A crownBay leafA libation poured after a winA laurel keptThanks given out loud
Invocation Approach
Tone
Bright and formal
Address
NikeVictoryWinged One
Relationship
The crown that is given and can be taken back
Warning
She crowns the winner and does not ask whether the contest was fair
Resonance
Competitors athletes soldiers and those about to be tested
Symbols
WingsLaurel crownPalm branchThe chariotThe trophy
Mythology Summary
Nike is Victory, daughter of the Titan Pallas and of Styx, and sister of Rivalry, Strength and Force; Hesiod has her standing beside Zeus from the moment the Titans fall, which is the theology in one image. She is the victory rather than the war: she comes to the winner, crowns him, and is shown in flight because the moment is not meant to be held. Athens kept a temple to Athena Nike on the Acropolis and a famous statue of her without wings, Apteros, so that she could not fly away from the city. Her Roman counterpart is Victoria.
Modern Practice
Nike is called on before a contest, a launch, or a negotiation, and afterwards to place the win somewhere it will not curdle. The practice is short and public: name the thing won, give the crown away, and do not ask her to make the win mean you deserved it.