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 defender of Olympos, father of warlike Nike (Victory), ally of Themis, stern governor of the rebellious,
leader of the righteous men, sceptred King of manliness, who whirl your fiery sphere [the star Mars] among the planets
in their sevenfold courses through the aither 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.
- Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares
Hi guys, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to add the status of Ares, the Greek God of War to my collection. The statue was damaged when I received it (more about that in my review below) but I consider myself very fortunate nevertheless to have this tremendous statue in my collection. Ares is imposing, a true eye-catcher and he demands your attention as soon as you walk into my display room.
The God of War is used to be worshipped, feared and hated but he simply does not know what it is like to be ignored. None of the other Gods on Mount Olympus nor any mortal soul would ever make the mistake to ignore or displease the God of War and Battle and ARH Studios managed to capture Ares' divine and intimidating presence perfectly in this statue.
this is the God who likes nothing better than killing his opponents by the dozens while rampaging through a battlefield in a bloodthirsty rage. This is the God who's so violent and hot-tempered that even his own father Zeus found it difficult to be in his presence for anything but a very brief moment. This is the God of War for whom spilling blood, destroying cities and breaking men was nothing more than a game to be thoroughly enjoyed and revelled in.
The horror, brutality and cruelty of war become all too clear when looking at Ares towering over the crippled bodies of two soldiers he ruthlessly killed only moments before. War is ugly, war is an atrocity and Lord Ares is its devastating master and lord.
Ever since playing the first God of War game on my Playstation I have been fascinated and intrigued by Ares and I must say ARH Studios has produced an incredible statue and a truly worthy tribute to the God of War. Have fun with the review and the pictures and please feel free to comment or to ask any questions which you might have.
My verdict
War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature which are as much general as particular. War is divine in the mysterious glory that surrounds it and in the no less inexplicable attraction that draws us to it. War is divine by the manner in which it breaks out.
- Joseph De Maistre
Limited Edition: 300
Release date: August 2014
Sculptors: Alex Pereira & Arahom Radjah
Painter: Arahom Radjah
Statue size: 25”H x 19”W x 15”D
Scale: ΒΌ th Polystone statue
Sculpt: 9.5 – Outstanding
There is nothing more subjective than personal taste and preferences but I think I would be hard pressed to find fans and collectors who do not like this statue.
The sculpt is absolutely amazing no matter from which angle you look at the statue or at which part of the statue you are focussing your attention.
Ares is one of the mighty Greek Gods and I would not be surprised at all if he would also be ne of the most feared ones together with his father Zeus and his brother Hades.
Ares’ intimidating and awe-inspiring presence, his grim, bloodthirsty rage, his unparallelled fighting spirit and strength have without exception been captured masterfully. There is nothing which Ares likes better than to slaughter his opponents and take them down one by one the hard and ugly way.
The tension and fear, the courage inside you when you believe the end has come, the rage and desire to kill your opponents, these are alle emotions Ares thrives on. He likes nothing better than to walk around on killing fields all around the world and unleash his divine, insatiable lust for war time and time again.
When looking at the sculpt I see all that and more. The brutal killings as shown by the two soldiers who were killed without mercy and without having any chance at all by Ares. Their blood and intestines are splattered all over the ground and Ares’ armor but the son of Zeus does not notice it nor does he care. The helmet which fell of the head of one of the fallen soldiers, their frozen silent screams and horrid expressions, their weapons which are lying scattered on the ground all aroud Ares are all frightening witnesses of the massacre which occured just moments before.
Death is in the air and she’s following Ares in his footsteps to claim new souls wherever Ares unleashed his rage and bloodlust. The vulture sitting quietly on a branch waiting to rip the flesh of the bodies of the fallen soldiers, is a symbol of both Ares’ divine nature as well as of the horrors of war. Live and death are very close on a battlefield and the vulture has come to claim his share of the dead. This statue has captured the bloodlust, the rage, the horrors which are the result of war ever since mankind has started to fight each other. The rumour of the battle and the silence afterwards, victory and defeat, life and death all of that is visible in the sculpt.
Ares is a God and that shows not only through his gigantic size but also through his beautiful armor and the weapons he carries. The beautifully decorated shield and body armor, the double swords on his back , his enormous and lethal spear are all proof that Ares means business and is ready to strike hard. The statue is a fitting tribute to the God of War and all that he stands for and believes in.
The only reason why I did not give a perfect ‘10’ here is because the ‘one-knee-up’-pose has been used many times before in other statues and is as such not very original. (It does look good on Ares though!
)
Paint & Mixed Media: 9.0 - Excellent
The paintjob of the statue is truly excellent. No matter if you look at the blood and gore, Ares’ shining, red and gold armor with its ornaments and decorations, the earth and rocks of the battlefield or his pitch-black vulture are all painted beautifully. I also very much like Ares’ white eyes and his black beard and ponytail since this emphasizes his divine heritage as one of the mighty ancient Greek Gods.
There were two tiny spots on Ares’ shield where the paint rubbed off but all-in all both the statue as well as the base have a very solid paintjob.
The paintjob adds to the realism and appeal of the statue and highlights the bloody horrors of war but also the beautiful and delicate details which are abundant in this statue. With a bit of imagination it is very easy to be transported to the battlefield and see Ares doing what he does best so that mankind may never forget why he is such a fearsome God.
There is not much mixed media used in this statue but the mixed media which is there in the form of leather straps on both the shield of the fallen soldier as well as the shoulder armour pieces of Ares, looks great.
Mixed media are not by definition necessary to create a great statue but if used, mixed media can help bring a statue to the next level and I believe that is the case with this statue. The leather straps add a touch of realism and uniqueness to the statue and I am happy to have them.
Design: 10 - Perfect
A perfect score should not be given easily I believe but in this case the ARH Studios really created a masterpiece.
The design of this statue is astounding and has lead to a statue which is a true eye-catcher both by its size and presence but also because of the incredible level of detail which is included in the design.
Ares’ imposing and odious presence and the expression of bloodthirsty rage which is set on his face are simply fantastic but the goodies do not stop there. The incredible level of detail on Ares’ shield, and armor but also on the armor of the fallen soldiers are breathtaking and the addition of Ares’ vulture was an act of pure genius.
I have had the pleasure of having the statue Ares in my display room for a number of weeks no wand still have not found any flaw or shortcoming in its design. This statue is pure gold and of all the statues released in the line of Greek Gods so far, I believe ARH Studios really nailed it in this tribute to Ares. The God of War has come to life in a realistic and overwhelming manner and this statue will be a highlight in any collection no matter how large or exclusive.
Production & Build Quality: 7.0 – Good
The relatively lower score for the production and build quality is mostly caused by the low(er) quality styrofoam innerbox which ARH Studios has used to pack the statue.
I am used to sturdy, good quality styrofoam boxes of comapnies like Sideshow, Bowen Designs, Kotobukiya etc. but the styrofaom which was used fort his statue certainly does not live up tot hat standard.
The statue which I received was broken in two places: Ares’ ponytail had broken off as well as his right raised leg. I realize that a lot can go wrong during shipping and that it is also possible for statues with a high quality inner styrofoam box, to arrive damaged and broken.
But based on the low quality of the inner styrofoam box of this statue I believe that damage will occur much sooner and will be more severe compared to statues with a better quaity inner box.
Due to the low quality styrofoam it is relatively easy for the various parts of the statue to become wedged in the styrofoam or even break through the styrofoam and damage a different piece of the statues placed close to it. (the outer boxes of the statue were not damaged at all so I believe the damage to my statue must have occurred during transit as a result of the poor quailty innerbox)
I was lucky that in both cases it was a clean break and I managed to glue the ponytail and Ares’ right leg back to where they belong. If you look closely you will still see where the pony tail broke off but from a distance of a foot or so the damage is not visible anymore and for the time being I can live wit hit. I know that there must be lots of fans who received their statue undamaged and in good order so it would not be fair to give ARH Studios an unsatisfactory grade. But I do think a warning is in place to make you aware of the risk of damage when you have this statue transported to you and to encourage ARH Studios to do something about this and use better quality styrofoam.
Another strange thing which I noticed about my statue is that I just could not make the broken spear next to the shield of the fallen soldier stick to the base.
There are two fissures on the base to indicate where the spear should be placed but no matter what I tried the spear almost immediately slid off the base again every time I tried to attach it. I am not sure if the fissures on my base are too wide or if I was doing something wrong but in the end I had to use two tiny pieces of Blu-tack to make the spear stick to the base.
Once assembled the statue feels solid and sturdy enough however and I have no doubt whatsoever that, if treated with normal care, the statue should last you for many, many years to come.
As a God Ares will last for eons and I think this statue might just do the same.
Overall rating: 8.875 – Truly very impressive!
This is an outstanding statue and a worthy tribute to a mighty Olympian. I highly recommend this statue to all fans and collectors out there; I am certain you will never regret adding this statue to your collection. Go get it while you can!
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Background Information
Unbreakable, strong-spirited, mighty, powerful, unconquered, boisterous Ares,
in darts rejoicing, and in bloody wars; fierce and untamed, whose mighty power can make the strongest walls
from their foundations shake
mortal-destroying king, defiled with gore, pleased with war’s dreadful and tumultuous roar.
Thee human blood, and swords, and spears delight, and the dire ruin of mad savage fight.
Stay furious contests, and avenging strife, whose works with woe embitter human life;
yield to the wish of the lovely Kypris (Aphrodite), yield to the revels of Lyaios (Dionysos) yield,
exchange the might of arms for the labours of the field; encourage peace,
to gentle works inclined, and give abundance, with benignant mind.
Ares is a son of Zeus and Hera and he is one of the great Olympian Gods of the Greeks.
Ares is the fearsome God of War, battlelust, bloodshed, and violence but he also represents civil order and manly courage. As Ares is the God who controls war, he can also perforce control peace in the sense that he can prevent war from breaking out in the world.
In Greek art he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear.
In classical sculpture Ares was represented as a handsome man, often nude, but wearing a Greek helm, and holding a spear or sword. Ares is usually difficult to identify because of his lack of distinctive attributes--an armed warrior statue could just as easily represent a mythical hero or historical warrior figure.
The symbols associated with Ares are the spear and the helmet and Ares is often depicted standing in a chariot drawn by four fire-breathing horses: Aithon (Red-Fire), Phlogios (Flame), Konabos (Tumult) and Phobos (Fear).
Sacred animals which often accompany Ares are the dog and the vulture.
The character of Ares in Greek mythology will be best understood if we compare it with that of other divinities who are likewise in some way connected with war. Athena represents thoughtfulness and wisdom in the affairs of war, and protects men and their habitations during its ravages. Ares, on the other hand, is nothing but the personification of bold force and strength, and not so much the God of War as of its tumult, confusion, and horrors. His sister Eris calls forth war, Zeus directs its course, but Ares loves war for its own sake, and delights in the din and roar of battles, in the slaughter of men, and the destruction of towns. He is not even influenced by party-spirit, but sometimes assists the one and sometimes the other side, just as his inclination may dictate; whence Zeus calls him
alloposallos.
The destructive hand of Ares was even believed to be active in the ravages made by plagues and epidemics. Just like his mother Hera, Ares had a very difficult character to deal with. In fact his savage and sanguinary character makes him hated by the other Gods and even his own parents.
As a result in Greece itself the worship of Ares was not very general.
In Athens there was a temple dedicated to Ares containing a statue made by Alcamenes and in Geronthrae in Laconia there was a temple with a grove built to honor him. Here an annual festival was celebrated, during which no woman was allowed to approach the temple.
Ares was also worshipped near Tegea, around Thebes, and in Sparta, where there was an ancient statue, representing the God in chains, to indicate that the martial spirit and victory were never to leave the city of Sparta.
The temples of Ares were usually built outside the towns, probably to suggest the idea that he was to prevent enemies from approaching the city.
There are few Greek monuments left with representations of Ares; he appears principally on coins, reliefs, and gems. After the decline of the great Greek civiliazation, Ares role was not finished however.
The Romans who took over the leading role of the Greeks in the world identified their God Mars with the Greek God Ares.
Fun facts
- Ares supported Queen Hippolyte and her Amazones (tribe of Asia Minor) in their wars with Phrygia, Lykia and other Anatolian kingdoms.
He later supported Queen Penthesileia and her Amazon army in the war of Troy. The Amazon Queens were daughters of Ares.
- The planet Mars was named after Mars, the Roman God of War whose myth was based on the Greek God Ares.
The Greeks themselves called the planet "Aster Areos" (Star of Ares).
- The name of the day "Tuesday" is based on the name of Germanic god Tiu or Tyr, who was identified with Mars, the Roman version of Ares.
The Greeks called the second day of the week "Hemera Areos" (Day of Ares).
Vēnī, vīdī, vīcī - I came, I saw, I conquered!
- Julius Caesar
Rainer
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Nothing can stop The Juggernaut... NOTHING!
