Nike (mythology)

Nike (Greek Νίκη or Νίκα, victory ) is a goddess of victory from Greek mythology. Their Roman equivalent is the Victoria. Center of her cult in Athens was the Acropolis.

Descent

In Hesiod and in the Libraries of Apollodorus Nike is the daughter of Styx and Pallas, her siblings are Bia, Zelos and Kratos. Together they helped Zeus in the battle against the Titans. In an Orphic hymn Ares is named as her father. Hyginus calls as parents of Victoria also Styx and Pallas, her siblings are Scylla, Vis, Invidia, potestas, Fontes and Lacus.

Representations

In vase paintings, in Relief, in the toreutic as well as architectural elements, such as acroteria, can be found in the first decades of the 5th century BC Nike different representations. During the 5th century BC Nike become an official victory monument.

In art, she is always shown winged, with one exception. Frequently one made it onto to commemorate great victories erected monuments, where Zeus or Athena wearing her likeness on hand, so as to show that those gods were the worshipers of these statues granted victory.

In the red-figure vase painting she appears in different functions, for example as a donor at the victim with a tripod, and in funerary context, as a companion of agonistic competitions, as an attribute of a game-winning deity or, as on a bronze plate of the early 5th century BC shown. , as charioteer of a four -trailer combination. Often the Nike is also represented as acroterium various sanctuaries. So wearing a Akroternike sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidauros as explanatory attribute a partridge in her hand.

From the iconography No clear Duties of the Nike reveals. Even the almost stereotypical presentation of the Nike varies with the end of the Archaic period in the knee -robin scheme, so as well as other emerging movement motifs and the effective range of the Nike grows. The representation in connection with a military victory gained forms in vase painting, however, only a small aspect of their being.

In the sculpture in the round, however, this point is the only aspect that attracts attention. This follows from the statement of Nike representations as anathemas. Here it appears as a single figure without attributes.

You can see Nike with different items: Sometimes with a kithara ( lyre ) and a phial, with a thymiaterion (incense burner ) and a flower, with a sash or with a pitcher ( Oinochoe ) the libations at the altar.

But has no wings the Warsaw Nike - a monument near the Old Town in Warsaw, the heroes of Warsaw has been devoted to 1939-1945. The 1964 established and redenominated in the 1990s monument is an allusion to the tragic fate of Warsaw: The fallen goddess of victory stands with his last strength up a sword. It is already on the ground and yet they continue to fight - because she is invincible. In order for the Nike is one of Warsaw's allegory of " Unvanquished City ", with their brave inhabitants.

Pictures

• Nike

Warsaw Nike: " The heroes of Warsaw 1939-1945 "

German Nike at the Berlin Olympic site

Angel of Peace Munich

Victoria statue of the Berlin Victory Column