March
The third month of the Western calendar, named after Mars, the Roman god of war identified with the Greek god Ares, reflecting its original position as the first month of the Roman calendar
The Meaning of March
March takes its name from Mars, the Roman god of war, identified with the Greek god Ares. In the earliest Roman calendar, attributed to Romulus, March (Martius) was the first month of the year — the month when the weather warmed enough for military campaigns to resume after winter. This is why September through December retain names reflecting their original positions as the seventh through tenth months. Mars was far more important to the Romans than Ares was to the Greeks: he was not merely a god of bloodshed but the father of Romulus and Remus, the divine progenitor of the Roman people, and a guardian deity associated with agriculture as well as warfare. The Salii, priests of Mars, performed ritual dances through the streets of Rome at the beginning of March, carrying sacred shields and chanting archaic hymns. March remained the beginning of the legal and religious year in many European countries well into the medieval period — England's legal year began on March 25th until 1752. The month's association with both war and agriculture reflects Mars's dual nature as destroyer and protector.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
March was originally the first month of the Roman year, which is why September, October, November, and December have names meaning seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
January
💭 conceptLanguage and timekeeping
The first month of the year in the Western calendar, named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, gates, and transitions who looked simultaneously forward and backward
Fasti
💭 conceptLiterature
Ovid's poetic calendar explaining the religious festivals and mythological origins of the Roman year
Martial
💭 conceptWar, military discipline, combat
Relating to war or warriors, from Mars (Ares), the Roman god of war who gave his name to military practice.
Saturn
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The sixth planet from the Sun, named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time identified with the Greek Titan Kronos, father of Zeus
Olympiad
💭 conceptAthletics and time-keeping
A four-year period between Olympic Games used as a dating system in ancient Greece, now applied to the modern Olympic Games and international athletic competition generally
Mars
⚡ godWar, agriculture, guardianship
Roman god of war and agriculture, second in importance only to Jupiter, far more honoured than his Greek counterpart Ares
Kronos
💭 conceptLanguage and time
The conflation of the Titan Kronos with Chronos, the personification of time, which produced the Western image of Father Time as an old man with a scythe
Carneia
💭 conceptFestival, Apollo, Sparta
Spartan festival honouring Apollo Karneios with music contests and military rites
Uranus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The seventh planet from the Sun, named after Ouranos, the primordial Greek god of the sky and the earliest supreme deity in the mythological genealogy
Aion
💭 conceptTime and Eternity
The Greek personification of unbounded, cyclical time, distinct from the linear time of Chronos.
Bibliotheca
💭 conceptLiterature
An alternative title for the mythological handbook attributed to Apollodorus, cataloguing the full scope of Greek myth
Mercury
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The smallest and fastest planet in the solar system, named after Mercury, the Roman messenger god identified with the Greek Hermes, because of its rapid orbital speed