Nike (mythology) Nike (mythology) In ancient Greek religion, Nike (; , "Victory" ) was a goddess who personified victory. Her Roman equivalent was Victoria. The word νίκη "nikē" is of uncertain etymology. R. S. P. Beekes has suggested a Pre-Greek origin. Others have connected it to Proto-Indo-European *"neik"- (“to attack, start vehemently”), making it cognate with Greek νεῖκος ("neikos", "strife") and Lithuanian "ap-ni̇̀kti" ("to attack"). Nike was variously described as the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the goddess Styx, and the sister of Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal). ""And Styx the daughter of Ocean was joined to Pallas and
On the Syrian Goddess On the Syrian Goddess On the Syrian Goddess (; ) is the conventional Latin title of a Greek treatise of the second century AD, which describes religious cults practiced at the temple of Hierapolis Bambyce, now Manbij, in Syria. The work is written in a Herodotean-style of Ionic Greek, and has been traditionally ascribed to the Hellenized Syrian essayist Lucian of Samosata. Lucian has the reputation of being a witty scoffer, thanks to his many genuine essays and dialogues, and thus the reliability of "De Dea Syria" as an authentic picture of religious life in Syria in the second century