Greek Mythology - On Non Greek Stamps!

Perseus and Andromeda

The princesses Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of the kingdom of Aethiopia. Her mother Cassiopeia declared that her daughter is more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus. To punish the queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, god of the sea, sent a sea monster named Cetus to destroy the coast of Aethiopia. The desperate king consulted the Oracle of Apollo, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his daughter, Andromeda, to the monster. Stripped naked, she was chained to a rock on the coast.

"Andromeda Chained to the Rock" by Francesco Furini (1603 - 1646), the National Gallery of Budapest, issued by Hungary in 1970:

Detail from "Andromeda Chained to the Rock" by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 -1640), issued by Liberia in 1985:

Perseus, the son of the mortal Danae and the god Zeus, was the hero that fought and killed the Gorgon Medusa. Here is a stamp depicting "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini (1500 - 1571), Designed and engraved by Eugène Lacaque and issued by Mali in 1973:


After the fight with the Medusa, Perseus met the chained Andromeda. He approached Cetus, the sea monster, while invisible (for he was wearing Hades's helm), killed him and set Andromeda free. Perseus married her and they had seven sons and two daughters.

"Perseus meets Andromeda" by P. P. Rubens, Maxicard affixed with a stamp issued by USSR in 1970:

"Perseus freeing Andromeda" by P. P. Rubens, issued by St. Tome and Principe in 1977:


After Andromeda's death, goddess Athena placed her among the constellations in the northern sky, near Perseus and Cassiopeia constellations.

Constellations of (from left) Andromeda, Perseus and Cassiopeia. issued by Japan in 2012:

Perseus mother - Queen Danae in the paintings of Rembrandt and Titian

Leda and the Swan

Leda was daughter of the Aetolian King Thestius, and wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta. Leda was admired by Zeus, who seduced her in the guise of a swan. As a swan, Zeus fell into her arms for protection from a pursuing eagle.

"Leda and the swan", mosaic from Kouklia, 3rd century A.D. – Cyprus, 1980:

"Leda and the Swan" by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) – Paraguay, 1975:


"Leda and the Swan" by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) – East Germany, 1977:



Leda consummation, on the same night as she lay with her husband Tyndareus, resulted in two eggs from which hatched Helen (later known as the beautiful "Helen of Troy"), Clytemnestra, and Castor and Pollux, also known as the Dioscuri means children of god (Zeus).

"The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus by Castor and Pollux" by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) – Paraguay, 1970:


Zeus commemorated the birth of Helen and his love to Leda by creating the constellation Cygnus, the Swan, in the sky.

Constellation Cygnus (Swan), issued by Japan on July 7, 2011:

Women in Mythology, a set of stamps shows woman details from Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) paintings, issued by Liberia on November 14, 1985:

Detail from "Venus at the Mirror", 1613-4:

Detail from "Adam and Eve", 1597-1600:

Detail from "Andromeda in chains":

Detail from "The Three Graces", 1635:

Detail from "Venus and Adonis", 1635-8:

Detail from "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus", c. 1617:

This blue and gold cinderella of Finland commemorates the 60th anniversary (1890-1950) of the struggle against something not specified. The enemy here does not appear to be cancer, as the Finnish Cancer Society was founded in 1936. Label uses the Ancient Greek story of Heracles versus the Hydra.

From wikipedia, "The Lernaean Hydra, more often known simply as Hydra, is a serpentine water monster in Greek and Roman mythology. Lerna was reputed to be an entrance to the Underworld. In the canonical Hydra myth, the monster is killed by Heracles (Hercules) as the second of Twelve Labors."

Art stamps issued by Italy show Greek-Roman mythologies figures:

The Triumph of Aurora (Greek: Eos), the Titan goddess of the dawn, painting by Guido Reni (1575-1642), engraved by Tullio Mele and issued on June 18, 1975:

Flora, painting by Tiziano Vecellio (1488/90–1576), engraved by Francesco Tulli and issued on September 15, 1976:

Apollo and Daphne, sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), engraved by Tullio Mele and issued on November 20, 1980:

The Three Graces, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia, daughters of Zeus, representing youth, beauty, mirth and elegance, sculpture by Antonio Canova (1757-1822), engraved by Vittorio Nicastro and issued on October 13, 1972: