Vinod Advani, observer of the bold, the beautiful and the irrational, discovers to his amusement that many of the 'goddesses' who command Page Three space, are in fact clones of their Greek counterparts. And this is no myth!

Nike, Greek goddess of victory. The daughter of Titan, she had three sisters - Zelos, (rivalry), Kratos (strength) and Bia(force).

Our modern day Nike, by virtue of what/who she is, multitasks well. She realised early on in life that the combo of rivalry, strength and force will always lead to victory. Assists industrialist spouse in business strategies, devises advertising campaigns, nods imperiously at lesser employees. Is the world's only hostess to have guest rooms where both Hollywood and Bollywood have had sweet dreams, not necessarily together. Organises contests where beefed up village hunks compete for the title of Adonis and get a year's free supply of furnishings. Is fond of horse racing, only for husband's sake. Spirituality is fine, as long as it is at arm's length and does not get close enough to bite her. Sartorial style is combo Euro-Yankee, hopping from Ralph Lauren to Christian Dior. Gets hair coiffed to '60s perfection. Essentially kind-hearted, she is surprised mere mortals can't see it. Never carries handbag or handkerchief.

Hera, Greek goddess of marriage. She is the most beautiful of all goddesses, even beating Aphrodite.

Like her symbol, the peacock, our desi Hera really loves herself. The original Hera spent 300 years on honeymoon with Zeus (WOW!), so our modern day Hera has wisely deferred marriage. Can you imagine singing 'Kaho Na Pyaar Hai' for 300 years? Also, demigod one was a bit too expressive with his hands and demigod two wears new crutches every six months. Both not good marriage material for our Hera, we say. (In one Greek tale, Zeus sought refuge in the form of a cuckoo bird in Hera's lap during a storm.) Widely considered to be the world's most beautiful woman (according to a Hollywood icon), our Hera inhabits that rare stratum of success in which life is full of small nuisances. Like paparazzi following her to the toilet. Like tabloid writers criticising what she wears at international film festivals. Like small-town fans kissing the dusty road her Scorpio has just driven on. Nasties who don't understand her call her Ice Maiden but, her fave song really is, I Can't Love Your Body If Your Heart's Not In It. So there!

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