As seen from the northern hemisphere, the waxing Moon tends to appear with its horns pointing towards the left, and conversely the waning Moon with its horns pointing towards the right the English word crescent may however refer to the shape regardless of its orientation, except for the technical language of blazoning used in heraldry, where the word "increscent" refers to a crescent shape with its horns to the left, and "decrescent" refers to one with its horns to the right, while the word "crescent" on its own denotes a crescent shape with horns pointing upward. The word crescent is derived etymologically from the present participle of the Latin verb crescere "to grow", technically denoting the waxing moon ( luna crescens). in depictions of the lunar goddess, or in the headdress of Persian kings, etc. The classical crescent shape has its horns pointing upward (and is often worn as horns when worn as a crown or diadem, e.g. The tapered regions towards the points of intersection of the two arcs are known as the "horns" of the crescent. In a crescent, the enclosed shape does not include the center of the original disk. The crescent shape is a type of lune, the latter consisting of a circular disk with a portion of another disk removed from it, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs which intersect at two points. The most well known representation of Mary as the Woman of the Apocalypse is the Virgin of Guadalupe.Īn astronomically correct crescent shape (shaded area), complemented by a gibbous shape (unshaded area). In Christian symbolism, the crescent entered Marian iconography, by the association of Mary with the Woman of the Apocalypse (described with "the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" in Revelation) Its ancient association with Ishtar/Astarte and Diana is preserved in the Moon (as symbolised by a crescent) representing the female principle (as juxtaposed with the Sun representing the male principle), and (Artemis-Diana being a virgin goddess) especially virginity and female chastity. In the 2nd-century Bianchini's planisphere, the personification of the Moon is shown with a crescent attached to her headdress. The astrological use of the symbol is attested in early Greek papyri containing horoscopes. The crescent symbol was long used as a symbol of the Moon in astrology, and by extension of Silver (as the corresponding metal) in alchemy. When used to represent a waxing or waning lunar phase, "crescent" or "increscent" refers to the waxing first quarter, while the symbol representing the waning final quarter is called "decrescent". The crescent symbol is primarily used to represent the Moon, not necessarily in a particular lunar phase. Hierosgamos of Sun and Moon in a 16th-century alchemical manuscript
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