The winged goddess of victory, Nike flew over battlefields and athletic contests to crown the winners. Discover her story, her place beside Zeus and Athena, and the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace.
Who is Nike?
Nike is the Greek goddess of victory – in war, in sport, in music and in every kind of contest. The Romans called her Victoria. She was not one of the twelve Olympians but a constant companion of the greatest of them, especially Zeus and Athena. In the great statues of Zeus at Olympia and Athena in the Parthenon, the god or goddess held a small figure of Nike in an outstretched hand.
Nike is always shown with large wings, often in flight or just alighting, her robes swept by the wind. She carries a laurel wreath to crown the victor, a palm branch, a trumpet or a libation bowl. Her name lives on today in sport and in the word itself, which in modern Greek still means "victory".
A daughter of the Styx
Nike was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and of Styx, the goddess of the underworld river. Her siblings were Kratos (strength), Bia (force) and Zelos (rivalry). When Zeus gathered allies for the war against the Titans, Styx was the first to come, bringing her children with her. In gratitude, Zeus honoured Styx by making the gods swear their most binding oaths by her river, and kept Nike and her siblings at his side forever. Since then, victory has always stood beside the king of the gods.
Goddess of the games
At Olympia, Delphi and the other great Panhellenic games, Nike was believed to choose the winners. Athletes and their cities dedicated statues of Nike in thanks for victory, and her image appeared on coins, vases and medals. The small temple of Athena Nike, gleaming on the edge of the Acropolis, celebrated Athens' victories; legend says the statue inside was made without wings so that victory could never fly away from the city.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
The most famous image of Nike is the marble Winged Victory of Samothrace, now in the Louvre. Carved around 190 BC to celebrate a naval victory, it shows the goddess landing on the prow of a warship, her wings spread and her robes rippling in the sea wind. Although her head and arms are lost, the statue is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Hellenistic sculpture and a timeless symbol of triumph.
Nike in art and in your home
Nike represents success, achievement and the reward of effort, which makes her statue one of the most meaningful gifts for a graduation, promotion, sporting achievement or the opening of a new business. She looks magnificent in an office, entrance or study, where her outspread wings bring movement and light. Look for the classic Samothrace pose, a winged Nike holding a laurel wreath, or a victory chariot.
Related gods
Read the stories of Zeus and Athena, at whose side she stood. Browse all the gods in our Greek Mythology collection.
