A Brief History Of Trophies

Trophies are a category of awards conferred on either groups of people or individuals for their prowess in academics, work, sports contests, or events. They are usually imposing and sculptural and often include a figure, sports equipment, or animal associated with the contest in which a winner has excelled. In addition, they can be unique, like the one of a kind Stanley cup awarded to each year’s National Hockey League’s champions or mass-produced molded plastic figures costing less than a dollar. However, what ever their price, these important awards are generally regarded as tangible evidence of prowess in a certain field be it academics or athletics, and have extraordinary meanings to the recipient.

The word trophy or trophies in plural are derived from the French word “trophee.” The word means a war prize or spoils of war. In the 1550s, the English adapted the word to emphasize their victories in the various wars fought in the fifteenth century. In ancient Greece, a trophy was very much valued especially by the state of Sparta, and was used to symbolize a warrior’s triumph in battle. They were made from inscribed writings and drawings depicting the mythical battles of the gods. These latter wars were derived from the many Greek myths, for example the war for mount Olympus between the Titans and the Greek gods. For ancient Romans, however, they were made for home and memorial purposes.

During the sixteenth century of the middle ages in Europe, Chalices took the place of trophies. These former awards were given to winners of “new world” (Americas) sporting events. The” kyp cup” is the first chalice given to Horse racing champions in England in the 1600s. Today chalices are seen in prestigious sporting events such as the Stanley Cup, the Davis Cup and of course the famous World Cup. The Oscar, which is used during Academy awards, is the first human sized trophy to be ever created. The second human size trophy to be built is the “man on the moon trophy.”

Today, there over twenty world trophies, which are given to the winners of different sporting events. Some of the most famous are the Olympic medals, and the world cup. The latter are used to symbolize the prowess of different countries in different sports. For the Olympic medals Africa holds the record of having attained the most number of medals, while most European and South American countries have held the world cup for lengthy periods.

By: Mark A Dalton

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