Niue, a sovereign state in free association with New Zealand, uses two official legal tender currencies. The New Zealand Dollar is the circulation currency for daily transactions, while the government also authorises legal tender coins in the Niue Dollar currency for collector's purposes.
A number of mints issue a large variety of commemorative, bullion and collector coins under the authority of Niue. These coins are dedicated to historical or general popular culture themes not related to Niue itself. Many of them are in standard bullion sizes - including this very large five ounces of silver format (abbreviated as 5 oz Ag, where "Ag" comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum).
This silver coin is part of the Universal Gods series by the Czech Mint, and is dedicated to Svarog.
The mint says about it: The ancient Slavs worshipped Svarog as the original celestial creator - the father of all creation. The god of smithing, celestial light, heat and fire forged the Sun and stars in his furnace, but also other gods who were born from red-hot sparks. Our ancestors believed that Svarog was connected to the fire in every human dwelling, therefore, he was also the protector of the family hearth. He was particularly fond of orderly marriage - as the creator of all the laws of human society, he was strict and unforgiving, and demanded fidelity and monogamy from both men and women.
Although he was the very first god of the Slavs, we do not know much about him. Perhaps because, after the arduous work of the creator, he gave way to a younger generation of gods and retired to a well-deserved rest. |