In his Rhind lecture of 14 October 1880 Joseph Anderson said of the crescent and V-rod and of the double-disc and Z-rod: Bearing in mind that they are Christian, and that it is impossible to give them any older or more restricted attribution, it is plain that there is but one symbol which equals them in importance, if that be judged by the frequency of their occurrence and the universality of their application.
That symbol is the cross, the common emblem of the central doctrine of the Christian faith.
From their prominent place in the system of symbolism, ... their arbitrary significance appears to have been considered ... almost equal to that ... of the cross itself, with which they are so often associated.
The crescent and V-rod appears as the top panel on the back of the Hilton of Cadboll stone.
Whatever the crescent and V-rod meant, it was considered by the sculptor of the Hilton stone to be sufficiently exalted to occupy this prominent position above the hunting scene (now recognised as referring to Baptism).