Pentagram: history, the meaning of its orientation and its symbolism across traditions

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What is a pentagram?

The pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn in a single stroke, by joining every second vertex of a regular pentagon. The result is a star in which each line crosses two others. The word comes from the Greek pente (“five”) and gramma (“line”). When it is enclosed in a circle, it is often called a pentacle.

It is useful not to confuse it with the solid five-pointed star found on flags, which has the same outline without the crossing lines. The pentagram is one of the most historically loaded symbols, and one of the most misunderstood.

From geometry to symbol

The pentagram is a rare figure because of its properties: each intersection divides the lines according to the golden ratio (about 1.618), and the points have an angle of 36 degrees. The mathematicians of ancient Greece saw it as a remarkable figure, and it is one of the oldest known geometric motifs. Five-pointed stars appear on tablets and pottery from Mesopotamia as early as the 4th millennium BCE; their meaning is unknown.

Historical landmarks

Period	Known use
Mesopotamia (4th millennium BCE)	Five-pointed stars on written supports; meaning uncertain
Pythagoreans (6th century BCE and after)	Sign of recognition between members, linked to health (hygieia), according to the author Lucian (2nd century)
Christian Middle Ages	Reminder of the five wounds of Christ; protection on church doors
14th century	Gawain's shield in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: an “endless knot” of five virtues
16th century	Cornelius Agrippa links the five points to the elements and to man (microcosm)
19th century	Éliphas Lévi distinguishes point up (spirit) from point down
20th century	Wicca: pentacle; late 1960s: emblem of the Church of Satan

This timeline shows that the pentagram never had a single meaning: it served schools, religions and eras that were very different from one another.

Point up, point down: where the idea comes from

The opposition between “good” (point up) and “evil” (point down) is not ancient. It was fixed in the mid-19th century by the French occultist Éliphas Lévi, who drew an inverted pentagram with a goat's head (the “Baphomet”), as an image of matter dominating spirit. The Church of Satan, founded in the 1960s, later adopted an inverted pentagram with a goat's head.

Before that, both orientations could appear without any negative sense. In some Wiccan traditions, notably Gardnerian, a pentagram pointing down marks a degree of initiation and has nothing satanic about it. Remember: the meaning depends on the group that uses it. Many people today, including Christians attached to medieval history, regard the inverted pentagram with suspicion, which is understandable; but this is not a universal rule.

The five points: readings from tradition

• The five elements of the Western tradition: earth, water, air, fire, spirit.
• The five senses, in the medieval reading.
• The five wounds of Christ, in Christian iconography.
• The five virtues of the knight Gawain (generosity, brotherhood, purity, courtesy, pity, depending on the translation), in the 14th-century poem.
• Health, prosperity, peace, etc., in later Pythagorean lists.

These readings add to one another without contradicting each other: each tradition read the same drawing with its own numbers.

Wicca, neopaganism and public recognition

In Wicca and several neopagan currents, the pentagram in a circle is the symbol of faith, much as a cross is for Christians or a Star of David is for Jews. The pentacle was added in 2007 to the list of emblems authorised on the headstones of US military personnel, following a lawsuit brought by Wiccan families.

If you see someone wearing a pentacle, it is very likely a sign of personal faith, to be respected as such.

An astronomical fact often overlooked

Seen from Earth, the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction) about every 584 days. Five such returns last almost exactly eight years (2,920 days against 2,922). If the successive positions of these conjunctions are plotted on the sky, they form a pentagram that slowly shifts. This is a verifiable astronomical fact, and it explains why a pentagram was seen in the “march” of Venus.

Wearing it, drawing it, talking about it

• If you give it, ask yourself to whom: a pentacle is for some a religious symbol, for others a decorative motif, and for still others a source of concern.
• Avoid linking it with horror-film clichés: most users have nothing to do with that.
• Avoid promises of protection or “powers”.
• Draw it in five strokes to practise with compass and ruler: it is a good geometry exercise.

See also the triskele, ouroboros and, for the elements, fire, water, earth and air. For the Pentacles (Coins) suit of the tarot: the Pentacles (Coins) suit.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Symbol dictionary.