Traditionally, many nations believe the heaven to be the abode of the gods. Latvians are no exception. The heaven is the place where the rivalry between the Light and the Dark takes place, giving structure to all life and causing oscillations in the rhythms of being. It is the place where in the East the Sun begins its daily path at daybreak. It is there that in the evening, exhausted from its daily travails, the Sun descends to a boat of gold to rest, transferring the reign over the sky to the pale Moon.
The coin's reverse features an outline of a woman, which may be an allusion to the orphan girl from the Latvian folklore, the symbol of virtue and the nation's positive outlook. This is also the power of the Universe determining the movement of the Sun and the Moon, arranging the cycles of life and work of an agrarian community: from sunrise to sundown, from the hopeful joy of spring through the oppression of summer's heat, the rich mellowness of the fruits of autumn and the frosty white meditation to the promises of a new spring. The cosmic forces are the ones to decide destinies, they light up the orbs and arrange them according to a secret pattern; they precondition the events that will confront each one of us after birth, determine our life span and finally guide us, exhausted, to our eternal abode.
The heaven, as portrayed in the ancient Latvian mythology, is a scene of action for the powers of Light, a scene for battles fought for righteousness; it is a place where there is no cruelty, no betrayal, and no unresolvable conflicts. The heavenly powers quietly oversee the daily round of a hard-working farmer, subtly urging him to be diligent and orderly in all his endeavours.
