Representatives of many pagan cultures worshiped the god of war, sometimes not just one. Since the primitive peoples of antiquity, victory in the war was revered as the grace of heaven, the gods of war occupied an important position in the pantheon. Each tribe had its own god of war, but often these gods were endowed with similar traits of character.
Greek gods of war
The Greeks worshiped two gods of war: Ares - the treacherous, treacherous and bloodthirsty god who loves chaos and war for the sake of the war itself, and Athena - an honest, fair and wise goddess who prefers to conduct an organized war using strategy. Ares and Athena entered the pantheon of the twelve main Olympic gods. According to ancient Greek myths, Ares also had companions: the goddess of contention and strife Eris, the goddess of violent war and rage Enio, as well as his sons Phobos (god of fear) and Deimos (god of horror).
Roman gods of war
The main god of the Roman war was Mars, who was originally the god of fertility and was considered the founder and guardian of Rome. After the conquest of Greece, Mars was identified with Ares. Mars was one of the three gods at the head of the Roman pantheon. His companions were the god of horror Pavor (identified with the Greek god Deimos), the god of fear Pallor (identified with the Greek god Phobos), the goddess of war Bellona (identified with the Greek goddess Enio) and the goddess Discordia (identified with the Greek goddess Eris). The Romans also revered Minerva, identified with the Greek goddess Athena, as the patroness of the war.
Egyptian gods of war
The Egyptians revered Seth, Sekhmet and Montu as gods of war. Initially, in ancient Egyptian mythology, Set was considered a warrior god, the patron saint of royal power. Seth was later demonized and contrasted with one of the central Egyptian deities of Horus. As a result, Seth became the god of war, death, chaos and destruction. The goddess of war, Sekhmet, was considered the guardian of the world, but at the same time she had a volatile character: she allowed illnesses and cured them, enjoyed bloodshed, and her anger brought epidemics. The ancient Egyptian god Montu was one of the solar deities, but later also began to be revered as the god of war.
West Semitic God of War
The Semites did not have a single mythological system, since each locality, as a rule, had its own patron god. However, the common deity of war for all Western Semites was Baal, also called Baal and Balu. Baal was revered not only as the god of war, but also as the god of fertility, sky, sun, water, the creator of the universe, animals and people.
Celtic gods of war
The Celtic deity of war was Kamul, whom the Romans identified with Mars. The functions of Kamulus are not well known, since written records of this god are few. In addition to Kamul, the Celts worshiped the three sisters Morrigan, Badb and Mahe. Some researchers believe that they were not separate deities, but reflected various aspects of the tri-postan goddess of war.
Scandinavian gods of war
The supreme god of the Scandinavians, Odin was also the god of war. His retinue was made up of Valkyries, virgins who decided the fate of warriors on the battlefield and selected heroes for the heavenly chamber of Valhalla. The son of Odin Tür, also called Tyr or Tyv, was worshiped as the god of military valor. The Scandinavian goddess of love and fertility Freya could also bring victory in the battle, so she was revered as the goddess of war. In addition, she took for herself those fallen warriors who did not fall into Valhalla.
