Lunate Cross

Chiefly a neo-pagan and heraldic symbol

Lunate Cross

also called a Horned Cross

The Lunate Cross is usually either used as an heraldic symbol, when it is also called a Croissant, or as a neo-pagan symbol, when it is also called a Moon Cross. (Generally with symbols, the moon is shown as a crescent and the Sun is shown as a circle.)

Heraldry

In heraldry, a lunate moon takes the French name Croissant.

When the Christian crusaders conquered the Turks they took the Crescent, the symbol of Islam, back to western Europe as a war trophy and incorporated it into their insignia. It has appeared in several coats-of-arms since the reign of King Henry III.

Religion

In religion, the Lunate Cross has no particular Christian significance, although it can be viewed as a cross with four stylized Tau patterns.

The Lunate Cross is a neo-pagan symbol, purportedly used by northern European shamans. The concave shape of the moon represents our hidden feminine nature with its various moods. Being a controller of the tides, having a moon in four directions can help balance our moods.

Pagans tell us that an aging goddess is the polarity of the universe and the Crescent Moon is a symbol of this goddess. We are not sure what the 'polarity of the universe' actually means, but it is comforting to know it is feminine.

The moon 'horns' are outward-facing, protecting the cross from evil which might appraoch from any direction. There are four moons to remind us that the moon has four phases, symbolising protection throughout the month.

And this is all rather strange, because the cross is the antidote for evil. It needs no protection from evil, and even if it did, it's unlikely that the moon could provide this. (See also why we don't trust astrology.)