Mars: Deimos and Phobos
Ares with Deimos and Phobos
The Red planet is orbited by two moons: Phobos orbits three times a day, whereas Deimos completes a single orbit every thirty hours. Their names are Greek words for fear, Deimos and Phobos (hence our term phobia). Their names seem appropriate given that Mars (Ares, to the Greeks) was the Roman god of war. However, their mythological connection with Mars/Ares is a richer story beyond their representation of feelings occasioned by the horrors of war.
Deimos and Phobos were the sons of Ares (Mars) and Aphrodite (Venus) and they were the gods or spirits (daimones) of fear. Deimos symbolised the fear and terror experienced before battle, whereas Phobos represented the panic and flight in battle that comes following a rout.
The two often accompanied their father into battle with Eris (Strife) and Enyo (a minor goddess of war), often depicted as Mars/Ares’ sister.
In Roman mythology, they Deimos and Phobos were the divine horses who pulled Mars’ chariot.
Both appear on fraught battlefields of the Iliad. As the Greeks press on relentlessly against the Trojans in book four, flashing eyed Athena urges on the former, but Ares stirs the Trojans in opposition. Deimos and Phobos are present too, along with Eris, described as the ‘sister and companion of man-slaying Ares’ (Iliad IV.439-441). These deities both stir up and reflect the feelings of the men poised to clash in battle. Phobos appears at V.739 as Athena flings on her famous aegis ready for battle. Phobos, along with Eris, accompanies the grim Gorgon-head of Medusa on the divine garment, reflecting the terror and chaos Athena can bring to the battlefield.
The Homeric origins of Deimos’ and Phobos’ close relationship to Ares/Mars perhaps adds a new dimension to how we view the Red Planet, closely followed by its satellites, just as they marched alongside the feared ancient deity. Or are they like the horses of Ares’ Roman equivalent Mars, pulling the Red Planet across the sky? The names were not randomly chosen, they come from a rich religious and cultural tradition.
Deimos and Phobos
Further Reading
1. For more on these gods and a neat summary of their descriptions by other ancient authors, see: https://www.tumblr.com/nehetisingsforhekate/132153771121/obscure-gods-deimos-and-phobos
2. On Asaph Hall, who discovered and named Mars’ moons and was well aware of the mythological connection.
3. On celestial names and mythology, see:
a. Alexander, R., (2014) Myths, Symbols and Legends of Solar System Bodies. Springer New York: 130-131.
b. Falkner, D. E., (2011) An Amateur Astronomer’s Guide to the Ancient Greek and Roman Legends. Springer New York: 175.
Images
Lukiwerner50, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Giuseppe Donatiello, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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