On April 8, 2022, the Latvian Post (Latvijas Pasts) issued a series of postage stamps "Stories and Myths" as part of the annual issue "Europe".
An important role in Latvian mythology is played by the sky and it’s various heavenly deities. The supreme deity was considered the god of heaven - Dievs or Heavenly Father. It is he who is depicted on the postage stamps of this series. When developing the theme of the postage stamps, the artist Edgars Folks relied on the book "Latvian Mythology" by Pēteris Šmits, the founder of Latvian scientific mythology, known for his work on Latvian folklore and ethnography.
There are many different stories about the Heavenly Father in Latvian folklore. Folk songs mention that he is a tall figure with a white beard, dressed in a wide caftan, girded with a baldric and sword. Usually Heavenly Father is depicted riding a horse, but he can also travel in a sleigh or chariot. However some myths mention that it was not horses that were harnessed to the chariot, but, rather, black dogs or black crows.
The €1.98 stamp depicts the Heavenly Father riding a white horse. On the second stamp of the €1.77 series, the Heavenly Father feeds the Grass Snakes. Ancient Latvians venerated Grass Snakes as the guardians of cows and encouraged them in every possible way. Through the way they are executed, the drawings on these postage stamps are similar to woven tapestries or embroideries. This serves to strengthen the visual connection with folk art and the mythological nature of the subjects.
Postage stamps were issued in small sheets (2 x 5) of 10 stamps of each denomination. The circulation of each stamp was 50,000 copies. In addition to postage stamps, the Latvian Post prepared two First Day Cover - Edgars Folks was also the author of these drawings (800 copies each). On the day the postage stamps were put into circulation, a commemorative cancellation was produced with the first day stamp being at the post office on Brivibas boulevard in Riga.
Source: veikals.pasts.lv
Перейти в каталог
I apologize for any errors or inaccuracies