homeric Hymns (Greek text): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0137:hymn=8