Heroes of Greek Mythology: Hercules 2023, 1 oz Silver Coin

The first coin in the series features the silhouette of Hercules, one of the most famous demigods.

Hercules was a hero from Greek mythology, considered one of the greatest and strongest heroes. He was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and Alcumena, daughter of Electron, king of Mycenae. His father, Zeus, begat him by assuming the form of a man to lull Alcumena's vigilance, as her husband, Amphitryon, was at war at the time. One of the most famous myths about Hercules is the "Twelve labors of Hercules". - a series of difficult and dangerous tasks he had to perform in repentance for killing his children in a frenzy caused by Zeus

The reverse of this silver investment coin shows a silhouette of Hercules performing one of his 12 labors. This was his second task, the slaying of the Lernean hydra. The hydra was a kind of snake with a large number of heads. The creature had one unpleasant feature, in place of one severed head two new ones grew back. Hercules solved the problem by burning the places of the severed heads, so that the heads could not grow back. The obverse shows the emblem of the country of Niue, where the coin is legal tender with a denomination of 2 NZD.