Greek Arkadia Stymphalos

The Arkadian city of Stymphalos was notorious in Greek mythology for the monstrous birds that inhabited a nearby swamp. The Stymphalian birds had been the pets of Artemis, but fled to the environs of the city in order to escape a pack of wolves. Once ensconced in the marsh they became a serious problem as they devoured all the fruits of the land and developed an unnerving taste for human flesh. Making matters worse was the fact that the birds were virtually unstoppable since they possessed beaks of bronze as well as sharp bronze feathers that they could launch at their enemies like knives. Even their droppings were said to be poisonous. Luckily for Stymphalos, Herakles was tasked with the destruction of the birds as his sixth labor for Eurystheus of Tiryns. Because the loose soil of the marsh would not support the weight of the great hero, he used a rattle fashioned by Hephaistos to frighten the birds into taking flight. Once in the air, Herakles shot them with arrows dipped in the toxic blood of the Lernean Hydra. The types of this stater celebrate both the original keeper of the Stymphalian birds and their slayer.