Animals on Euro Coins Trivia Quiz

Answer: Latvia

Latvia changed out its old currency, lats, with euros in 2014. Three of the coins, the 10, 20, and 50 cent pieces, feature the Latvian coat of arms, which contains both a rampant griffin (admittedly a mythological creature) and a rampant red lion. The red lion is an old historic symbol, which dates back to 1569, and is used to represent the historic regions of Courland and Semigallia.

Answer: Greece

The design on the 2 euro coin, of course, represents the story of the beautiful mythical maiden, Europa, being kidnapped by the god, Zeus, who had transformed himself into a stunning white bull. By changing forms, Zeus believed he could avoid the wrath of his jealous wife, Hera. According to the myth, when Europa got onto the bull's back, he took her to the Greek island of Crete.

There she gave birth to their son, King Minos, who, according to legend, reigned over the oldest European civilization.

Answer: Germany

The Imperial eagle, called the Reichsadler (and, since 1949, Bundesadler), is a national symbol of Germany and is found on the 1 and 2 euro coins. The eagle was adopted from the eagle standard that was used by the ancient Romans as early as 800 AD when Charlemagne became Holy Roman Emperor.

Other Holy Roman Emperors used the Imperial eagle as well, although by the 1400s a double-headed eagle was adopted. The Reichsadler was reintroduced during the period of the German Empire from 1871-1918, and continued to be used after the inception of the Weimar Republic in 1919.

Answer: Finland

Finland has a picture of two swans in flight over a lake on its 1 euro coin. The Whopper Swan was adopted as a national bird by Finland in 1982. Featured in Finnish myths and folklore, it was believed that whopper swans were sacred, the holiest of birds, and killing one could bring on terrible tragedy.

Its long, straight neck was believed to enable the bird to view the land of the dead.

Answer: Greece

Owls, of course, were sacred to the goddess Athena, who, became the patron of Athens after winning a contest with the god, Poseidon. Whoever created the most useful thing would win; while Poseidon struck the ground and created either a salt spring or horse, depending on which legend is read, Athena gave the Athenians an olive tree.

As patron of Athens, Athena made the Athenians themselves especially wise, and protected them during war. The design on the 1 euro coin was taken from a 5th century Athenian tetradrachm that was used in the late 500s BC.

Answer: Italy

Marcus Aurelius, who was Emperor of Rome from 161-180 AD, sits on his horse, on the 50 cent coin. He served as emperor at the end of the Pax Romana, and is known as the last of the Five Good Emperors. A staunch follower of the Stoic philosophy, he is sometimes called "the philosopher" due to his writings, called "Meditations".

The over life-sized bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius is believed to have been erected c. 175 AD. While many similar statues did not survive a meltdown, it is believed that this one did because many people mistakenly believed it was a statue of Constantine the Great, who legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. Today the statue can be found in Rome's Capitoline Museum.

Answer: Cyprus

The mouflon, a type of wild sheep, is considered to be native to Cyprus. Scientists believe it was introduced there as early as the Neolithic Age, and that it could be the ancestor of all sheep breeds that exist today. As the national animal of Cyprus, the mouflon is allowed to roam free around the island, and is considered to be a strictly protected species.

Answer: Slovenia

In Slovenia the white stork is considered to be a sign of good luck; in fact, people are actually pleased if one chooses to nest on the roof of their home! The design was taken from the Slovenian tolar, which was used from 1991-2007.

Answer: Lithuania

Lithuania adopted the euro in 2015 and all of its euro coins feature the "Vytis", an armored knight mounted on a white horse, flourishing his sword and shield. The Vytis is currently the symbol on the Lithuanian coat of arms, and has been used as such since the early 1400s.

In heraldry, the Vytis represented the brave hero horseman. Some historians believe this horseman may have represented the god of Lithuanian soldiers in mythology, and the fact that the horse is white symbolizes strength and courage.

Answer: Andorra

While Andorra is not currently a member of the European Union, it was given permission to use the euro as its currency in 2013. A national competition was held, and the Pyrenean chamois, described as a goat-antelope that lives in the Pyrenees Mountains, was chosen to grace the three lowest denomination coins.