1977 MADAME PELE WITH THE HAWAIIAN MINT - COPPER/ANTIQUED

According to old Hawaiian legends, Pele came to the Island of Hawaii - a giant land - to live in peace of fiery outbursts. "Pele" came to mean the Goddess of Fire, a volcano, or any lava eruption. Pele was often pictured as a strange woman with a warm heart and a fiery temper. She is the virulent woman of flame - the symbol of youth, beauty and lore. One who's lava intervened to help Kamehameha in one of his many battles to unite The Hawaiian Islands. In recent times, Madame Pele - the world's most active volcano goddess - has erupted in the Kilauea Volcano and snow-capped Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano.