Greek mythology is present in our everyday lives whether we know it or not. It is deeply embedded into our everyday culture, and a lot of the movies we see, books we read, the music we hear, and yes — even products we buy — are deeply influenced by the Ancient Greeks.
The ancient Greeks had many different gods and goddesses — hundreds of them — and they are reflected through us through our language on an everyday basis. Let’s take a look at the companies that use ancient Greek mythology as their business name and logo.
Starbucks
Starbucks is a well known global brand of the coffee chain. If you notice carefully, the logo used by Starbucks is a Twin Tailed Siren from Greek mythology. According to the tales of Greek mythology, the twin tail sirens were dangerous but beautiful sea creatures. They use their beauty and melody to entice and seduce seamen and sailors into death traps.
Versace
Versace is a well known Italian luxury fashion brand. Their logo is based on the Greek mythological god, Medusa. The Head of a woman with living venomous snakes instead of hair. She has the power to petrify anyone who looked at her. From the tales, whoever fell in love with Medusa, cannot run away from her. This story is also the message of Versace. Their logo seduces authority and visual fascination. When Versace chose this logo, they wanted to build an iconic brand with a strong dominance on the global stage. Which they have done, evidently.
NBC Peacock Logo
The NBC Peacock logo is one of the popular logos that was derived from Greek mythology. The colorful logo has a peacock in the center. The origin of the story center around the Greek goddess Hera. Hera was the wife of the god of thunder Zeus, she had 100 eyes, which were then symbolized into peacock’s feathers. This also means that Zeus had the knowledge of seeing and knowing all.
The Tennessee Titans
You might not think that a professional football team would be considered a company — well that is exactly what it is! The titans were what was around before the Greek gods and goddesses, and are where the likes of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon come from.
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Nike
Yes, we all have heard of the gigantic shoe and sportswear company (hopefully), but did you know that Nike is the Greek goddess of victory? It only makes sense to name a sports shoe company after the goddess of victory. The sign of “swoosh” inspired by the Greek warriors as it gives them great and enormous power.
Dove
Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever originating in the United Kingdom. This was branded after the Greek goddess of beauty and love, also known as Aphrodite. The soap brand used the dove, which was Aphrodite’s symbol.
The products are sold in more than 150 countries and are offered for both women, men, and babies. Dove’s logo is a silhouette profile of the brand’s namesake bird. Vincent Lamberti was granted the original patents related to the manufacturing of Dove in the 1950s, while he worked for the Lever brothers.
Hydra Markets
The Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna (Greek), more often known simply as the Hydra, is a serpentine water monster in Greek and Roman mythology. Hydra Markets is an STP broker company from Georgia established in 2015. It offers to trade in a vast array of currency pairs, precious metals, as well as CFDs. As you can see above, the company logo has the 3 headed serpentine monster which is the direct reference to the Greek Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna.
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Amazon
Yes, the online retail web site that is (at the time of this being written) currently ranked as the 14th most visited site in the US is named after a race of warrior women.
Pandora
There are many different companies out there that hold the business name of Pandora. Pandora Jewelry — and more recently Pandora radio are just a few of many out there. Pandora was the first woman in Greek mythology and her name means “all gifted.” “Pandora’s box” is a box that contained all of the evils of the world, and when she opened it, all of the evils were released into the world and the only thing that remained inside of the box was hope.
Saturn
Apart from being one of the planets in our system, Saturn — which is the name of a car company in today’s world — was the Roman name for Cronus, who was the father of Zeus.
Maserati Emblem
The Maserati is a renowned Italian luxury sports car maker. Their brand message concludes ultra-luxury consumer vehicles that are handcrafted in iconic Italian designs. To convey their branding, they use the trident logo because Neptune is the symbol of strength and vigor. There is also the fact that is, the statue of Neptune is located in the company’s home city of Piazza Maggiore. This is one classic and premium example of the way they have done it.
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Trident
The trident was the three-pronged spear of the god of the sea Poseidon. Trident gum is a popular gum and Trident actually literally translates into “three toothed.”
Venus by Gillette
Venus is another name that got changed (from Aphrodite) once the Romans took over the Greek mythology. Today, Venus is a very popular and famous personal beauty product for women.
Ajax
Ajax is a household cleaning product by the Colgate-Palmolive Company. This product is available in both powder and liquid form, to be used on household and kitchen surfaces. Also, available as a dish detergent. The Colgate-Palmolive Company decided to have it named as Ajax because the Greek mythological figure was a mighty warrior who “cleaned up” in battle. He needed no assistance from the gods, meaning that Ajax cleanser products are capable of cleaning up in the household without assistance from any other products.
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AFC Ajax
Amsterdam Football Club Ajax, also known as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the legendary Greek hero) has been the most successful club in the Netherlands, with 34 Eredivisie titles and 19 KNVB Cups. It has continuously played in the Eredivisie, since the league’s inception in 1956 and, along with Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven, it is one of the country’s “big three” clubs that have dominated that competition. Cited
Many times, in our spoken language, and our day to day use of products we forget that there are many different origins to the languages that we are speaking. It’s nice to know your history, however, and diving into Greek mythology every once in a while to learn about it (so that it is hand in hand knowledge) can be very good for you. And who knows, perhaps you will end up naming your company (whether it be a Sports Company or a shoe company) after a Greek God!
Originally posted at RuhaniRabin.com
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