Have you considered making one of these? St. George as Patron of Soldiers, Sailors and Fishermen There is a story told of a German Lancer, or a cavalryman, who went off to war. In his coat pocket he held his last thaler (dollar). In battle, the Lancer was shot and knocked off of his horse. He fell to the muddy ground expecting to die. To his surprise, he found himself breathing and his heart still beating. He checked his chest and found his thaler, dented by the musket ball which had hit him. Now this particular thaler was from Mansfeld, Germany and St. George was the patron of the Count von Mansfeld. On this coin was an image of St. George. Of course, stories like this get around quickly, and soon every soldier wanted to have a Mansfeld thaler as a protective amulet. Demand soon outstripped supply and enterprising coin makers began making medals based on the Mansfeld thaler. On the obverse was an image of St. George surrounded by the Latin words, S. Georgius, Equitum Patronus, or, St. George patron saint of horsemen (a common word for knights). On the reverse was an image of Christ sleeping in a boat buffeted by high waves with his panicked apostles trying desperately to wake him. Around this image were the words, In tempestate, securitas. These words have a double meaning. Tempestate can mean either storm or trouble, so the meaning could be read as security in times of troubles. These antique medals can still be found as they became widely popular among both soldiers, sailors and storm-tossed fishermen across the face of Europe.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 02:57:12 +0000
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