Aesop's Fables Hare Medallion
In Aesop’s classic fable "The Tortoise and the Hare," the speedy Hare boasts about his quickness and challenges the slow but steady Turtle to a race. Confident he’ll win easily, the Hare takes a nap mid-way, while the Turtle plods along without stopping. Spoiler alert: the Turtle wins by being patient and persistent! This clever tale reminds us that slow and steady truly wins the race. Our medallion captures the story’s charm and wisdom, as well as its important message: The back features the Greek word ΥΠΟΜΟΝΗ, or "perseverance," which is the essence of the moral of Aesop's tale.
Our medallion is based on an ancient coin from Rhegion, which was a significant Greek colony in southern Italy founded in the 8th century BC. Rhegion (modern Reggio Calabria, right at the tip of Italy’s boot), was strategically located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, making it a major commercial and cultural center.
Greek cities often featured symbolic animals on their coins. Athens proudly sported the wise owl of Athena, for example, while in “Magna Graecia” a surprising contender bounced onto the scene: the hare. The trend traces back to Anaxilas, son of Cretines, a man with big ambitions and a soft spot for speedy creatures. In 494 BC he gained control of Rhegium and soon stretched his influence into Sicily. Anaxilas is said to have brought Greek hares to the island for the aristocrats’ favorite pastime: hunting. Naturally, the hare hopped its way onto his coins, too, appearing on a silver litra around 480 BC.
This medallion is inspired by a silver tetradrachm from Messana dating to around 420 BC. The reverse of the coin features a leaping hare above a dolphin, surrounded by the Greek word MEΣΣANΙΩΝ ("of/by the Messanians").
Our medallion may be worn as a necklace or a bracelet. It comes with a 22" brown leather cord, as well as your choice of a children's or adult's translated version of a book of Aesop's Fables.
