Mythical Creatures Spotlighted On Postage
Dragons, Mermaids And Giants Are Featured On British Stamps
Aug 24, 2009
Popular characters in legends and storybooks, mythical creatures have now graced British postage stamps.
On Jun. 16, Britain’s Royal Mail released its Mythical Creatures stamp issue consisting of six exquisitely-designed stamps each devoted to a creature that is unique to British storytelling. They were designed by British artist Dave McKean, who is known for his work in the comic book/graphic novels genre.
The six stamps from the Mythical Creatures stamp set are:
- Dragons: This stamp captures what most people usually think about dragons: fearsome reptilian flying creatures that breathe and spew fire. According to Oxford American Dictionaries, the European dragon is usually associated with chaos and evil; however in Chinese mythology, dragons are a symbol of power and fertility.
- Giants: What do stories such as Jack and the Beanstalk and Gulliver’s Travels have in common? They feature giants—tall creatures that defy height and gravity.
- Mermaids: A creature whose top body half is of features a beautiful human female’s head and torso, and the bottom half is of a fish tail. The mermaid has been a staple of not only in mythology but also pop culture, including Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and the 1984 film comedy Splash.
- Unicorns: Universally known as white horses with a rod or cone on their foreheads, unicorns are regarded as peaceful creatures. On the American Museum of Natural History's Web site on Mythic Creatures, European and Asian unicorns “avoid contact with humans, preferring to remain unseen.” And a piece of trivia: according to legend, Confucius was the last person who caught a glimpse of an Asian unicorn.
- Fairies: As long as there have been dragons and giants in mythology, there have also been fairies—usually peaceful and benevolent female creatures with supernatural powers who usually aid the hero. They are usually featured in Disney movies such as the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio.
- Pixies: The opposite of fairies, pixies are usually portrayed in folklore as mischievous characters that have pointed ears and a long pointy hat. In this stamp, a pixie is riding on a snail.
The Mythical Creatures stamps are available through Royal Mail as several products: the set of six stamps, a first day cover, a presentation pack that contains the stamps in a folder with accompanying text by the renowned writer Neil Gaiman; and stamped postal cards.
Sources:
- Oxford American Dictionaries
- Encarta World English Dictionary
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary
- Hans Christian Andersen Center website
- American Museum of Natural History website
- Royal Mail, Disney Archives
- Encyclopedia Britannica Student Edition
- Internet Movie Database
- Dave McKean’s fan and official Web site
The copyright of the article Mythical Creatures Spotlighted On Postage in Collecting Stamps/Coins is owned by David Chiu. Permission to republish Mythical Creatures Spotlighted On Postage in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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