The Greek goddess Nike was the personification of victory in mythology. According to the poet Hesiod, she was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the Oceanid Styx. Hesiod's Theogony features the following passage:

Styx, the daughter of Okeanos, lay in love with Pallas and in his mansion gave birth to Zelos and fair-ankled Nike, and then she bore two illustrious children, Kratos and Bia."

Nike is therefore, according to Hesiod, the sister of three powerful siblings - Zelos (Rivalry), Kratos (Strength), and Bia (Force).

Despite her ancestry, Nike fought on the side of the Olympian gods against the Titans, and thus was considered a manifest representation of the victory of the Olympians.

This did not mean that Nike's powers were confined to the military sphere: quite the contrary, in fact, for she symbolized victory in many areas of ancient Greek life, including athletics (perhaps this is why the legendary shoe manufacturer borrowed the name of this goddess) and other contests.

Images of Nike were popular in Greek art. Exquisite reliefs of the goddess, which are collectively referred to as Nikai, grace the parapet of the temple of Athena Nike on the Athenian Akropolis. In addition, one of the most famous depictions of the goddess of victory is the Hellenistic masterpiece known as the Nike of Samothrace. See the Mythography gallery page (link below) for images and details about these works of art.

Nike was called Victoria in Roman mythology.

The proper Greek pronunciation of the name Nike is "Nee kay". Just say it!