Religious medals have been used for centuries as tokens of faith, devotion, and humility. Coins, pendants, and other talismans expressing religious devotion date back several thousand years. Tribal religious groups in Samoa still employ ancient religious tokens, as do many of the world's Catholics, Hindus, and Muslims. In some cases, people invest in medals to ensure good fortune. In other cases, people believe that religious medals connect them with deities or saints. A popular Hindu medal depicts the Goddess Kali, a half naked woman whose worship dates back at least 2,000 years. One of the most popular Hindu Indian deities, Ganesha, is a bringer of luxury, luck, and finery. Ganesha is often depicted in religious medals as reclining in comfort. He may also be shown dancing or partaking in baskets of food offerings. Catholics have embraced religious medals since near the dawn of the religion. Many Catholic medals commemorate saints, such as Saint Sebastian, Saint Benedict, and Saint Roch. Other Catholic medals commemorate significant miracles, such as the Eucharist. Still other more rare medals serve to commemorate trials and tribulations of individual Catholics. These Catholic religious medals celebrate baptisms, reward accomplishments, and even detail marriages. Private Catholic medals are relatively rare. Finally, some Christian medals, such as the Cross of Saint Ulrich, celebrate specific church legends. Ulrich fought against the Huns around the turn of the first millennium. You can find a number of unique religious medals from all the world's many religions available online. |
