It was just two short month’s ago that a new nine-coin series of antiqued silver coins debuted called Norse Gods. The launch of a pair of attractive and reasonably priced coins was blunted somewhat by the sheer number of similarly themed coins also announced in the same timeframe, so many in fact that we ran an Ancient Gods Week to cover them all. The first duo depicted possibly the two most well-known deities in Norse mythology, Odin and Thor. Now the next pair has arrived with two less well known figures, Hel and Tyr.

The design follows the debut pair very closely, likely by the same artist in our view, and are actually really nice designs, especially the Hel coin with its intricate and scene-setting background. Mintages remain at just 1,000 coins each and the coins come well packaged with an enclosed Certificate of Authenticity. Prices seem to be remaining in the €110-120 range which marks them out as being one of the cheapest of this new wave of coins carrying this theme. With a release schedule this intense, we’d imagine the last five coins will be out before the middle of next year. How collectors will feel about the release of nine 2oz coins in a series in under a year, we don’t know, but we’d imagine many will balk at the commitment and that would be a shame. The first pair were available at many dealers, like Top World Coins, Powercoin, Muenzdachs and MB Coincorner, so we’d imagine that will be the case again as a couple of those have them up already.

DESCRIPTION

Týr is a god associated with law and heroic glory in Norse mythology, portrayed as one-handed. Týr is a god of war and will take mead, meat and blood for sacrifice. If a warrior carved the rune Tîwaz on his weapon he would be dedicating it to Týr and strengthen the outcome of a battle to be in his favor. After a warrior has dedicated his weapon to Týr he should not lose it or break it.  Tuesday is in fact “Tīw’s Day”, Tiw being another name for the deity.

In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In the Poetic Edda, Prose Edda, and Heimskringla, Hel is referred to as a daughter of Loki, and to “go to Hel” is to die. In the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Hel is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. In the same source, her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-coloured and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance. The Prose Edda details that Hel rules over vast mansions with many servants in her underworld realm and plays a key role in the attempted resurrection of the god Baldr.