Have you ever come upon a painting or a statue that immediately strikes your core? That embodies an essence that you can’t put into words but seems to lay bare your entire soul that you look around to see if everyone is staring at you?

I have. The Nike of Samothrace.

I don’t for one minute imagine myself that powerful, that beautiful, that majestic – on the outside. On the inside?  Maybe I do.

The Nike (nee-kee) is the Goddess of Victory. She’s not some cool name that a clever running shoe company came up with – although that was their inspiration. It was renamed from The Blue Ribbon Running Company to Nike. Good choice?

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a third century B.C. marble sculpture. Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at top of the grand staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris. She’s an excellent example of the expressive Hellenistic style and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.

The winged goddess Nike (victory) was the daughter of the Titans, Pallas and Styx; her siblings included Zelos (rivalry), Kratos (strength), and Bia (force). After helping Zeus banish the Titans from Mt. Olympus, the supreme god honored Nike, and she then earned her title as the goddess of victory.

The image of Nike is prominent throughout Greek art and was traditionally associated with victory in war, athletics, and even poetry contests. Her presence invoked a spirit of celebration and commemorated the arête (physical and moral excellence) of gods and men.

The Nike of Samothrace originally stood on the marble bow of a sculpted warship, a monument that commemorated a naval victory.

The Nike is designed to seem as if she is just landing in a fierce headwind, her great wings still aloft. The body twists slightly as if to maintain its balance, while the sheer chiton, heavy with sea spray, both clings and billows dramatically.

Pictures do not do her justice. As you are coming out of Greek Antiquities, you arrive at the landing of the Grand Staircase and there she is. Alighting on the prow of a ship.  Even though her head and arms are missing, the drama is no less powerful.

Going to Paris often on business, I would sometime pay admission just to “visit” her.

Seeing her person was not the first time I was aware of Nike. As a child and even today, one of my favorite movies was Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn. In it, she plays a book clerk, Jo Stockton, discovered and thrust into the fashion scene as a model. One of my favorite scenes is when Jo is running down the staircase with the Nike in the background. I had no idea it was such a famous statue. I also had no clue I would ever see it in person.

The first time I saw the statue at the Louvre, I thought of the movie and how subconsciously the image was always at the back my mind.

Was the Universe guiding me to it? Maybe. I’m kinda flakey that way.

Throughout my life I’ve been attracted to winged-beings and I never really realized it. I say “winged-beings” because I’m not really an “angel” kind of girl.

I like the powerful imagery of  Goddesses and Archangels. I think it has more to do with the style/period of art than the actual “rank” of angel. I’m sure there are everyday angels doing very nice things.

So, why am I telling you all of this now? Well, I went to Shecky’s  Girl’s Night Out (when will you ever see a reference to Shecky’s and a famous Hellinestic sculpture mentioned in the same article again? Never), and I purchased a piece of jewelry from a friend I met in a business group called Savor The Success. Her name is Jana of Janaration; Yoga Inspired Jewelry.

Well, her jewelry may be yoga inspired but it has a beauty and simplistic aesthetic that is so appealing that it has a farther reach that just those who practice yoga.

My eyes fell on this Angel Wing necklace and I knew I had to have it.

To most, wings represent freedom. In fact, to Jana, the wing represents, freedom, purity and hope.

But, that’s not why I bought it. I liked it because my first thought was of the Nike. All angels or winged objects don’t bring her to mind. This one did.

Perhaps the  most prescient symbolism of the Nike Goddess is the very thing I love most about her. Nike is seen with wings, in most statues and paintings, to remind people that victory is fleeting.

Simple and delicate. Yet, to me, it meant I could carry the essence of the Nike with me. Her power, beauty, triumph, endurance and majesty. A lot for a little necklace to handle.

Objects only have the meaning WE attach to them, but isn’t that one of the sweetest parts of life?

UPDATE: See the Video of Jana at Shecky’s being interviewed by our local station.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/0

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 1:50 pm and is filed under daily diva. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.