Continuing with my look at the gods as we approach the holidays, today we look at Mars. (Mars was translated into Tiw in Old English.) Mars is the Roman god of war and was worshipped by the soldiers of the time. Among the order of gods, only Jupiter was more powerful than He. While his look varies from bearded man to clean-shaven youth, he is never without his spear. Even when depicting peace, his spear visible. Peace was what happened once you won the war.

Festivals toward the god happened in March, which was named after him, and in October. These festivals signified the beginning and ending of the military tours of duty and the planting and harvesting of the fields.

So, on this dies Martis, or day of Mars, thank your soldiers for the peace they’ve secured and thank Mars for his blessings upon the nation!

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuesday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_%28mythology%29
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/366325/Mars

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Filed under: Blog - @ December 21, 2010 2:58 pm

Tags: days of the week, gods, mars, tuesday