bind him with the iron bonds

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Series Begun:
2026-05-23
Series Updated:
2026-08-01
Description:

Kronos didn't need to enchant Ares for him to participate in the plan to steal the master bolt, and Zeus had punished his sons for far less.

Notes:

Series title from an inscription of an oracle's response:

Pamphylians of Syedra, who inhabit a rich land of mixed men in shared fields, plant a statue of bloody, man-slaying Ares in the middle of the city and beside (him) perform sacrifices as you bind him with the iron bonds of Hermes, and on the other side let Justice administer the law and judge him; let him resemble a suppliant. Thus will he become a peaceful deity for you, once he has driven the enemy horde far from your country, and he will give rise to prosperity much prayed for. And you, at the same time, take great pain, either chasing them or placing them in unbreakable bonds, and do not, out of fear of the pirates, pay their terrible penalty. For thus will you escape from all degradation.

Gonzales, Matthew. “The Oracle and Cult of Ares in Asia Minor.” Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, duke.edu, 2005.

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