Saint Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean which is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The currency of the island is the Saint Helena pound, fixed at parity with the pound sterling. The island has authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the popular silver ounce (1 oz silver) format, usually denominated as £1.
This coin depicts the mythical Pegasus - a brilliant, white stallion with powerful wings that was born from the blood of the gorgon known as Medusa
There are two origin stories within Greek mythology that explain the appearance of Pegasus. One of these, from Archaic Greek mythology, suggests that Pegasus was the offspring of Medusa, who in these stories was actually a mare. Later myths within Archaic Greek mythology position Pegasus as being foaled from the blood of Medusa as she was decapitated by Perseus. On the other hand, Classical Greek mythology suggests that the Olympian god known as Poseidon was the father of Pegasus. |