What is a pentagram? It has many names - pentalpha, pentageron, pentacle. But the answer is simple - it is a five-pointed star, all sides and angles of which are equal to each other. Simply? It was not so. The pentagram is a symbol that is very ancient, famous, powerful, sacred and revered by representatives of various peoples and religions, and, undoubtedly, the most widely used from the beginning of time to this day. In addition, no other symbol during its existence has been interpreted as contradictory as the pentagram.
Where and when did the pentagram appear
Now it is impossible to establish exactly where and when it appeared. However, there is no doubt that this happened many centuries before the beginning of our era. According to one version, the symbol could have arisen in ancient Mesopotamia as a result of astrological observations of Venus. It is known that in its movement across the starry sky, Venus passes through all the signs of the zodiac over 8 Earth years and makes 5 "squiggles" at the same time. If you mark and then connect these peculiar points of the planet's trajectory on the astrological circle, you get a pentagram.
A somewhat simpler version: the pentagram is a figure obtained by extending and interweaving the five Greek letters alpha. No wonder the Greek name for the symbol is pentalpha. But these are all just hypotheses.
The amazing fate of the pentagram
Apparently, such is the fate of this amazing star - its meaning was already ambiguously interpreted in antiquity, although at that time none of the interpretations had a negative connotation. The pentagram was considered a powerful protective sign. You could see the image above the doors of houses, shops, warehouses, on clothes, amulets, and religious objects - a truly national symbol. But it is also found on the royal arms and seals, as a sign of the power of those in power and a symbol of magic in the broadest sense of the word. Later, the pentagram began to be used in different countries, independently of each other.
For example, in the writing of ancient Egypt, there was a hieroglyph in the form of a five-pointed star. Its meaning was interpreted as "teaching, enlightenment" or as "blissful spirit, enlightened." In the 5th century BC, the ancient Greek scientist and philosopher Pythagoras called the pentagram the embodiment of mathematical perfection, since he came to the conclusion that it contains the golden ratio.
Following Empidocles, the Pythagoreans - members of the philosophical school of Pythagoras - adopted the concept that the world consists of 5 elements: fire, earth, water, air and ether. They are symbolized by the 5 rays of the pentagram. She is a sign of perfection and harmony of the surrounding world. The pentagram became the hallmark of the Pythagoreans, and later was used by them as a guide in teaching mathematics.
It is absolutely impossible to describe and list all that in different centuries and in different countries was said about the pentagram and was attributed to it. For example, for the Jews, it became a symbol of the Pentateuch, given by God. Muslims revere in it the five fundamental pillars of Islam and five daily prayers. Starting in the XII century, mythical Christianity considers it as a symbol of man, created in the image and likeness of God, etc. A special place in this list is occupied by the story of how mankind demonized the ancient symbol.
Satan's symbol
Currently, the pentagram is often interpreted negatively. Special mention should be made of her inverted image. It is believed that the pentagram with two upward rays represents Satan. This is not true. On the contrary, such an image symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. The lower beam often extends almost to the ground. He points out to the Magi the place where the cradle of the newborn Christ is. Such an image of the pentagram can often be seen on the bas-reliefs that adorn the facades of churches and cathedrals, on church altars. This is how the pentagram is depicted on the icons of Andrei Rublev, the famous Orthodox icon painter, canonized by the church.
Perhaps the first person to give a negative interpretation of the pentagram was the French occultist Alphonse Louis Constant better known as Eliphas Levi Zahed. It happened in the middle of the 19th century. Stage Two: In 1966, Howard Stanton LaVey founded the Church of Satan in the United States. Its symbol was an inverted pentagram with the head of the Devil inscribed in it. Extensive media coverage of the event fueled delusion.
The pentagram is used in magic. And it is not surprising - this is a magical and very powerful symbol - he simply could not help but become so. The pentagram appeared so long ago, and was so widely used that it became something like a highly prayed miraculous icon.
Its negative interpretation has no grounds.
