The Pentagram

Although the pentagram today is used to symbolize many different beliefs in many different religions, it was not always this way. The history of the pentagram is quite long and dates back as far as 3500 B.C., during the time of the Uruk period. At this time it was used as some of the most primitive forms of written communication. It was also used as a symbol of the church and was meant to show that it extended to “all four corners of the world.”

The Hebrews believed that it symbolized Truth and that it was meant to represent the five books of the Pentatuech. Those in Ancient Greece referred to it as the Pentalpha, because it seemed to be comprised of five of the letter “A.” The Greeks did not attach symbolic meaning to the letters of their alphabet but those letters were sometimes important when they were referencing something else, and such was the case with the pentagram. The Pythagoreans on the other hand, recognized the pentagram as a symbol of perfection as they were avid studiers of geometry. From there it was recognized as Hellenic art because it could be seen in golden form among many of the temples and it may be here that it evolved into a form of Tantrik art.

The Gnostics saw the pentagram as the “Blazing Star” and thought it to symbolize the mysterious and magical night sky. Those in Ancient Egypt believed it to be symbolic of the “underground womb” and they also couldn’t ignore the fact that it closely resembles the pyramids. Early Christians were most fervent in their beliefs and those beliefs were that it symbolized the five wounds that Christ endured when he was crucified. From then on, it became more known as part of the Christian church although the Christian church began using it to a lesser extent. However, the pentagram was still viewed as a sign of Christ and only had the holiest of meanings.

The pentagram remained a symbol of Christianity and holiness until the period of The Inquisition, when the Roman Catholic Church began a period of oppression with imprisonment, and sometimes, such as in the Spanish Inquisition, burning at the stake taking place. It was during this time that the pentagram became thought of as something evil and representing the devil and Satanic tendencies. It was during the Inquisition that witches and witchcraft became thought of as evil. Some said that the pentagram looked like a Goat’s Head or the Devil and it was then that the symbolism took on exactly what it had been trying to oppose.

The pentagram, and all religions that centered on it, went underground to avoid punishment from the Church and the use of the pentagram slowly died out. It has just in the past several decades that the pentagram has thought to not carry an evil meaning although, some people still carry this belief with them.