×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Thursday
18
Dec 2025
weather symbol
Athens 10°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Culture

Seven bloodthirsty ancient Gods of War (photos)

Which one is the most violent?

Newsroom November 27 09:18

In the long history of man, many cultures have had their long-established mythological traditions consisting of different gods and goddesses. Some of them are famous for exerting substantial violence both to their allies and enemies. Even though they were extremely violent, these deities were worshiped to a great extent. Here’s the list of the Gods of War:
Ares – the Greek god of war is said to have slain one of Poseidon’s sons

aris1
Being a son of Zeus and Hera, two very important gods in the Greek mythology, Ares played an important role in the world of ancient gods. The trait that symbolises him the best is his courage and valour in battle, but he was also known for taking the law into his own hands. Since he was often a law unto himself, he is associated with several violent acts of his. Namely, according to legend, Ares slew Halirrhothios, one of Poseidon’s sons, for his attempt to rape his daughter Alkippe. Ares killed him before the act was completed. As a result, Poseidon was furiously angry with Ares, thus putting him on trial before the gods Olympus. Nevertheless, Ares was set free and his murder justified.
Huitzilopochtli – An Aztec deity known for killing 400 siblings

aris2
Huitzilopochtli was the key figure behind the founding of Tenochtitlan, which was the capital city of Aztecs. The legend has it that when his mother, an Aztec goddess Coatlicue, was pregnant, 400 stars, who were her sons and daughters, conspired to kill her. When they conflicted, Huitzilopochtli killed Coyolxauhqui and  the rest of his 400 siblings. Despite that, Huitzilopochtli was demanding for more. In order to please him, Aztecs sacrificed war prisoners by opening the chests of the victim and ripping out their still beating hearts. Cruel as it may sound, but these human sacrifices were done in order to secure success in war, rain and good harvest.
Moloch – Children were thrown into fire alive as a human sacrifice

aris3
Moloch, also called Ba’al of Ba’al Moloch, was a deity which was worshiped by nations that lived in the ancient Middle East such as Phoenicians, Israelites, and Carthaginians. This deity also made its way to the Bible for its unscrupulous and bloodthirsty rituals. In order to be accepted by Moloch, the citizenry was inclined to human sacrificing. His favorite gifts included children. Some say that people would place their own child into the fire. After the burning of the body, some would collect the remaining bones and put them under the doorstep, which would ensure fertility and well-being for the entire family.
Huehueteotl – A particularly sadistic Aztec god

aris4
Compared to Huitzilopochtli, this Aztec deity can be said to set the standards of cruelty. A god of death, warmth and cold, Huehueteotl was the one who handled the light during the dark ages and food during the famine periods. Aztecs sacrificed a person to this god by drugging the victim, roasting him alive, and tearing his heart out and burning the remains. According to some evidence, victims were thrown into a fire, dragged out of the fire with the hooks, had their hearts ripped out and bodies thrown back into the fire.
Kali – A vicious Indian goddess of destruction

aris5
Comparing to all other deities we have mentioned in our list, this deity still receives some sacrifices. From time to time, there are people who sacrifice in the name of Kali in order to appease their goddess. This is particularly symptomatic of rural provinces in India. In pursuit of appeasing the goddess, the sacrificing methods were numerous. The ways of killing the victims varied. Some of them were beheaded and hacked to death while other were either strangled or dismembered. Sometimes, the sacrificing ritual included more than one method of killing the victim.
Chac – the Mayan god of rain, lightning and water

>Related articles

Who is “Iron General” Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zelensky’s possible rival in the elections – Suffocating pressure in Ukraine for elections

Charitsis: No to the war budget, we demand a reduction of defense spending to 2%

The US is offering NATO’s Article 5 security guarantees to Ukraine on one condition: to respond immediately

aris6
Chac was depicted as a reptilian who was fond of fishing. Even though fishing calmed him down, his thirst for blood demanded human sacrifice. These sacrifices included deep wells into which people were thrown to ensure the rain and harvest. Chac was believed to live at the bottom of the sinkhole. The wells mentioned here can still be found at Chichen Itza, which was one of the most important cities of Maya.
Inti – the Incan god of sun

aris7
This deity of Incas accepted many gifts such as treasures, animals, plants and people. In the case of denying Inti the human victims, people would be doomed to bad luck and no light. Children were often used in a ceremony of sacrifice called capacocha. To appease the deity, the child had to be healthy, beautiful, strong and pure. Then, the child would be fostered for years to come before the eventual murder. Afterwards, the ceremony would take place at the summit of the mountain, where accompanied by the priests, parents and chieftains, the child would be killed. The most usual methods of killing the child were blow to the head, burying the victim alive or strangulation.

source: ancientfacts.net

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#ancient cultures#gods#Greek mythology#war
> More Culture

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

French farmers blockade the EU-Mercosur deal: Paris and Rome want to delay the vote

December 17, 2025

Milla Jovovich turns 50: “What an incredible journey — It feels like I’ve lived so many different lives”

December 17, 2025

Stavros Niarchos & Charlotte Ford: The wedding that shook a dynasty

December 17, 2025

Britain to rejoin Erasmus from 2027

December 17, 2025

Pappas breaks his silence with a post and continues to provoke: “I reacted wrongly, I will not elaborate on the journalist’s condition”

December 17, 2025

The European Parliament is in favour of the creation of a “Schengen Military Force” for a possible Russian attack

December 17, 2025

Opinion Poll: New Democracy at 29.7% in voting intention, holding a 16.1-point lead over a stagnant PASOK; Gains for Greek Solution and Plevsi

December 17, 2025

Diplomatic Sources: Athens will not participate in a stabilization force in Gaza – Expectations for an expanded 5+1 conference on Cyprus

December 17, 2025
All News

> Greece

Farmers are being paid normally after the technical issue with contribution deductions

The technical problem in the OPEKEPE payment system, which had caused a temporary deduction of ELGA contributions without the subsidies being credited, was gradually resolved from 12:00. Payments for the Redistributive Aid started in the morning, followed by the settlement of the Basic Aid

December 17, 2025

Strasbourg incident: SYRIZA MEP Nikos Pappas involved in confrontation with a journalist

December 17, 2025

How the boat carrying the Greek Escobar’s cocaine was caught, the roles of the network, and the staggering €100 million profits

December 17, 2025

Exhibition by painter Giorgos Gavriil in Paphos “shut down” amid reactions to images of Christ and the Virgin Mary

December 17, 2025

AI Cameras begin recording traffic violations: where they are in Attica

December 17, 2025
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2025 Πρώτο Θέμα