We’ve seen a plethora of coins since we went live in late 2013, and it’s clear that some subjects are perennial favourites, not least of all, the mythology of the ancient world. We shouldn’t be surprised, given that’s been the case since ancient times, aided by the sheer richness of it. The Greek pantheon has been particularly popular, as has a group that encompasses the new coin here, the Northern Europeans, primarily, the Norse peoples.

Freyja is a Norse goddess, associated with love, sex, gold, war and death. She rides a chariot pulled by two cats (she must be a goddess if she can get a cat to do that!), and is a popular character in the myths and legends of the time. She is said to receive half the battlefield dead, who go to her field, Fólkvangr (the other half go to Valhalla). Freyja was married to the god Óðr, who was often away, and as a result, she was said to cry tears of red gold for him.

The gold and the tears are rarely referenced on Freyja coins, so it’s great to see The Gold Village make it the central theme of their coin. The reverse face is the more traditional of the two, depicting the goddess from the waist up, wearing gold wristbands and headdress. She is crying tears of gold, that trickle down her cheeks – a nod to the myth.