Radegast - the ruler of the Beskydy Mountains - is the fifth good spirit to appear on the Czech Mint's gold medal from the Guardians of the Czech Mountains series.

Our ancient ancestors knew a whole host of different gods and idols - Perun, Veles, Svarog, Dažbog and Radegast, who is also known as Radhošt' in Bohemia and Moravia. Although he was prayed to mostly by the Polabian Slavs who lived in Germany, legend has it that Radegast's home was the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy Mountains. On the top of the mountain, which was named Radhošt' in the god's honour, there was a pagan temple where people were supposedly sacrificed alongside animals. The sanctuary was dominated by a majestic statue, which aroused both terror and awe - it wore a terrible helmet on its head and an armour of pure gold on its body. The Slavs here divined the future and asked for Radegast's favour in the form of sunshine, victory in battle or abundant food and drink... When the Christian saints Cyril and Methodius arrived in the heart of Europe in the 9th century, they decided to end the pagan cult. They ordered the idol torn down, chopped up and burned, but Radegast's faithful managed to hide it deep inside the mountain. The statue was lost, but the god of the sun and prosperity was not forgotten - a thousand years later, a new monument was erected on the top of Radhošt, which once again inspires both awe and wonder...

The author of the commemorative medal is traditionally academic sculptor Majka Wichnerová. The obverse side presents a view of the Radhošt mountain accompanied by the inscription STRÁŽCI ČESKÝCH HOR – RADEGAST – BESKYDY ("GUARDIANS OF THE CZECH MOUNTAINS - RADEGAST - BESKYDY"). The reverse side is dominated by Radegast himself in the form of a half-naked wild man with a beard. The horned helmet and spear symbolize his role as the god of war. The shield on his chest represents his role as the sun god. The sheaf of grain defines him as the god of the harvest.

A total of six mountain spirits from across the country will be featured in the collector's series.