The Nike Swoosh
Most of us are familiar with the “Nike Swoosh,” that many athletes, old and young, wear on their sports clothing. Yet I am not sure many of us know the history behind the term “Nike.” It is the Greek word for “Victory,” both in battle and peaceful athletic competition. Over the centuries, a variety of sculptures have been carved representing and symbolizing Nike as a goddess, always in female form. Some people even suggest our State of Liberty is an example of the Nike/Victory concept. Without doubt, the most famous goddess of victory statue is the Nike of Samothrace, located in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
Our daughters and I visited the Louvre while we were in Paris. The many stairs wore me out, so while the two younger women were sightseeing elsewhere, I sat for while at the foot of this famous statue and became overwhelmed by its beauty.
Charles Champoiseau, French Vice-Counsel to Turkey, discovered the statue in 1863 on the island of Samothrace. Her head was never found even through Champoiseau made another trip later hoping to find it. He did find many broken pieces of the statue; thus he came to believe these partials were parts of the head and the right wing. Today the right wing is made of plaster, matching the rest of the statue. She is made of Parian marble and stands half again as tall as the average female today.
No record is known of the sculptor. Scholars believe she was carved between 200 – 190 B.C. Historians believe the statue was fashioned to celebrate a major navel victory of the Macedonian General at Cyprus between 295 and 280 B.C. The artist has shaped the goddess to just be landing on the prow of a ship, her right foot just touching the surface; her left foot, slightly in the back, is still in the air. Her wings (arms) are behind her as she slows her flight; her chest is thrust forward, her shoulders back as she lands. Her clothing demonstrates the artistic genius of the sculptor. Flying through the wind over the sea has blown her garments tight across her bosom, uncovering her stomach, curving in folds around her lower body and legs with some fabric streaming out behind her. The artistic flowing of the drapery makes it hard to believe it is marble. It all looks like soft fabric. As she lands, she becomes the image of a metaphor for a successful struggle ending in victory. I must add – she is magnificent!
The Louvre acquired this statue in 1884. Since then, it has become the most celebrated scripture in the world. Today, “Nike” stands at the top of a long flight of stairs. Originally, she was placed on the prow of the partially stone ship. The museum people have placed a supplementary platform on this prow so she can be seen easily as one climbs the stairs.
A gifts artist whose name we will never know has given the world, not only a magnificent statue, but a glorious symbol of the exaltation of victory. I wish everyone in the world could see this marvelous Goddess of Victory.