Deimos (deity)
Deimos | |
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Personification of terror | |
Abode | Mount Olympus |
Genealogy | |
Parents | Ares and Aphrodite |
Siblings | Erotes, Phobos, Phlegyas, Harmonia, Enyalios, Thrax, Oenomaus, and Amazons |
Equivalents | |
Roman equivalent | Formido or Metus |
Deimos /ˈdaɪmɒs/ (Ancient Greek: Δεῖμος, pronounced [dêːmos], meaning “dread”) is the personification of terror in Greek mythology. He was a son of Ares and Aphrodite, and the twin brother of Phobos. Deimos served to represent the feelings of dread that befell those in the midst of battle, while Phobos personified feelings of fear and panic.
The god’s Roman equivalent was Formido or Metus.
Deimos is the namesake for the smaller of Mars’ two moons, which was named by Asaph Hall.[1]
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Mythology
Deimos was the son of Ares and Aphrodite.[2] He mainly appears in an assistant role to his father who causes disorder in armies and does not appear as an independent figure in mythology. In the Iliad, he accompanied his father, Ares, into battle along with the Goddess of Discord Eris and his twin brother Phobos (fear).[3] In Shield of Herakles, Phobos and Deimos accompany Ares into battle and remove him from the field once he is injured by Herakles.[4] In Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Zeus arms Phobos with lightning and Deimos with thunder to frighten Typhon.[5] Later in the work, Phobos and Deimos act as Ares' charioteers to battle Dionysus during his war against the Indians.[6]
On the modern monument to the battle of Thermopylae, as well as the one at the city of Sparta, Leonidas' shield has a representation of Deimos.
In popular culture
Literature
Deimos appears in The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan. Deimos and his brother Phobos (God of Terror and Fear), are the half-brothers of Clarisse La Rue, a demigod child of Ares.
He appears in the fantasy novel Devil May Cry by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Deimos and Phobos both appear in the English version of the Sailor Moon manga. They are the two ravens that accompany Sailor Mars. In the most recent printing, they first appear in Volume 1 and are addressed by name after they attack Sailor Moon. Mars mentions that Phobos and Deimos hardly ever attacked humans. Later when Sailor Mars transforms for the first time, she calls on them to join her in battle. They appear with her throughout the manga series. In Volume 9 of the new printing, they take on human form as twin sisters to give Rei the Mars crystal, allowing her to transform into Super Sailor Mars.
He is one of the main characters in the manga Bride of Deimos.
Film and television
Deimos appears in the animated Wonder Woman film. Here, he is sent by Ares to kill Wonder Woman, but is defeated by her in battle. Held by Wonder Woman's lasso which forces men to tell the truth, and asked where Ares is, he commits suicide rather than reveal his master's location.
Deimos appears in season 5 of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and in the final episode of season 5 of Xena: Warrior Princess. He is killed by Xena after she is given the power to kill Gods by the Archangel Michael.
Deimos Kiriakis is a fictional character on Days of Our Lives.
Deimos and his brother Phobos appear as sons of Ares with their names translated into English, Fear and Terror, in the Hercules (1998 TV series).
Video games
Deimos appears in God of War: Ghost of Sparta, although here he is the brother of Kratos. An oracle had foretold that the demise of Olympus would come not by the revenge of the Titans, but by a marked warrior. Ares interrupts the childhood training of Kratos and Deimos, Athena at his side, and kidnapped Deimos due to his strange birthmarks. After Kratos becomes the God of War, he learns from his mother that his brother isn't dead, but trapped and tortured by Thanatos, God of Death. Kratos goes out to rescue his brother but when he frees him, Deimos is enraged that he was taken in Kratos' place and they end up fighting. Thanatos intervenes and takes Deimos to Suicide Bluffs, where Kratos saves Deimos from falling to his death. Kratos and Deimos set out to fight Thanatos, Thanatos kills Deimos and is then destroyed by Kratos.
Furthermore, Deimos appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops III as the main antagonist in the nightmares mode.
Deimos is a playable character in the Korean iOS game Fantasy War Tactics.
In the game Eve Online the Cruiser class ship Thorax has two advanced variations. One is called the Deimos, along with the modified version called Phobos.
In the real-time strategy game Age of Mythology, players who worship Ares can obtain "Deimos's Sword of Dread", which strengthens Greek swordsmen.
In Guild Wars 2, the last boss of the Bastion of the Penitent raid wing, accessible with Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, is named Deimos.
Deimos is the title given to the player character's sibling in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
In the computer space simulator game FreeSpace 2, Deimos is the name of the GTCv Class space vessel.
See also
References