Mars was the son of Jupiter and Juno, the king and queen of all the gods. Mars was tall and handsome and mean and self-centered. Mars was the god of war.
In Roman mythology, Mars did not care who won or lost a battle. He just liked to see bloodshed.
Most of the other gods stayed as far away from Mars as possible.
But Mars was very popular in the Roman mortal world. Men, especially men in the Roman military, prayed that Mars would fight on their side.
The ancient Romans loved myths and legends. As Rome grew and continued to expand, the Romans invented a myth to explain why they had the right to rule everyone else. They decided that Mars must be the father of Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers who were the founders of ancient Rome.
The myth of Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of the war god, Mars
