Businesses That Use Mythological Characters

If you look carefully, mythology is ever-present in the logos, symbols and even brand names of corporations. While the title and image of a company become part of your brand vocabulary, the values of the mythological characters and ideas follow suit, often leaving an image of strength, history and power in the mind of the consumer.

Some of the most successful, well-known corporations employ mythological symbolism in their name branding, leading to not only awareness of the product, but recognition. Nike celebrated speed with a name derivative of the Greek goddess of victory; Amazon created a powerful brand name with its female warrior namesake; Olympus named their respective brands of cameras after the meeting-place of the gods; and the Trojan condom corporation named its products, albeit ironically, after the Trojan horse that carried its hidden soldiers into the walled city of Troy.

One of the most recognizable logos on the world market, the Starbucks image of a mermaid, borrowed the symbol of a siren to mimic the powerful, inescapable draw of their caffeinated products. In an effort to re-brand their shield image into a more forward-thinking, global-warming sensitive logo, the oil company BP opted for the Greek, white-, green- and yellow-colored helios symbol, which represented the power of sunlight.

The worldwide auto industry is one of the largest producers of mythology-inspired product names, with new models coming out every year that inspire symbols of power and strength. Some of the more famous examples include Pontiac's Phoenix, which symbolizes the mythical bird of fire and re-birth, Honda's Odyssey, named after the famous epic war; and the Ford Mercury and Orion, who in mythology were, respectively, the god of communication and streets, and the mythic slayer of beasts. Lesser-known mythological characters, such as the Eos, Electra and Echo, are respective models for Volkswagen, Buick and Toyota. Stepping away from car models and into a brand name for the whole auto company, Saturn named its entire corporation after Zeus' father.

Like the auto industry, the food industry bases many of its symbols on mythological characters and names. The candy company Mars is named after the Roman god of war, while the international corporation known as Poseidon Seafood uses the symbolism of the god of the sea to sell its fish products. Trident gum named its corporation after the Greek god Zeus' weapon of choice, and Ambrosia Natural Foods reached back to the mythical food of the gods, in naming its healthy food-inspired corporation.