The Pentagram
|
The pentagram has long been associated with mystery and magic. In its simplest form,
it is a five pointed star. The pentagram is also sometimes refereed to as a pentacle,
the Goblin's Cross, the Pentalpha, the Witch's Foot, the Devil's Star, the Seal of Solomon,
and the Blazing Star. The pentagram is believed to be protection against evil and demons.
It is a symbol of safety, and sometimes worn as an amulet for protection.
During the Inquisition, horned gods such as Pan became equated with the Devil (a Christian concept).
For the first time in history, the pentagram was equated with evil and was called the Witch's Foot.
Today the pentagram is an ubiquitous symbol of neo-pagans with much magical and symbolic meaning.
Wiccans and Neo-pagans often refer to a pentagram enclosed in a circle as a pentacle.
|
Origins:
The earliest known use of the pentagram dates back to around 3500 BC during the Uruk period.
This was in Ancient Mesopotamia where it was found on potsherds together with other signs of
the period associated with the earliest known developments of written language.
The word pentagram comes from the Greek word pentagrammon, a noun form of pentagrammos
or pentegrammos, a word meaning roughly "five-lined" or "five lines".
Meanings in Various Civilizations:
To the Hebrews, the pentagram meant truth and was associated with the five books of the Pentateuch. It is sometimes incorrectly called the Seal of Solomon (the hexagram) though it's use was in parallel with the hexagram.
To the ancient Greeks, it was called the Pentalpha, being geometrically composed of five A's.
To the Pythagoreans (506 BC), it was considered an emblem of perfection.
To the Gnostics, the pentagram was the "Blazing Star". It was a symbol representing magic and mystery.
To the Druids, the pentagram was a symbol of Godhead.
To the ancient Egyptians, the pentagram was a symbol of the "Underground Womb." It was a symbolic in the concept of the pyramid form.
To the Pagan Celts, the pentagram represented the underground goddess Morrigan.
To Early Christians, the pentagram represented the Five Wounds of Christ and from then until the Inquisition, it was a lesser-used Christian symbol. Prior to the Inquisition, there were no evil associations to the pentagram. The pentagram implied truth, religious mysticism, and the work of The Creator.
Various Designs:
|
Simple pentagram. This is the active form symbolizing an outgoing person, prepared for conflict, aware, and active.
|
|
Interlaced lines symbolic of the web-weaving power of magic.
|
|
A pentagram contained within a circle contains and protects. The circle symbolizes eternity and infinity. This is the passive form and implies spiritual containment. This keeps with the traditional secrecy of witchcraft.
|
|
Inverted pentagram. Represents man subservient to his carnal desires. Seen as an evil symbol. The emblem of The Church of Satan. They inverted the pentagram as they inverted the Christian cross.
|
Symbols > The Pentagram
|
|
|
|
