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| Stone carving of goddess Nike at Ephesus
Till we saw this stone carving among the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus, we were unaware of the significance of the name "Nike". (Ephesus, 2006)
Nike, in ancient Greek religion, was a goddess who personified victory, also known as the Winged Goddess of Victory. The Roman equivalent was Victoria. Depending upon the time of various myths, she was described as the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the goddess Styx, and the sister of Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal).
Nike and her siblings were close companions of Zeus, the dominant deity of the Greek pantheon. According to classical (later) myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when the god was assembling allies for the Titan War against the older deities. Nike assumed the role of the divine charioteer, a role in which she often is portrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame, symbolized by a wreath of Laurel leaves (Bay leaves).
Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings, with one of the most famous being the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Most other winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena, and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. Nike is also one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins.
(source : Wikipedia)
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Texture on the wall at Gangtey Gonpa, Bhutan There is this imposing wall to the right on way to Gangtey Gonpa in Phobjikha Valley in Bhutan . The wall is obviously quite old. Time and weather seemed to have played magic and created a wonderful textural effect. The range of emotions these textures aroused were as varied as the patterns created - beauty, awe, complexity, mystery, melancholy, seeking answers and what not...It was a great experience to shoot these. The light was fading fast so there was not much time available.
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