Nike: Goddess of Victory

Who was Nike? Nike, according to Greek mythology, was the winged goddess of victory. Nike was the daughter of Athena and the god of the River Styx. Nike sat beside Zeus in Olympus. She helped in the battle with the Titans, and helped Zeus achieve victory. The Titans, according to mythology, created the earth, and ruled it till they were overthrown by the Olympian gods.

The statues and pictures of Nike show her with wings and a wreath for a crown. This wreath symbolizes the victory from a battle. Greeks, when they went to battle and won, they would call this "Nike."

A long time ago, when the Olympics first started in 776 B.C., the winners were rewarded a wreath, instead of modern day metals. Today, wreaths are often used a symbols of victory. For example, on the front cover of this week's Sports Illustrated is a picture of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa wearing togas and victory wreaths. One of the most famous statues of Nike is the "Winged Victory" in the Louvre Museum (I saw this statue in July 1998).

The modern day Nike Company produces athletic shoes that are worn by athletes all over the globe. The company chose the name "Nike," because of the goddess Nike's association with victory. The company did not use a wreath for their symbol, but a modern day symbol called the "Swoosh." This symbol symbolizes the goddess Nike's wings.

Some people may think that mythology is just old history, but it's not. It's alive and well. Just go to the mall and look at the shoe department of any sports store and you'll find the Greek Goddess Nike.

Sources

"The Ancient Olympics Virtual Museum" http://devlab.dartmouth.edu/olympic

16 December, 1998.

"History of Nike" http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/6321/nhistory.htm

16 December, 1998

"Nike" Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia CD-ROM

"Sportsman of the Year" http://cnnsi.com/features/1998/sportsman/index.html

16 December, 1998