Victory

     The Greek goddess Nike personified victory in “contests of athletics, theater, poetry, art, music, and military achievement.” 
     According to the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri: 
     One hymn lauds Nike as the one who confers the “mark of sweet renown,” concluding with “…you rule all things, divine goddess.”

    The laurel wreath is one of Nike’s symbols:
    “This iconic symbol of victory was traditionally awarded to athletes, poets, and leaders as a mark of honor, excellence, and triumph.  The laurel wreath remains a prominent symbol in events like the Olympic Games, emphasizing the importance of strength and speed in achieving victory.  In ancient Greek art, Nike is often portrayed presenting a laurel wreath as a token of glory and success to athletes and heroes who have proved their worth through their outstanding achievements. ...Nike is also portrayed erecting a trophy or, frequently, hovering with outspread wings over the victor in a competition” symbolizing her favor.

     Her outstretched wings are distinctive among Greek gods.  “These wings symbolize Nike's role as a goddess of speed, as well as her ability to fly over battlefields and deliver victory to the deserving warriors.”
​     Nike was a widely popular goddess, and “it was common for athletes to dedicate themselves to the goddess and make offerings before and after events. Artifacts, like victory crowns and statues commemorating athletic achievements, [indicate] Nike's influence on the [Panhellenic] games,” precursors of the modern Olympic Games.
     Similarly, “warriors never faced battle without first praying and offering sacrifices to the goddess.”

     Nike predates the Olympian gods (Zeus and company), yet she’s associated with the overthrow of the Titans.  Titans were the generation of gods preceding the Olympians.  Titans seized power from the earliest primordial gods (Gaea, Chronus, and company) before being in turn defeated and replaced as the ruling pantheon of gods by Zeus and the Olympians in a ten-year war called "the Titanomachy."

     Nike served as Zeus’s charioteer during this war, giving her a critical role in the battle.  “This association emphasizes Nike's role in granting power and glory to those she favors.”  
​     Chariots originated on the Eurasian steppe and spread with the migration of early Indo-Iranians to ancient Mesopotamia, where they were used in battle by the ancient Hittites as early as the 17th century BCE.  “The chariot was heavily used by the Mycaenean Greeks, most probably adopted from the Hittites, around 1600 BCE.”  The Greeks raced chariots in games and used them in processions and ceremonial rituals.

     Nike's role as a charioteer also reveals her origins as a Titan in Near East myth, predating their appearance in Greek legends.  
     “These imported gods gave context and provided a backstory for the Olympian gods...The Titans were the previous generation … whom the Olympians had to overthrow, and banish from the upper world, in order to become the ruling pantheon”

Triumphant charioteer, winged Titan,
bestowing worthy competitors with her laurel wreath
“as a mark of honor, excellence, and triumph,”
may beloved Nike grant victory to deserving leaders
​and inspire all of us to become our best selves~

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