gods of soldiers vs gods of war.

[mandrina]

my son recently joined th National Guard. He just graduated Boot and is currently waiting to go to his AIT.  He is training in horizontal construction Engineer.  My current practice is mainly brigit, but I was looking for something for him.  Does any one know of GOds or Goddess of Soldiers, as compared got GOds and Goddess of war, if the distinction makes any sense?

[SunflowerP]

my son recently joined th National Guard. He just graduated Boot and is currently waiting to go to his AIT.  He is training in horizontal construction Engineer.  My current practice is mainly brigit, but I was looking for something for him.  Does any one know of GOds or Goddess of Soldiers, as compared got GOds and Goddess of war, if the distinction makes any sense?

 
The first one that comes to mind for me is Epona, a goddess of horses very popular with Roman troops, but not particularly a war goddess.

Sunflower

[Jainarayan]

my son recently joined th National Guard. He just graduated Boot and is currently waiting to go to his AIT.  He is training in horizontal construction Engineer.  My current practice is mainly brigit, but I was looking for something for him.  Does any one know of GOds or Goddess of Soldiers, as compared got GOds and Goddess of war, if the distinction makes any sense?

 
The Hindu god Kartikeya (aka Skanda, Murugan, Subramanya, depending on the region of India) is the commander of the divine armies. He leads the fight against injustice and for defense, not offense.

Guan yu, a deified military general is the Taoist "god of war". Like Kartikeya (some Taoist temples have statues of them both flanking the altar) he is actually a patron and protector of warriors and police. Most police stations in China have a small shrine to Guan yu.

The Norse god Tyr. He is a god of honor and truth, characteristics of a true warrior. Thor is also  a god of righteous battle, not only storms and fertility.

None of them are the "typical god of war", such as Ares, who has a blood lust and thrives on the chaos of battle. Odin is also a god of war, but the dark bloody aspects of war. He is known to cause strife and tip the balance of a battle the way he wants it to go, for his own agenda.

Athena is a goddess of righteous and strategic war, as well as wisdom. One needs wisdom in battle.

[Redfaery]

my son recently joined th National Guard. He just graduated Boot and is currently waiting to go to his AIT.  He is training in horizontal construction Engineer.  My current practice is mainly brigit, but I was looking for something for him.  Does any one know of GOds or Goddess of Soldiers, as compared got GOds and Goddess of war, if the distinction makes any sense?

Hachiman, from Japan. A deified emperor. Very much a god of warriors and righteous action rather than war itself. He also has strong Buddhist affinities, though he is a native Japanese god.

[SerpentineSorcerer]

my son recently joined th National Guard. He just graduated Boot and is currently waiting to go to his AIT.  He is training in horizontal construction Engineer.  My current practice is mainly brigit, but I was looking for something for him.  Does any one know of GOds or Goddess of Soldiers, as compared got GOds and Goddess of war, if the distinction makes any sense?

 
A god that focuses more on the soldier, rather than war itself, is the roman god Mars. Unlike his grecian brother/cousin, Mars is the god that goes to war, does his duty to serve his nation, win the battle, but then comes home and tends to his farm, tends to his children, and reflects on his years of service.

Another god that is soldier focused is Athena herself. While she has a similar focus in war like her brother Ares she is more concerned with the Soldier, of doing one's duty to your state as a good citizen. She is like mars, in that her focus in wartime is much more practical and afterwards is concerned with what the soldier builds for themselves and their community (thus why she is also a goddess of crafts).

Lastly, there is the god Heru-er, better known as Horus the Elder. His role was similar to that of Mars in that though he was a god of conflict and war he was more concerned with soldiers, with doing one's duty to the state and preserving the order of law. He often can lock horns with his brother Set (who is more focused on conflict and is closer to Ares in temperament at times). Also Horus the Elder is a patron god of veterans and those who served.