~Mythology~

Nike (Victory)

*Goddess of Victory

*Personal Charioteer & Attendant to Zeus

*Goddess of Contests

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nike (Greek Nikn, pronounced /'nike/ "NEE-keh", meaning "Victory"), was a goddess who personified triumph (victory). She was a daughter of Pallas (Warrior) and the sister of Cratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Rivalry). Nike and her siblings were all attendants of Zeus. According to myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for the coming Titan War. Nike assumed the role of the god's personal charioteer, a role often portrayed in classical art.

Her Roman counterpart is Victory. Nike was regarded as the bestower of victory, both in war and in contest. As a war goddess she was often represented standing alongside Zeus, Athena and Ares. As a goddess of contests, she was usually portrayed decking the winner of a musical or athletic contest with a victor's wreath or sash.

Nike was often worshipped in conjunction with Athena, with whom she was particularly closely associated after the Greek victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The great statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon in Athens is thought to have depicted Nike standing in the hand of Athena, and the Parthenon complex included a Temple of Athena Nike, built around 410 BC. The Athenians also dedicated a statue to Nike at Delphi. The statue of Zeus at Olympia reportedly also depicted Nike.

Nike also presided over athletic as well as military contests. It was this meaning that prompted designer Jeff Johnson, the first man that US footwear entrepreneur Phil Knight hired, to borrow her name for the company, Nike, Inc., the clothing and sportswear manufacturer. Johnson had a dream about the goddess and Knight liked the idea.
An image of Nike appears in all Summer Olympics medals. In 2004 for the 2004 Summer Olympics an image of the goddess appears in the Panathinaiko Stadium.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

guran