The god who was once worshipped as a sword itself in ancient Scythia! So, who better to represent the WAY OF THE BLADE than ARES, GOD OF WAR?? I hope you enjoy my take on Ares(I borrowed some elements from the 2008 comic cover and added some of my own), I also have plans for other mighty gods that will soon join him on a grand stage that will shake the foundations of the heavens and the Earth and will cause mankind to tremble before their might!

A little history of Ares...
ARES was the great Olympian god of war, son of Zeus and Hera, battlelust, civil order and manly courage. 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. Because of his lack of distinctive attributes he is often difficult to identify in classical art.

Some of the more famous myths featuring the god include:--
■His adulterous affair with Aphrodite in which the pair were trapped in a net laid by her husband Hephaistos;
■The slaying of Adonis, his rival for the love of Aphrodite, in the guise of a boar;
■The transformation of Kadmos of Thebes and his wife Harmonia into serpents;
■The murder of Hallirhothios to avenge his daughter's rape and his subsequent trial in the court of the Areiopagos;
■The arrest of Sisyphos, an impious man who kidnapped the god Death;
■The battle of Herakles and Kyknos in which the god intervened in support of his son;
■His support of the Amazones, warrior daughters of the god;
■His capture by the Aloadai giants who imprisoned him in a bronze jar;
■The Trojan War in which he was wounded by Diomedes in battle with the help of Athene.

Homeric Hymn 8 to Ares (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic B.C.) :
"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."

RECIPE:
1. UFC PRIDE UPPER BODY with a Chuck Lidell head
2. sculpted mohawk and reshaped brow
3. arms from a DCD Public Enemies Hawkman, the winged warrior(filled in some of the scars)
4. right shoulder lion head from a toy lion, cut the head off and added some craft tubing around it for the shoulder armour
5. neck armour is cutout vinyl with 3 spikes added on each side
6. sculpted chest plate armour and the cape draped across chest
7. torso armour is cut out poster board covered in resin with added beads
8. sculpted chainmail on torso with cutout vinyl straps
9. sculpted belt buckle with wings from a pendant. belt is cutout of vinyl
10. WWE deluxe aggression lower legs
11. rubber tunic from fodder
12. craft chain and sculpted sword sheath
13. beads down the sides of the legs
14. kneepads from fodder(spawn figure I think)
15. boots made with layered vinyl
16. shield made from a casted skull and wings attached to a round figure stand and sculpted battle damage effect with resin and apoxie
17. face plate from a Mcfarlane Ares zodiac figure, painted to look like chrome
18. cape from a DCD Despero
19. sword from fodder (I think a Lady Death figure). I modified the handle to be able to separate to fit in his hand. Axe from a Spawn figure
20. base made from a wodden slat with stone dry clay and pea gravel with casted skulls that my wife made for me
21. added some paint and sealant after primer and a good prepping which included cleaning, cutting, sanding, sculpting and sanding some more and cleaning again

Thanks for visiting and may the gods bless you or smite you, whichever you want!