The Greek poet Homer’s epic tale ‘The Odyssey’ is told in a new silver coin series from the Carpathian Mint
Homer’s Odyssey, an ancient Greek epic poem, chronicles the legendary journey of Odysseus as he strives to return home from the Trojan War. The epic explores themes of heroism, loyalty, temptation, and the struggle between fate and free will. It delves into the human psyche, examining the longing for home, the quest for self-discovery, and the transformative power of endurance. Plus, it contains an absolute ton of inspiration for a coin series.
The Carpathian Mint are kickstarting a new series of high-relief, three-ounce silver coins, taking a journey through this absolute classic of literature. The first of them pulls from the hero’s stay on the island home of Circe, a powerful sorceress and daughter of the sun god Helios. Wary of the newcomers, she transforms some of Odysseus’ men into swine, but with the help of the god Hermes, who provides Odysseus with a magical
herb, to resist Circe’s spells, he convinces her to restore his men. Circe becomes Odysseus’ lover and advises him on his future trials and challenges.
This is a very popular genre, and a very popular format, so Carpathian is on the right track for starters, but the coin sports a good design, and a well-chosen scene from the literary classic. It’s three ounces in weight, so pricier than the commoner two-ounce, but that has allowed the coin to expand to an impressive 60 mm diameter. It comes boxed with a certificate, has a mintage of 500 units, and is available to order now, with shipping in August. A series we’ll keep a particular eye on moving forward.
MINTS DESCRIPTION
The Odyssey is a Greek epic poem composed of 24 passages, written by the Greek poet Homer in the 8th century B.C. It tells the story of the return home from the Trojan War of the Greek hero Odysseus. In addition to having been away fighting for ten years, Odysseus takes another ten years to return to the island of Ithaca, of which he was king, during which time his son Telemachus and his wife Penelope must tolerate in their palace the suitors who seek to betroth her (for they already believed Odysseus to be dead), while consuming the family’s possessions. Odysseus’ best weapon is his cunning, thanks to which, in addition to the help of the goddess Athena, daughter of Zeus, he is able to escape the constant problems he has to face from various gods.
To this end, he plans various ruses, whether physical or with bold and deceptive speeches, which he uses to achieve his goals. In passage 10 Odysseus narrates how Aeolus gave him a bag of skin containing the west winds. As they approached Ithaca, his men decided to see what was in the bag, the winds escaped and a storm broke out, dashing all hope of returning home. After six days at sea, they reached the island of the Lestrygonians, anthropophagous giants who devoured almost all of Odysseus’ companions. Fleeing from there, they reached the island of Circe. The sorceress fell in love with Odysseus and managed to keep him there for a year, but she was never requited and finally let him go, but not before telling him that before returning home he would have to go to the Underworld to ask the now deceased soothsayer Tiresias for advice.
| SPECIFICATION | ||
| DENOMINATION | $7 NZD (Niue) | |
| COMPOSITION | 93.3 g of 0.999 silver | |
| DIMENSIONS | 60.0 mm | |
| FINISH | Antique | |
| MODIFICATIONS | High relief, UV metallic colour | |
| MINTAGE | 500 | |
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