A stylized medieval miner or Mining dwarf, with a miner's lantern and mining equipment.
- Size: 2,1 x 4 cm
- Material: silver 925/1000, 5g
Cast using the original historical lost wax method. The author of the design is South Bohemian artist Kati.
Permonik (in Czech) was a mythical creature associated with mining in the Czech and German medieval environment. It was a small dwarf or spirit of mines, who lived in deep tunnels and underground passages. In the Czech environment, the permonik was considered the protector of miners, who warned against misfortune by knocking on the walls of the mine or even helped with the extraction of ores. However, if miners did not show enough respect or violated mining customs, he could become an evil spirit and bring misfortune.
In German tradition, they were known as Bergmännlein or Kobolde and fulfilled a similar role. They were worshipped as good spirits of the mines, but at the same time they were feared by the miners because they could also be malicious. The tradition of the mining dwarves was preserved especially in the Erzgebirge, where mining developed for centuries.
Permoniks still appear in Czech folklore and local legends, for example in Příbram or Jáchymov.
Ore mining has a tradition in Central Europe, and the silver mines in Kutná Hora - Kuttenberg were the richest in Europe. We bow with great respect to the art of the miners, but also to pioneers such as Georgius Agricola (1494-1555). He was a German scholar, physician and, above all, an important mineralogist and the "father" of modern montanistics (the science of mining and metallurgy).
He is most famous for his work De re metallica (1556), a comprehensive encyclopedia on mining, mineralogy and metallurgy. This book described in detail mining techniques, ore processing and the organisation of mining work. Its rich illustrations made it a key source for the study of medieval mining.
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