Dragons on coins

[krishna]

With the Chinese year of dragon coming up, this topic will get supercharged

[Figleaf]

Denmark, 20 kroner, 1910.  Standard circulation coin.

In 1910, gold coins no longer circulated. However, they were widely used as inflation hedge, tax avoiding instruments, tools for retail metal and currency speculation and the internationally demanded coins served as proto-travellers checks. These functions were generally not mutually exclusive.

Is Olaf II of Norway standing on a dragon?

He's better known and addressed on the coin as saint Olaf. It seems highly likely that he is standing on (subjugating) a dragon, except that the dragon has a human crowned head. You'd need to find what inspired the design and work from there to explain the dragon's head I suppose.

Peter

[chrisild]

Is Olaf II of Norway standing on a dragon?

Yes, but you will have noticed that the dragon has a human head with a crown on top. Especially in the late Middle Ages, Olav was often depicted as the Christian saint who had defeated his former pagan self. The beast may even have the same face as Olav, see here for example.

(Edit) The image, and similar ones showing the "Christian Olav" in his royal glory who stands on the dragon which represents the "Pagan Olav", can be found on this page (in Norwegian).

[<k>]

A reminder of the design that we are discussing.

A DRAGON with a HUMAN face? That's against all the laws of evolution. And I thought it was the French who had invented surrealism.  

Interesting find, though, Christian. Figleaf was the first to notice the face, of course.

[chrisild]

A DRAGON with a HUMAN face? That's against all the laws of evolution. And I thought it was the French who had invented surrealism.  

Oh, wasn't it Hieronymus Bosch? Have a look at his Garden of Earthly Delights, particularly the Hell part.

Anyway, this bit, from the website of the cathedral in Trondheim where Olav is buried, says about the "human dragon" (in Google's translation): "Olaf the Saint is often depicted with a royal crown, ax and a dragon under his feet. The crown symbolizes that he is Norway's eternal king. The ax shows his authority as a righteous lawgiver, but is also the instrument that took his life. The dragon can be interpreted in several ways, both as an image of Satan and the evil that the king overcame. Perhaps it is also a picture of the king's own sinful life."

What I find a little strange is the "dotted L". The little circles, after "Olav" and around the denomination, make sense to me as they separate words. The dot or square in each L however ... Were they only added in order to make the character look, errm, fuller? The "I" works, as it is not as wide as the other letters, but the designer was apparently not happy with all that empty space that an L leaves.   Or do the mini-squares have a particular meaning?

[<k>]

Oh, wasn't it Hieronymus Bosch?

So, those decadent Dutchies are blame again. 

Yes, those dotted L's are indeed strange. Some people are just obsessed with producing extraneous dots, though, you know.