Childhood Joy

Latvian literary classic Vilis Lejnieks (1874–1940) adopted the pseudonym Plūdons at the outset of his literary journey, a name he subsequently formalised as his own surname. He borrowed it from the list of Latvian deities created by poet Auseklis, where Plūdons is revered as the god of waters. The children's poetry of Vilis Plūdons is rooted in Latvian folklore. In his childhood, he heard both fairy tales and folk songs from his grandmother, which he later wove into captivating poetic language. The writer himself had nine children.

The visual design of the coin dedicated to Plūdons' literary legacy features children's poems "The Dwarves and the Old Man of the Forest" (1913) and "The Bunny Bathhouse" (1915). In her rendition of the first poem, the artist depicts forest dwarves frolicking in the first snowfall. The second poem portrays bunnies bathing in the bathhouse. Although both poems immerse us in the world of dwarves, bunnies and other forest creatures, we understand that the poet is unfolding narratives of children and their encounters with nature and traditions. Plūdons was born in Zemgale and spent his childhood, as well as later summers, in the vicinity of the Mēmele River. The fields of Zemgale, the neighbourhood of his home and the surrounding forests inspired many of his poems. This is a coin for both children and adults. It captures the exuberance of childhood, the splendour of Latvian nature and is dedicated to the writer's 150th anniversary.