2.  Ares was born the immaculate son of Zeus and Hera (therefore Zeus was not really his father).  Ares was the brother of Athena, goddess of Wisdom and Warfare.  Although the siblings were both deities of war, they differed greatly. Ares fought with rage, simply for the sake of fighting, brutality, and violence. Athena fought tactically and strategically. This difference often created conflict between the two.  A common misconception is that Ares, god of War, is the same as the ram Aries. The two are not actually associated.  Ares is commonly seen carrying a spear, riding in a 4-horse chariot.

3.  One thing Ares is best known for is founding the city of Thebes. Ares was the father of a water dragon, which was killed by Cadmus. The teeth of the dragon were planted in the ground, from which grew fully-grown Spartans, therefore descendants of Ares. Cadmus married Harmonia, daughter of Ares, and together they founded the city.  Another popular Ares story is that of the Trojan War. Warned by Zeus not to participate in the war, Ares tried to join the battle anyways. To support his lover, Aphrodite, Ares fought for the Trojans against the Greeks, who were led by Athena. Ares charged Athena, but was halted when she smashed him with a boulder.

5.  Daedalus was the son of Eupalamus and Athena, grandson of ancient king Erechtheus.  He had two sons, Icarus and Iapyx.  Daedalus was the uncle of Perdix.  He was known for being a cunning, hardworking craftsman and artisan.

6.  One famous Daedalus story is that of the Labyrinth. Daedalus was given the task of building the Labyrinth to keep the Minotaur – a part-man, part-bull creature – in. The Labyrinth was so intricate that Daedalus himself could barely make it out, however Athenian hero Theseus was guided through by Ariadne’s thread to kill the minotaur.  Daedalus is also well known for the wings he constructed for himself and his son Icarus. Daedalus was imprisoned on the island of Crete to keep him quiet about his knowledge of the Labyrinth. Because he could not leave the island by land or by sea, he fabricated a set of wings by fastening feathers together with wax for he and his son so they could leave by air. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high because the sun would melt the wax, but not to fly too low because the water would soak the feathers. In mid-flight, Icarus’s excitement created a lapse in judgment and he flew too high, melting the wax in his wings, causing him to plummet into the ocean.