Pentagram

:This article is about the geometric design. For other meanings, see Pentagram (disambiguation)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes. In fact, the word pentagram comes from the Greek word πεντάγραμμον (pentagrammon), a noun form of πεντάγραμμος (pentagrammos) or πεντέγραμμος (pentegrammos), a word meaning roughly "five-lined" or "five lines".

Related Topics:
Pentagram - Greek - Noun

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The name indicates that a pentagram is not simply a five-pointed star: the symbol must be composed of five lines. That is, it must include the interior pentagon.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is also known as a pentacle, pentalpha (as it can be formed by five Α's) or pentangle. Purists assert that pentacle denotes the five-line star inscribed within a circle with the point up; but, the same symbol with the star pointing down is called a pentagram.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The pentagram has long been associated with the planet Venus and the worship of the goddess Venus, or her equivalent. It is most likely to have originated from the observations of prehistoric astronomers. When viewed from Earth, the planet Venus plots a completely perfect pentagram shape around the Sun every eight years, returning to its exact starting point after a forty year cycle.

Related Topics:
The planet Venus - The goddess Venus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some writers refer to the pentagram as the endless knot and sometimes as the seal of Solomon (although that is more commonly depicted as a six-pointed star).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia. The Pentagram has magickal associations, and many people who practice pagan faiths wear them. Christians once commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus, but nowadays some Christians associate the symbol with Satanism. However, most who use it are not Satanists.

Related Topics:
Ancient Greece - Babylonia - Magick - Pagan - Christians - Jesus - Satanism

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~