S46 Man in the Moon badge
This badge represents the moon in both its crescent phase and as a full moon.
It’s quite likely that wearing badges in the form of a moon was seen as lucky by medieval people. The crescent of a new moon was seen as particularly lucky, with a common belief holding that to respectfully greet a new moon would result in one’s wealth growing as the moon waxed. Luck in love may also have been connected to a growing moon. A full moon must have been greeted with the same wonder as today and medieval literature suggests that the notion of ‘the man in the moon’ was common.
14th or 15th century
21mm