5 World Famous Logos Inspired by Greek Mythology

 

 

There’s a story behind everything and behind the following five world famous logos, the story is Greek.

Greece has given so much to the world that most of the time we don’t realize words and phrases we use daily, beautiful buildings we admire, even the way we think, are infused with a great dollop of ‘Greekness’.

It’s all around us, whether we know it or not; take famous brand logos for example.

 

 

Have we ever really thought about what we are looking at?

Or wondered to ourselves, why did that certain company choose this symbol to promote their products?

Greek mythology inspired these five prestigious companies to choose unique logos which would boost their sales in the best possible way.

 

1. Nike

Nike is an American multinational corporation, manufacturing and marketing, footwear, clothing, sports equipment and accessories

 

 

 

The company, originally ‘Blue Ribbon Sports’, founded in 1964, officially became Nike, Inc. in 1971.

The ‘swoosh’ logo, adorning all Nike clothing and footwear, which has become synonymous with the company name, was inspired by the wings of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory

After reading below, about who Nike was, you’ll easily understand why the company chose her name for their logo.

 

 

The Myth of Nike

 

Nike, in Greek pronounced ‘Neeki’ is both the word for victory and the name of the goddess of victory.

In Greek Mythology the winged goddess Nike, the go-between amongst gods and men, faithful companion to Zeus, leader of all Greek gods, was associated with warfare speed, strength and victory.

Never a battle, nor personal struggle, however insignificant, was faced in ancient Greece, without first offering a prayer or sacrifice to the goddess.

Nike is usually shown as a beautiful woman with a lyre, to celebrate victory, a laurel wreath, with which to crown the victor and a bowl and cup with which to honour the gods.

I wonder, when athletes, warriors and every day citizens of ancient Greece, asked Nike for her blessing and protection, before facing a challenge, did she tell them to ‘Just do it’?

 

 

2. NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American English-language commercial broadcasting television and radio network

 

 

 

 

The NBC logo, the colourful peacock, is attributed to the Greek myth of Hera, goddess of women, marriage, childbirth, children and family.

 

The Myth of Hera

 

Hera, married to Zeus (Jupiter, who also happened to be her brother), king of the gods of Mount Olympus, is often depicted with her sacred animals, the cow, the lion and the peacock.

Legend has it that Hera had one hundred all seeing eyes, symbolized by peacock feathers, which she used to keep track of her husband Zeus.

Zeus, the man about town, was a bit of a playboy, who liked nothing more than to leave Mount Olympus to visit Earth, where he consorted with mortal women.

As all that was Hera’s also belonged to Zeus, which meant, he also pocessed the ability to see and know everything that his wife, Hera, was up to.

 

 

A fitting logo for a news broadcasting company, which needs to know the what, when and where, right here and now!

 

 

3. Versace

Versace is a well known Italian luxury fashion brand

 

 

 

The founder of Versace, the well known Italian luxury fashion brand, founded in 1978, Gianni Versace, grew up in Calabria, southern Italy, a region much influenced by Greek culture after Greek colonization during the 8th–6th centuries BC.

Being familiar with Greek mythology, Versace was inspired to use the head of Medusa as the logo for his company.

 

The Myth of Medusa

 

In Greek mythology, Medusa, is a monstrous gorgon whose hair is a tangle of poisonous snakes and anyone who looked into her eyes would be instantly be turned to stone.

 Once upon a time, though, Medusa was a beautiful, headstrong woman.

Medusa’s beauty enchanted Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, so much, he could no longer control his passionate desire for her and so, against her will, he had his wicked way with her.

Athena, goddess of wisdom, then turned Medusa into a grotesque gorgon and as if that was not enough, she later has her head chopped off by the Greek hero Perseus, founder of Mycenae and the the Perseid dynasty.

Perseus used Medusa’s head, which maintained its ability to turn people to stone, as a weapon against his enemies before finally presenting it to Athena, who placed it on her shield.

 

 

Versace was inspired, not by the monster Medusa but by her former self, the headstrong beauty who symbolized power and strength and with his chosen logo, was making a statement about his iconic designs:

They mirrored Medusa in that their style was dominant, strong, and seductive.

 

4. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

The Goodyear Tire Company, an American multinational tire manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling

 

 

 

The Goodyear tire company was named after Charles Goodyear, the American inventor of vulcanized rubber.

Goodyear tires became popular owing to the speed and ease in which they could be changed, they  were also low maintenance.

 

The Myth of Hermes

 

 Hermes, son of Zeus, king of Greek gods and Maia, an Earth goddess, a nurturer, a mother, a nurse, and grandmother of magic. is the messenger of the gods and protector of roads, flocks, commerce, and thieves.

Depicted as an athletically built youth, Hermes is represented by many symbols, including the rooster, tortoise, satchel or pouch, winged sandals and helmet, the palm tree and goat but his main symbol is the caduceus, a winged staff intertwined with two snakes copulating and carvings of the other gods.

 

 

With the help of his winged sandals, made of palm and myrtle branches, said to be beautiful, golden and immortal, Hermes was the only one, able move with the speed of wind, between the world of the living and the dead.

In Greek mythology Hermes, is known for his strength and speed and as protector of roads.

There could be no better logo than that of his winged sandal, to represent the quality of Goodyear tires.

 

5. Mobil

Mobil is a major American oil company that merged with Exxon in 1999 to form a parent company called ExxonMobil.

 

 

 

Mobil was previously one of the Seven Sisters which controlled the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s until the 1970s.

‘The Seven Sisters’ was a common term for the seven oil companies of the ‘Consortium for Iran’ cartel, which referred to the seven Pleiades sisters of Greek mythology, fathered by the titan Atlas.

 

 

The Seven Sisters oil companies of the ‘Consortium for Iran’

 

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (originally Anglo-Persian; now BP)

Royal Dutch Shell

Standard Oil Company of California (SoCal, later Chevron)

Gulf Oil (now merged into Chevron)

Texaco (now merged into Chevron)

Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Esso, later Exxon, now part of ExxonMobil)

Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony, later Mobil, now part of ExxonMobil)

 

After the break-up of Standard Oil in 1911, the Standard Oil Company of New York was founded, along with 33 other successor companies.

 In 1920, the company registered the name “Mobiloil” as a trademark and since its amalgamation with Magnolia Petroleum Company in the 1930s, the Mobil logo has been the winged horse of Greek mythology, Pegasus.

By 1931, with the growth of the car industry, Mobil Vacuum Pump Oil products also expanded and now include Pegasus Spirits and Mobilgas, simply known as Mobil.

Today, Mobil is still a major brand name.

 

 

 

The Myth of Pegasus

 

Pegasus, the immortal, mythical winged horse, one of the most recognized creatures in Greek mythology, is the offspring of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon and Medusa.

When Medusa, also the logo of Versace, the Italian high – end fashion house, was beheaded by Perseus, Pegasus and his brother, Chrysaor, sprang forth from her neck.

Wild and rebellious, Pegasus, with the help of the goddess Athena’s charmed bridle, was finally caught and tamed, near the fountain Peirene, in Ancient Corinth, by Bellerophon, a hero of Greek mythology.

 

 

Together, Pegasus and Bellerophon achieved countless victories, including killing the Chimera, a monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail and defeating the Greek warrior women, the Amazons.

So many victories eventually gave Bellerophon delusions of grandeur and he began to believe he deserved only to live among the gods of Mount Olympus and so, he jumped on his faithful friend’s back and ordered Pegasus to head for home.

 Zeus, king of Greek gods, angered by Bellerophon’s audacity, sent a gadfly to teach him a lesson, the fly stung Pegasus, causing him to throw Bellerophon from his back and to his death.

The rider less Pegasus flew on, finally reaching Mount Olympus, where he remained in the service of Zeus for many more years, for which Zeus rewarded him with a constellation, bearing his name.

 

 

 The Greek myth lives on

 

There are more company names and logos than I can mention, relating to and inspired by Greek gods, goddesses and mythology.

Pandora, the jewelry company, Ajax, household cleaners, the prestigious car, Masarati, with its trident logo, and the Titian cement company are but just a few.

Greek myths are still, in modern times, after thousands of years, conveying their messages.