What's the pentagram a symbol of?

Question

I've seen movies with them in it, and I have an idea that it's something evil...but that's really vague.

Answer 1

That's the problem here...you're getting your education from movies. Try reading a book or even googling if a library is too taxing. Did you know that at one time Christians used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus? Amazing what educating oneself can do....all those ignorant biases just disappear when replaced with knowledge.

Answer 2

The top point symbolizes spirit, while the 4 lower ones symbolize the 4 elements (the order can depend on what tradition you follow, etc). A pentacle (looks like a pentagram with a circle around it), is used to symbolize harmony between all 5.

Answer 3

good old wikipedia

A pentagram (sometimes known as pentalpha or pentangle) is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes. 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".

Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia. The Pentagram has magical associations, and many people who practice neopagan faiths wear jewelry incorporating the symbol. Christians once more commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus[1][2], and it also has associations within Freemasonry.

The pentagram has long been associated with the planet Venus, and the worship of the goddess Venus, or her equivalent. It is also associated with the Roman Lucifer, who was Venus as the Morning Star, the bringer of light and knowledge. It is most likely to have originated from the observations of prehistoric astronomers.[citation needed] When viewed from Earth, successive inferior conjunctions of Venus plot a nearly perfect pentagram shape around the zodiac every eight years.

The word "pentacle" is sometimes used synonymously with "pentagram", although their technical usages are different, and their etymologies may be unrelated.[3]

Answer 4

The pentagram has connections to almost all major religions and civilizations throughout history including Christianity and Greek mythology as well as the commonly associated paganism. It is not a symbol of Satan or witchcraft however, as I said, many groups have incorporated the symbol into their beliefs and practices.

Read up on the link below.

Answer 5

The five points represent Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Spirit/Akasha. In the upright position, it shows the Spirit in control of the base elements, in the inverted position, it shows the base elements in control of Spirit.

Regardless of direction, it is typically used for protection. The pentacle is not a summoning symbol (that would be the thaumatic circle, a circle with a triangle in it).

Inverted it is also used by certain Satanic Churches as a central focus, but still holds no particular evil meaning in that context.

Answer 6

If the point of the start is up it is a symbol of the elements i.e. Fire, water, ground etc. Also a symbol of protection and the spiritual. Used in paganism and wicca.

If it is pointing down it can mean the opposite. Emphasis is on humans and not spiritual. Satanism uses it because it is a man based religion.

Answer 7

the pentagram is the jewish symbol known as the star of david just inverted upside down as a representation of an occultic god known as baphomet which is what satanists use as a symbolic meaning also the pentagram is associated with wicca here's the link


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram

Answer 8

I don't think it's necessarily evil, I think it's just associated with witchcraft and whatnot. It's considered magical, I think. I believe it is also an early Christian symbol, representing the five wounds of Christ.

Answer 9

JP said it best! As a former-Wiccan I support his definition. It's not evil except that anything that goes against some religious fundamentalism is always labeled as "evil" and demonized. Everything they don't like is from "Satan" or "demonic" or "going to hell"...

Draecoram (sp?) and one other posted it correctly too whilst I was typing in my NyQuil stupor.
_()_

Answer 10

the five points represent earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, the five elements necessary for life; the circle itself represents life. it's not evil, not even when it points down. (i can't remember what it means when it points down, but there's a slightly different focus on it's meaning.)