In honour of a former student and a colleague running the London Marathon today!

The Athenian Messenger Pheidippides Delivers News of the Victory at Marathon

Hello to all! This week we thought it would be a good idea to delve a little deeper into the mythology surrounding Nike, Greek goddess of victory. We just...believed in it being the right choice this week.

Nike’s origins are disputed, as can sometimes be the way with less prominent gods. A common narrative is that she was the daughter of Pallas the Titan and Styx, goddess of the famous Underworld river. God of War fans might be interested to know that in classic mythology she was sister to Kratos. Styx brought her and her siblings to Zeus when he was mustering his forces for the War for the Universe, the Titanomachy. In other tellings, Nike was the daughter of Ares, which also makes a kind of sense. Victory is pretty important in war, after all.

Nike’s name means victory, and that (along with speed and strength) was her portfolio in a nutshell, finding winners and rewarding them with fame and glory. This usually meant her flying around in her divine chariot and putting laurel leaves on victorious warriors and athletes. The chariot was kind of overkill, considering that she was one of very few Greek gods to retain her wings (most gods depicted with wings in ancient times had them phased out of their symbology by the classical period). But hey, it looked the part.

Pheidippides, the messenger who ran the first marathon from the Battle of Marathon to Athens carrying news of the Greeks’ successful battle against Persia, is reputed to have shouted Nike’s name in exultation when he arrived. He died shortly after, having completely exhausted himself with the run. I mean, it’s on brand for a goddess of speed and victory, but bit morbid all the same. Yikes.

In modern times Nike’s name and likeness are used in many ways, often relating, appropriately, to athletics. Olympic medal designs feature Nike holding a palm frond and laurel wreath. The original World Cup design was based on Nike. And then there’s the sporting goods giant. It’s one of the biggest and most recognisable brands on the planet, with a long history of tapping successful athletes for product endorsements. It’s less clear how their legions of frequently exploited and abused factory workers in developing countries are winning, but the company have shown effort in trying to improve conditions for the people who make their goods. Turns out carrying the name and reputation of a goddess on your back is heavier than one might think. Let’s hope their recent flirtations with moral behaviour, especially their support for Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement, stick.

I feel sorry for Pheidippides. He ran from Marathon to Athens to report that the army had won. Then promptly dropped dead.

So how do we remember him? By running the same distance and not dying.