Tower and Town, March 2023 (view the full edition)Mars
As 'Marspater', he seems to have been the main godhead of the early Italic peoples. The linguistic root of his name ('mar') probably suggests the generative brightness of the sun, and it was only after the foundation of Rome in 746 BC that Jupiter took a narrow precedence over him. Mars was the son of Juno, not by Jupiter but after her mystic union with a flower (don't ask!). He became the father of Romulus and Remus by raping a Vestal Virgin, and after their birth the twins were abandoned to die. They were found and suckled by a she wolf, an image which became an enduring symbol of the city of Rome. His primary aspect in the early years of Rome was as a god of growth and fertility, when he was worshipped as Mars Gradivus (the Grower) and Mars Silvanus (the Woodlander). The horse, the woodpecker and (increasingly and notably) the wolf were sacred to him. As the god of spring and new life he gave his name to March, the first month of the old Roman ten-month year, but as early as 710 BC the months of January and February were added, and January now became the 'gateway' to the new year. (September, October, November and December interestingly retained their names as seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months.) From around the fifth century, syncretism with Ares seems to have turned Mars primarily into a fearsome god of war, and his role as a god of growth was forgotten. The 'wolf', the constant companion of the nomadic Indo-European warrior, had taken over, and he now becomes the very embodiment of 'furor', that necessary element of imperial power - but one which can entail a city's own destruction. March was now important as the beginning of the campaigning year: the ground was hard, the legions could move ..... Colin Fraser |
Mars has a fascinating history. Far more complex than Ares, the Greek god of war with whom he was later identified, he embodies all three of the functions found in the matrix culture of the Indo-European peoples: those of ruler-priest, of warrior and of citizen-farmer.