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The star is an ideograph often representing the astronomical star for which it is named, though it also carries other meanings in various contexts.
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Emblematic use
- In heraldry, a mullet is a star with straight arms and typically five points. A star with wavy rather than straight rays is called an estoile.[1] The mullet, used as an heraldic charge, is the ensign of knightly rank, and every order of knighthood incorporates this symbol in some way. It has traditionally been used in British heraldry as a mark of cadency for the third son.[2]
- In Christian art, St. Bruno bears a star on his breast; Saint Dominic, Saint Humbert and Saint Peter of Alcantara have a star on their head or forehead.[3]
- The star with six (or less commonly five, sometimes seven) points[citation needed] is associated with law enforcement in the United States, and forms the basis of the sheriff's badge.
Five-pointed stars
The five-pointed star, if drawn with points of equal length and angles of 36° at each point, is sometimes termed a golden five pointed star.[4] If the colinear edges are joined together a pentagram is produced, which is the simplest of the unicursal star polygons, and a symbol of mystical and magical significance. Originally, the five-pointed star (pentangle), forming a pentagram within it, represented the ten tribes of Israel that broke away from the ruling class of Judah, Benjamin, and the Priests. There are ten "Vav" or "man" that form the five points. Later, Pagans turned the star upside down to form the face of a dragon (or goat). A circle was also added around the Israelite Star because it was the letter "Samek" meaning, "death". Today's modern Pagans tend to use all three symbols, rather than making any distinction. The golden five-pointed star is a very common ideogram in the western world, and has particularly strong associations with military power and war. Many communist countries (such as China and Vietnam) and symbols (the hammer and sickle) also incorporate five-pointed stars.
The five-pointed star appears in the flags of 35 countries, and is thought to have first appeared in 1777 on the flag of the newly declared United States of America.[citation needed] It also appears commonly in the heraldry of the United States, and stands in contrast to the vexillologically rarer seven-pointed star.
The five-pointed star occurs in conjunction with a crescent in the flags of several countries to symbolize Islam, appearing for example as part of the symbol of the Ottoman Empire.
In philately the five-pointed star signifies stamps that have not been postmarked.
Used as the symbol of the People Nation alliance of gangs from Chicago.[citation needed] Blood gangs who originated from New York known as the UBN also use this as a symbol as they have emulated the People Nation alliance.[citation needed]
In ancient times, the five-pointed star represented the symbol of distraction.[citation needed]
An upside down five pointed star with a goat's head on the inside of is often associated with Satanism.
In the Armenian Pantheon, there is a goddess called Astlik/Astghik. In the Armenian language Astgh means star, Astghik - Little Star. Compared with Ishtar, Astara, this goddess' sign should have been the (probably)eight-pointed star.
 The pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes |
 The 1777 Flag of the United States had 13 stars of an unspecified number of points[5] |
Six-pointed stars
Several varieties of six-pointed stars are used in Western culture:
- If the colinear edges of a regular six-pointed star are connected, so that two interlaced triangles are formed, a symbol results that is variously known as the hexagram, Star of David, or Shield of David (Magen David). This symbol is most commonly associated with Judaism; it is also used in Christianity and Islam, but on a less frequent basis. The six-points represent all twelve patriarchs (Vav or Man) or tribes. The two "Triangles" are actually the letters "Dalet" and "Yud", the two letters assigned to Judah. The two triangles form a diamond, which is the gem assigned to Judah. These letters are found in the assigned zodiac of Leo.
- German and German-American hex signs and barn stars often incorporate both five- and six-pointed stars as central themes.
- The six-pointed star is used as the symbol for Folks Nation alliance of gangs from Chicago. Crip gang members tend to use this symbol also.
Apart from the foresaid mentions, six-pointed star formations are rare as an ideograph in Western cultures except in the case of law enforcement badges.[6] In astrology some formations of a six-pointed star can signify fixed stars. In some rare instances it can signify the date of birth on a gravestone, synonymous with the five-point star.
The six-pointed star is made up of two interlaced pyramids. The pyramid pointing upwards represents a tomb where the Egyptians placed their dead. The pyramid pointing downward is an inverted pyramid which represents the womb, or birth. When interlaced the two pyramids together have six points, six triangles and six sides to the inner hexagon.
Seven-pointed stars
Political
A seven-pointed star appears in the flag and heraldic symbolism of Australia. In the Australian context, the seven points represent the six states of Australia (one each) plus one for the combined territories. The seven-pointed stars stand in contrast to the vexillologically more conventional five-pointed stars.
The Seal of the Cherokee Nation has an acute gold seven-pointed star in its seal.
Heptagram
A heptagram or septagram is a seven-pointed star drawn with seven straight strokes. There are two kinds of heptagrams:
- Acute heptagram, the {7/3} star polygon.
- Obtuse heptagram, the {7/2} star polygon.
Eight-pointed stars
Political
The Eight Star used widely in the Arabic states as beautification, sometimes a similar star to the Star of Lakshmi also consider as the Arabic star.
Twelve-pointed stars
The flag of Nauru uses a twelve-pointed star representing the 12 tribes on the island.
See also
References
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This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2009) |
- ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles; Graham Johnston (1909, 2004). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. Kessinger Publishing. pp. 295-296. ISBN 1417906308.
- ^ Volborth, Carl Alexander (1981). Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. Poole, England: Blandford Press. p. 80. ISBN 0713709405.
- ^ Brewer, E. Cobham. The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd. ISBN 1-85326-300-1.
- ^ The five-pointed star from Liungman, Carl G. (2004). Symbols: Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. HME Publishing. ISBN 91-972705-0-4.. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
- ^ "The History of the Stars and Stripes". Federal Citizen Information Center. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/ourflag/history1.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ The sixpointed star from Liungman, Carl G. (2004). Symbols: Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. HME Publishing. ISBN 91-972705-0-4.. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
External links
- Moroccan Islamic Patterns: The Eight-Point Star Examining the symbolic meaning of the eight-point star (khatam) in Islamic ornamentation.
- Star Tattoos The star as a symbol in tattoo designs
- Shooting Star Tattoos
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