Nike

Certainly one of the most influential of these winged figures in Greek iconography, Nike the personification of victory appears throughout various works and across generations of Greek artwork. Famously, the winged figure of Nike from Samothrace stands resolute atop the central flight of the Daru staircase in The Louvre. As only the personification of victory, and not a corporeal god that regularly interacts with mortals, Nike therefore only ever appears in the midst of Greek success. In the case of Nike of Samothrace, she appears alighting on the deck of a ship, the crew presumably having just won a naval battle. Nike also appears in the intricately sculpted Altar to Zeus from Pergamon; flying above all and adorning the head of Athena with a crown of victory as she strikes down two giants in their battle against the Olympian gods. Her presence, soaring above the battlefield, is a sign of the gods’ assured victory over Gaea’s children.