What is the Greek goddess Nick? Sculptures and temples

Perhaps today it is difficult to meet a man who knew nothing about ancient Greek mythology and the gods mentioned in it. With the inhabitants of Olympus we come across in the pages of books, in cartoons and in full-length films. Today, the heroine of our story will be the winged goddess Nika. We suggest you get acquainted with this inhabitant of Ancient Olympus.

Goddess Nick: description

In ancient Greek mythology, her name sounds the same as "Nike". She is the goddess of victory and is the daughter of Titan Pallant and the monstrous creature Styx, personifying primitive horror. Nick was brought up with one of the most revered in ancient Greek mythology, the goddesses of war and wisdom - Athena. She was an ally of the great Zeus in his struggle against the Giants and Titans. The Greek goddess Nika accompanies Athena everywhere, helping her in her affairs. By the way, in the Roman mythology Victoria corresponds to it.

What does Nick symbolize?

This goddess is the personification of a happy outcome and a positive result in any matter. Nika takes part not only in military operations, but also in sports, music and religious events organized on the occasion of success. We can say that Nick, rather, symbolized the very fact of a perfect victory, rather than any actions and steps that led to it.

The image of the goddess

Most often this heroine of ancient Greek mythology is depicted with wings and in a pose of rapid movement above the surface of the earth. Naka's essential attributes are a bandage and a wreath. Later they were joined by a palm tree, as well as a trophy and weapons. Sculptors, as a rule, portrayed this goddess as a participant in the festival or rite of sacrifice, or as a messenger of victory. At her most often there is an attribute of Hermes - a staff. The goddess of victory, Nick, then appears affectionately nodding to the winner, then hovering weightlessly over him, as if crowning his head, then driving his chariot, then stabbing the animal during the sacrifice, or building a trophy from the weapon of the defeated enemy. Her sculptures almost always accompany the sculptures of the great Zeus and Athena Pallada. In them, Nick is depicted in the hand of more significant Olympic gods.

Interesting Facts

In honor of Nicky, the asteroid discovered in 1891 was named. XXXIII Orphic hymn is also dedicated to the winged goddess of victory. In addition, her name was taken as a basis for creating the name of the American sports brand "Nike".

Temple of Nicky Ateros

One of the largest preserved to this day place of worship of this goddess is located in the Athenian Acropolis. It has the name "Temple of Nicky Ateros". Also sometimes it is called "Temple of Nicky-Athena".

The structure is located on a steep hill on the right side of the central entrance (Propylae). Here, the locals worshiped the goddess in the hope that she would contribute to a positive outcome in the prolonged war against the Spartans and their allies (the Peloponnesian War).

Unlike the Acropolis itself, which could only enter through the central entrance, the sanctuary of the winged goddess was accessible. This temple was built by the famous architect of Ancient Rome called Kallikrat between 427 and 424 BC. Previously, this place was the sanctuary of Athena, which was destroyed by the Persians around 480 BC. The building is amphiprostil - a type of temple in ancient Greece, both on the front and the rear facade of which in one row there are four columns. The stylobate of the structure consists of three steps. Friezes are decorated with sculptural reliefs depicting Zeus, Poseidon and Athena, as well as scenes of military battles. The originals of the surviving fragments of these scenery are currently stored in the British Museum, while in the Greek church one can see only copies.

Like most of the Acropol building, the temple of Nicky was built of Pentelikon marble. A few years after the completion of its construction, the building was surrounded by a parapet in order to protect people from a possible fall from a high cliff. Inside the temple was a statue of Nicky. In one hand she held a helmet (a symbol of war), and in the other hand - a grenade (a sign of fertility). Unlike most adopted images, the statue did not have wings. This was done on purpose - so that the victory never left the city walls. Actually, therefore, the structure was called the temple of Nicky Asperos, that is, wingless victory.

Nika Samothrace

This sculpture is another depiction of the Olympic goddess, who came down to us from ancient times. Its shards in quantities of more than 200 pieces were brought to Paris from Greece by the archaeologist Charles Champoise in 1863. Thanks to the painstaking work and diligence of the restorers, a magnificent statue was revived from them. Despite the fact that the goddess Nika was deprived of hands and head, as well as one wing (which was eventually made of plaster), she won all the connoisseurs of art and has been for many decades one of the most valuable exhibits of the Louvre.