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Greek Mythology/Sports Logos


darkshadow1031

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In my Greek mythology class, we are doing a small project were we are to find classical mythology in modern settings. I thought I could put an interesting twist on the project and focus on Greek mythology in sports logos. All I can come up with currently is the Tennesee Titans and the Toronto Argonauts, so I was hoping the board could help me come up with some more. Thanks for the help!

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Any reference to Spartans or Trojans is a reference to Greek History, which goes hand in hand with mythology. You might also want to reference images of Mercury (winged foot as logo of Track and Field athletes). And in case you were not sure, Thor has nothing to do with Greek mythology, so skip the "Thunder" logos that use Thor as a mascot.

You could also mention the modern Olympic movement and its imagery.

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how about the dutch soccer team AFC AJAX?ajax was the greek god of victory.

ajax_logo_red.jpg

i'm new by the way,hi everyone.

:welcome:

You might also want to reference images of Mercury

Phoenix Mercury -- WNBA

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Any reference to Spartans or Trojans is a reference to Greek History, which goes hand in hand with mythology. You might also want to reference images of Mercury (winged foot as logo of Track and Field athletes). And in case you were not sure, Thor has nothing to do with Greek mythology, so skip the "Thunder" logos that use Thor as a mascot.

You could also mention the modern Olympic movement and its imagery.

You are correct that I am wrong about Thor, but you are also wrong about Mercury He is a Roman God not a Greek God.

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Any reference to Spartans or Trojans is a reference to Greek History, which goes hand in hand with mythology.  You might also want to reference images of Mercury (winged foot as logo of Track and Field athletes).  And in case you were not sure, Thor has nothing to do with Greek mythology, so skip the "Thunder" logos that use Thor as a mascot. 

You could also mention the modern Olympic movement and its imagery.

You are correct that I am wrong about Thor, but you are also wrong about Mercury He is a Roman God not a Greek God.

Hermes is the Greek equivalent of Mercury. The Romans stole (or incorperated) most of Greek mythology and made it thier own.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions, its really helping!

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The Greco-Roman Gods are for all intents and purposes interchangeable-- the myths and attributes for each were the same but the names changed (except for Apollo, who for some reason had the same name). Zeus=Jupiter, Mercury=Hermes, Poseidon= Neptune, Hephaestus=Vulcan, etc.

Although three of these involve the Roman counterparts to Greek named deities, these are appropriate:

Neptunes?old Norfolk Continental Football League Team

Vulcans?old Birmingham World Football League Team

Apollos ? old Atlanta NASL team as well as an old Houston CHL team

Mercurys ? old Toledo IHL team

I?m not sure the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team directly refers to the deity. With the Phoenix Suns being the men?s team, I always took it to refer more to either (1) the planet closest to the sun, or (2) heat, as in referring to the Mercury in a thermometer.

Speaking of Phoenix, that mythological bird was also present in some Greco-Roman Mythology, and ?Phoenix? (singularly) is the team name of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Elon College, and Wilson College in Pennsylvania.

The women?s teams at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in California are called the Athenas.

Olympians, Olympics Olympique and Olympiqueshave all been used, of course referring to either the (1) the godlike deities of Mt. Olympus or (2) referring to the Olympic Games.

Lawless High School in New Orleans was the Pythians (was, as they were located in the Lower 9th Ward and were inundated during Katrina). The Pythian Games were the forerunners to the Olympic games, and were similarly ?godly? inspired.

Apparently there was a Central Valley USISL team called the Hydra.

Several high school teams in America use the name Centaurs.

Nike was the winged Greek goddess of victory. Ajax was a greek warrior king and compatriot of Achilles during the Trojan War, mentioned in The Illiad.

It is what it is.

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I?m not sure the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team directly refers to the deity.  With the Phoenix Suns being the men?s team, I always took it to refer more to either (1) the planet closest to the sun, or (2) heat, as in referring to the Mercury in a thermometer. 

I think you're right on this, however neither the planet nor the metallic element would have their name if it weren't for the messenger of the gods. Both were named because of the speed attributed to Mercury. So, at least indirectly, . . .

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First and foremost I would like to thank the board members for all their helpful suggestions. Unfortunately, I could not come up with the five examples of Greek mythology in modern settings pertaining exclusively to sports logos. I had to include some non-sports examples, but I am pleased with my work.

The short form of my project goes as follows:

1. Midas ? Automotive company/King with the golden touch

2. Titans ? NFL team/Passionate war gods

3. Ajax ? Cleaning detergent & Dutch Soccer Team/Trojan War hero (thanks coatsy!)

4. Argonauts ? CFL team/Jason and the Argonauts

5. Apollo ? NASA space missions/God of light and intelligence

Once again I would like to personally thank all the suggestions and submissions. Anyone who wishes to see my full project, please drop me a PM. I will be happy to send out the Word document (it is short).

Thanks again!

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Also, don't forget about the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe who use Thor as an alternate logo. (Try Google for this logo - scan for "Berlin Thunder" or "Berlin NFLE"). And if I'm not mistaken, the USFL Oakland Invaders used a hand with a lightning bolt in it. You might also scan for "generic" wordmarks and find which ones which contain sports logos - like "Apollos" and "Zeus" and stuff like that.

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