I just received this Gallienus zoo series centaur in the mail, and while it's not beautiful, the price was right at $2. I looked around to see if I could find a thread filled with mythical creatures but besides some other Gallienus posts, I didn't see one dedicated to just different types of mythical creatures. So, how about we start one? I wonder just how many different ones we can come up with. If I missed a relevant thread somewhere, I apologize! Gallienus, Sole reign Antoninianus Rome mint Obverse: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right Reverse: APOLLINI CONS AVG, Centaur walking right, drawing bow. Officina letter Z below
Cool coin, @furryfrog02 ! TWO BUCKS? That is great! Nice This is my only Centaur... Frentani, Italia - kin of the Samnites Frentani - Larinum ITALIA ( no, these folks ain’t Greek! ) AE 18mm Quadrans 210-175 BCE Herakles - Centaur, leaping over 3 pellets SNG COP 272
Here's a capricorn: Cornelia Supera, wife of Aemelian, Augusta, 253 CE. Roman provincial Æ 20.5mm, 3.78 g. Mysia, Parium, AD 253. Obv: G CORN SUPERA, diademed and draped bust right. Rev: C. G. I. H. P., Capricorn right, cornucopiae on back; globe between legs (Sear describes as a star, but this appears to be a globe). Refs: SGI 4408 (var.); SNG Von Aulock 7448.
Good idea for a thread! Below are some of my mythical creatures and magical beasts. Chimaera: Sikyonia, Sikyon, AR hemidrachm, ca. 330-280 BC. Obv: chimaera advancing l., right paw raised; ΣΙ below. Rev: dove flying left. 16mm, 2.6g. Ref: SNG Copenhagen 64f. Sphinx: Caria, Kaunos, AE10, late 4th c. BC. Obv: charging bull r.; above, wreath. Rev: sphinx seated r; ethnic [K]-AY. 10mm, 1.13g. Ref: BMC 7–10; SNG Copenhagen 183; SNG Keckman I 72. Pegasus: Pontos, Amisos (Kingdom of Pontos under Mithridates VI Eupator), AE 23, ca. 85–65 BC. Obv: head of Perseus, helmeted, r. Rev: AMI-ΣΟΥ; grazing Pegasus l.; in exergue, monogram. 23mm, 12.91g. Ref: SNG France 1215; BMC 62. Garuda (for more info see here): Gupta Empire, Kumaragupta I, AR drachm, c. 415–455 AD, "Western type." Obv: Head of king r.; blundered legend. Rev: "Paramabhāgavata Rajadhiraja Sri Kumaragupta Mahendraditya"; Garuda standing facing. 14.3mm, 1.70g. Ref: Mitchiner 4845-58. Dragon: Freiburg im Breisgau (?), civic issue, bracteate penny ("vierzipfliger Pfennig"), ca. 1250 AD. Obv: dragon ("Lindwurm") r. Rev: negative design. 18mm, 0.37g. Ref: Berger 2432–3; Slg. Wüthrich 54; Wielandt, Breisgau 44. Ex Allen Berman.
Mega score for $2!... even if @Clavdivs, for a third more, is superior. Come gather around a truly great thread idea... Certainly I owe you all a bit of fair warning of the ketos monster: And his dear friend/nemesis: And on your way out of this post please mind the Satyr:
Have I got mythical creatures for you! Gallienus centaur: Gallienus gryphon: Divus Vespasian capricorns: Republican gryphon (L. Papius: Juno Sospita/Gryphon) Republican satyr (L. Marcius Censorinus: Apollo/Marsyas): Republican Pegasus (Q. Titius: Mutinus Titius [Priapus]/Pegasus) Corinthian Pegasos: Apollonia Pontika Medusa I just posted my L. Plautius Plancus Medusa in the bankers' mark thread, so I'll leave her out here.
So by my (possibly wrong) count, we have 12 Mythical creatures represented so far. There's gotta be more than that. I bed @TIF has some we haven't added yet
Metus is from Rasenna (Etruria) Etruria, Populonia 3rd Century BC Silver 20-Asses 8.1g, ovoid 16.6mm x 20mm Obv: Facing head of Metus, hair bound with a diadem, X:X below Rev: blank Sambon 47; HN Italy 152
ACHELOUS - Man-Faced Bull, River God Campania AE Apollo Left-Achelous -275-250BCE PLATE COIN 3 KNOWN RARE SNG ANS 474 - Listed Potamikon pg 232 Plate 343
LOL, yeah, and the Die-crack really makes it cool! She is also associated with Terror in Etrurian - Rasenna mythology.
FLYING FEMALES Sicily Kamarina AR litra 11mm 0.56g 461-440 BCE Nike flying, swan below within wreath Athena spear shield SNG ANS 1212-6
I'm reading the wiki now but it is a bit confusing because it keeps redirecting to Deimos. I'm assuming because of the Greek/Roman crossover and how not everything is the same: "Metus was a demon, the son of Venus and Mars. He had a twin brother, Timor. Deimos was the God of Fear and Terror. He is depicted carrying a sword, known as Deimos' Sword of Dread."
Here is a list of Etrurian Mythology. I read about Metus in other sources that I cannot find at the moment. They discussed that Metus was also associated with Terror in Etrurian Mythology. However, they noted that using her as a talisman (like on a coin), was to be reassuring and to keep from being in terror. Interpretations... Also, remember, they have not translated the Rasenna language. And, much of this culture influenced early Rome, but has disappeared. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Etruscan_mythological_figures
NYMPH Sicily Selinus Litra 400 BCE AR 10mm 0.67g Nymph on rock touching serpent Selinon leaf - Man-faced bull Mildenberg 27 Bruttium AE 18 Hemiobol 215-205 BC 2nd Punic War, Nymph, Terina city, Nike Zeus Left