Learn the Story of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory (2024)

If you're attracted to the Greek goddess Nike, you're onto a winner: Nike is the goddess of victory. Throughout her history, she has been allied with the most powerful gods in the Greek Pantheon. And, through her Roman incarnation, she has entered our language as more than the name of a competitive running shoe and an anti-aircraft missile. The Romans called her Victoria.

Learn more about the goddess, her story, and the mythology surrounding her before you visit the Acropolis of Athens, where she takes her place beside Athena.

Nike's Origin

The Greek pantheon of gods and goddesses features three waves of leading deities. The primordial gods were the first to emerge from Chaos—Gaia, the Earth Mother; Kronos, the spirit of Time; Uranus, the sky and Thalassa, the spirit of the sea, among them. Their children, the Titans (Prometheus who gave fire to man is probably the most famous) replaced them. In turn, the Olympians— Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, and Aphrodite—defeated them and became the leading gods.

By now you are probably wondering what all this has to do with Nike. It goes some way to explain her complicated origin. According to one story, she is the daughter of Pallas, the Titan god of warcraft who fought on the side of the Olympians, and Styx, a nymph, a daughter of Titans and presiding spirit of the major river of the Underworld.In an alternative story, recorded by Homer, she is the daughter of Ares, Zeus's son and the Olympian god of war - but the tales of Nike probably predates stories of Ares by millennia.

By the classical period, many of these early gods and goddesses had been reduced to the role of attributes or aspects of the leading gods, much as the pantheon of Hindu gods are symbolic aspects of the main gods. So Pallas Athena is the representation of the goddess as a warrior and Athena Nike is the goddess victorious.

Nike's Family Life

Nike had no consort or children. She did have three brothers - Zelos (rivalry),Kratos(strength) and Bia (force). She and her siblings were close companions ofZeus. According to myth, Nike's mother Styx brought her children to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for the battle against the Titans.

Nike's Role in Mythology

In classical iconography, Nikeis depicted as a fit, young, winged women with a palm frond or blade. She often carries the staff of Hermes, symbolic of her role as the messenger of Victory. But, by far, her large wings are her greatest attribute. In fact, in contrast with depictions of earlier winged gods, who could take the form of birds in stories, by the classical period, Nike is unique in having kept hers. She probably needed them because she is often portrayed flying around battlefields, rewarding victory, glory, and fame by handing out laurel wreaths. Besides her wings, her strengths are her fast running ability and her skill as the divine charioteer.

Given her striking appearance and unique skills, Nike does not actually appear in many mythological stories. Her role is almost always as a companion and helper of Zeus or Athena.

Nike's Temple

The small, perfectly formed Temple of Athena Nike, to the right of the Propylaea—the entrance to the Acropolis of Athens—is the earliest, Ionic temple on the Acropolis. It was designed by Kallikrates, one of the architects of the Parthenon during the rule reign of Pericles, about 420 B.C. The statue of Athena that once stood inside it was not winged. The Greek traveler and geographer Pausanias, writing about 600 years later, called the goddess depicted here Athena Aptera, or wingless. His explanation was that the Athenians removed the goddess's wings to prevent her from ever leaving Athens.

That may well be, but shortly after the temple was completed, a parapet wall with a frieze of several winged Nikes was added. Several panels of this frieze can be seen in the Acropolis Museum, below the Acropolis. One of them, Nike adjusting her sandal, known as "The Sandal Binder" depicts the goddess draped in figure-revealing wet fabric. It's considered one of the most erotic carvings on the Acropolis.

  • Visit the Acropolis from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission at 4:30 p.m.; full-price admission in 2018 is 20€. A special ticket package, good for five days at a full price of 30€:includes the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Archaeological Museum of Karameikos, the Archaeological site of Lykeion, Hadrian's Library, the Museum of the Ancient Agora (highly recommended), the slopes of the Acropolis and several other sites. Reduced price tickets and free days are available.
  • Visit the Acropolis Museum from 9 a.m. in winter and from 8 a.m. in summer. Closing hours vary. General admission, available from the museum or online, is £5.

The most celebrated depiction of Nike is not in Greece at all but dominates a gallery of the Louvre in Paris. Known as Winged Victory, or the Winged Victory of Samothrace, it presents the goddess standing on the prow of a boat. Created about 200 B.C., it is one of the most famous sculptures in the world.

Learn the Story of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory (2024)

FAQs

Learn the Story of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory? ›

Nike

Nike
Nike (Greek: Νίκη) is the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Styx and Pallas and the sister of Cratos, Bia, and Zelus. Nike and her brothers and sister were all friends of Zeus. Nike could run very fast, had wings and brings good luck.
https://simple.wikipedia.org › wiki › Nike_(mythology)
, described as Victory, led Zeus into battle as Eris, Strife, led Typhon. During the fighting Nike used her shield to protect Zeus while he fought with his thunderbolts and frigid rain. By assaulting Typhon with fire and ice, Zeus was able to defeat the monster and claim victory over the Titans.

What is the story of Nike the goddess of victory? ›

Nike was the goddess of victory. She served Zeus in the war against the Titans and afterward gave the victors of battles wreaths of laurel. She was closely connected to Zeus and Athena, but wasn't a very common goddess in the Greek myths.

What have you learned about Greek goddess Nike? ›

Nike was the winged goddess of victory. Athletes who wanted to win worshipped her. Even today, she has some significance to athletes. If you look carefully you may notice a striking similarity between Nike's wings and a famous swoosh symbol found on sneakers.

What does the Nike goddess symbol mean? ›

Nike. In Greek mythology, Nike is the Winged Goddess of Victory. The logo is derived from goddess' wing,'swoosh', which symbolises the sound of speed, movement, power and motivation.

Who is Nike's god for kids? ›

In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory. She was connected with competitions in general, such as athletic games, and with war. In Roman mythology Nike was called Victoria. Nike was the daughter of the giant Pallas and of the River Styx (one of the rivers of the underworld).

What does Nike stand for? ›

The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.

Did the goddess Nike have a love interest? ›

Nike had no consort or children. She did have three brothers - Zelos (rivalry), Kratos (strength) and Bia (force). She and her siblings were close companions of Zeus. According to myth, Nike's mother Styx brought her children to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for the battle against the Titans.

Is Nike a powerful goddess? ›

her most well known powers are: the ability to fly. the goddess of victory. the power of speed.

What does the shoe with wings mean? ›

The Talaria of Mercury (Latin: tālāria) or The Winged Sandals of Hermes (Ancient Greek: πτηνοπέδῑλος, ptēnopédilos or πτερόεντα πέδιλα, pteróenta pédila) are winged sandals, a symbol of the Greek messenger god Hermes (Roman equivalent Mercury).

Who is the goddess of death? ›

Hel, in Norse mythology, originally the name of the world of the dead; it later came to mean the goddess of death.

What does Nike mean in the Bible? ›

The book of Revelation completely redefines our concept of “victory”. For the Romans, “Nike” was the goddess of victory (also known as “Victoria” in Latin). She had two wings, and was thought to fly around on the battle field granting speed and strength to the victors.

What does the Nike symbol represent? ›

Knight, then an assistant professor at PSU, wanted a logo that conveyed motion and agreed on Davidson's design, paying her just $35 for her work. The Swoosh is more than just a checkmark. It represents the wing of the Greek goddess Nike, symbolizing speed, movement, power, and motivation.

What is the sacred animal of Nike? ›

Her symbols include the magical girdle, myrtle, roses,and the scallop shell. Her sacred animals include doves and sparrows. God of courage, war, bloodshed, and violence. The son of Zeus and Hera, he was depicted as a beardless youth, either nude with a helmet and spear or sword, or as an armed warrior.

What is the story of Nike victory? ›

Nike, described as Victory, led Zeus into battle as Eris, Strife, led Typhon. During the fighting Nike used her shield to protect Zeus while he fought with his thunderbolts and frigid rain. By assaulting Typhon with fire and ice, Zeus was able to defeat the monster and claim victory over the Titans.

What gender is the god Nike? ›

Nike, in ancient Greek religion, the goddess of victory, daughter of the giant Pallas and of the infernal River Styx.

Who made Nike fear of God? ›

Founded by creative visionary Jerry Lorenzo in 2012, Fear of God brings modern sophistication to the world of streetwear fashion.

How did Nike get its name? ›

By 1964, Knight and his former University of Oregon coach, Bill Bowerman, formed Blue Ribbon Sports; they created the iconic Tiger Cortez in 1967, their version of the Onitsuka Tiger. In 1971, Blue Ribbon split with Onitsuka; and the duo changed the firm's name to Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory.

What is Nike's sacred animal? ›

Her symbols include the magical girdle, myrtle, roses,and the scallop shell. Her sacred animals include doves and sparrows. God of courage, war, bloodshed, and violence.

What is the meaning of the Nike statue? ›

190 BCE, the statue depicts the goddess Victory, or Nike, alighting on the prow of a warship. Although Winged Victory is widely believed to have been sculpted to commemorate a naval victory, neither the battle nor the sculptor has been determined. The Winged Victory of Samopthrace graces the Louvre in Paris.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5365

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Merrill Bechtelar CPA

Birthday: 1996-05-19

Address: Apt. 114 873 White Lodge, Libbyfurt, CA 93006

Phone: +5983010455207

Job: Legacy Representative

Hobby: Blacksmithing, Urban exploration, Sudoku, Slacklining, Creative writing, Community, Letterboxing

Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.