What does the winged victory of Samothrace represent? 'Headless angel' at the Olympics claim debunked

On August 11, watchers of the 2024 Paris Olympics observed a headless white statue being included during The Golden Voyager performance. Many took to the internet to claim that the figure represented something Satanic or evil. Meanwhile, a Community Note by X clarified that it represented the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, in reality.

The Golden Voyager performance was directed by the ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly. Speaking about the dystopian production, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement:

“The Golden Voyager lands in a world that is deserted and mysterious, ready to explore.”

In the show, The Golden Voyager character appears in front of a white faceless statue, which has now been confirmed to be that of the Victory of Samothrace. However, netizens speculated that it represented something Satanic initially.

X user and conservative political commentator Oli London was one of the many who claimed that the winged white faceless statue:

“ascends to the sky as a satanic golden horned bird figure watches on during the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony.”

As the tweet began garnering views, X confirmed in a Community Note that the figure in white actually represented that of Samothrace, which has been placed in the Louvre museum.

Meanwhile, others began to dub the figure as a “headless angel” online, with one netizen saying:

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More about the Victory of Samothrace statue as “satanic” Paris Olympics claims go viral

According to a Olympics media guide, the figure in white that appeared during The Golden Voyager performance was a replica of The Victory of Samothrace, which is a statue of the goddess Nike that resides in the Louvre museum.

In The Golden Voyager performance, the character encounters Nike, who has been historically linked to the ancient Olympic Games.

The statue of Samothrace, which currently resides in the Louvre, is called the “Winged Victory of Samothrace” (it has also been dubbed The Victory of Samothrace for short).

The marble Hellenistic sculpture was reportedly created around the 2nd century BCE. It has been prominently displayed in the Louvre, France museum since 1884.

The eight-foot marble statue depicts Nike about to take flight from her perched Dary staircase. It was first discovered on the Greek island of Samothrace by archaeologist Charles Champoiseau.

There is no evidence of the statue, which represents the goddess Nike, being linked to Satanism, as several netizens claimed online.

The character of the Golden Voyager in the performance was also met with claims that it represented something Satanic in nature by netizens.

However, the Olympics said in a statement to the Associated Press that the figure, who wore a spiked golden costume, actually represented several French figures. These include the Place de la Bastille and the Voyager Golden Record, an interstellar time capsule that was launched into space in 1977.

The Olympics opening ceremony also received similar criticism, with many claiming that the representation of The Last Supper in a performance, which included drag queens, transgender models, and a singer dressed as Dionysus, was blasphemous.

The Vatican themselves released a statement expressing that they were offended and that the show lacked “respect for others.”

Meanwhile, the Olympics closing ceremony included numerous performances from music legends like Phoenix, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and more.