Description
The Lithuanian Mint presents a new coin in the Women series dedicated to prominent personalities. This new coin pays tribute to Issis, the legendary Egyptian goddess. Issis is an example of how the ideal woman was understood in ancient times.
In the Pyramid Texts, she is the Mother Goddess of every Egyptian pharaoh and of Egypt itself.
The goddess of fertility, revival, and magic
In ancient Egypt, Issis was known as the goddess of fertility, wind, water, and navigation. Issis was also viewed as the ruler of magic that was more powerful than Atum, the god of creation. Furthermore, she was considered one of the deities that protected medicine. People would pray to Issis when they were ill. Life and death are often associated with Issis and her sister Nephthys, and the two sisters were often portrayed on coffins and in funerary texts. It was believed that, together with goddesses Nephthys, Neith, and Selket, Issis protected the dead, and she was also considered the chief goddess of ceremonies dedicated to the dead.
A protector and an example of an ideal wife
Issis, who is depicted on the reverse side of the coin, similarly to her sister Nephthys, was often portrayed as a red kite or a woman with wings. It was believed that she could create wind with her wings. She took the form of a red kite when she wept over dead Osiris, and was therefore often portrayed on sarcophagi as the protector of the dead. The kneeling goddess symbolises her grief over each death, in the same manner she grieved for her beloved husband Osiris. Issis and Osiris always served as an example of the ideal marital relationship for Egyptians. Issis was viewed as a symbol of faith and femininity. Egyptians believed that if a wife was unfaithful to her husband, Issis would punish her.
This unique coin can make the perfect gift for a beloved woman, and shows that women are not only mothers or preservers of the hearth but also courageous, decisive, and dedicated rulers. The obverse features a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Do you wonder why HM Queen Elizabeth II or other symbols of Niue are depicted on the coin? Or maybe you want to know why do we mint dollars? Read more HERE.
