Crescent, << KREHS uhnt, >> is a symbol that resembles the moon in its first quarter. In heraldry, the crescent is a symbol of the second son in a family.
The people of Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey) used the crescent of Diana, a moon goddess in Roman mythology, as their symbol. When the Ottoman Turks conquered the city, they adopted it as their symbol. It appears on the flag of Turkey. In addition, many countries with large numbers of Muslims (followers of Islam) feature a crescent on their national flags. The state flag of South Carolina also includes a crescent.
