Pentagram

From ArticleWorld

Pentagram stems from the Greek word pentagrammon which roughly translates to “five lines”. It is a star drawn with five straight lines such that it forms five points. It is also known as a pentacle, pentalpha and pentangle. It is called a pentalpha as it can be formed with five A’s. The pentagram has been associated with the planet Venus since ancient times.

History

The usage of the pentagram can be traced back to 3000 B.C. In the dictionary of Sumerian hieroglyphs called the Labat, it represents the number 306. According to the Babylonians, the five points stand for the five directions i.e. right, left, forward, backward and above. In an astrological context, the five edges stood for Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

Significance

The most commonly used form of the pentagram in geometry is the star polygon. It is drawn by joining the lines of a regular pentagon then erasing the original one. It illustrates the golden ratio.

According to neo non – Pythagoreans, the five points of a pentagram represent the five classical elements i.e. earth, water, air, fire (heat) and idea (‘a divine thing’). The Pythagoreans viewed the pentagram as being mathematically perfect and called it Hygieia, after the Greek Goddess of Health.

In Heather Child’s book Christian Symbols, Ancient and Modern, the pentagram symbolizes the five human senses. Some Christians also see it as the five wounds of Christ.

According to the Neopagans, the five edges of a pentagon represent water, air, earth, fire and Spirit or quintessence. They use the pentagon with one point up and this is inscribed in a circle. The circle is said to illustrate the harmony or coming together of all elements.

The Pythagorean Pentagon inscribed in a double circle is used by Santanists as their symbol. The LaVeyan type use as a symbol of identification and rebellion.

The pentagram has long since been associated with the ‘occult’ and hence many schools in USA have banned its display on clothes or jewelry.