A note on terminology
Pentagram and pentacle are sometimes used interchangeably. In a common modern distinction, a pentagram is a five-pointed star made from five connected lines, while a pentacle is a pentagram enclosed by a circle or displayed on a disk. Usage varies, so context remains important.
Upright pentagram
A five-pointed star with one point at the top.
Upright pentacle
An upright pentagram surrounded by a circle.
Inverted pentagram
A five-pointed star with two points at the top.
The word pentagram derives from Greek elements associated with five and a written or drawn figure. The familiar symmetrical star appears in religious, civic, decorative and mathematical settings. Orientation, surrounding imagery and community usage affect its meaning.
The upright star across history
Five-pointed stars have appeared in many places and eras. Some historical claims about their earliest meanings remain debated, and later writers have often joined together traditions that did not necessarily share a direct line of transmission.
Ancient Mediterranean uses
The pentagram was known in the ancient world. Pythagorean communities used it as a sign associated with recognition and ideas of harmony. Some modern accounts also connect the star with goddesses and fruit symbolism, including the star-like arrangement visible when an apple is cut across its middle; those interpretations should be read as traditional or modern religious associations rather than a single settled origin.
Jewish and magical traditions
Five-pointed figures occur in later amuletic and magical literature and have sometimes been called a Seal of Solomon. That name has also been applied to the six-pointed hexagram, so surviving labels and designs are not always consistent. Writers have additionally associated the five points with the five books of the Torah.
Christian and medieval symbolism
Christian interpretations have linked the five points with the wounds of Jesus and with the Star of Bethlehem. In the medieval poem about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a pentangle on Gawain's shield represents a connected set of virtues and obligations. The symbol was also used in protective settings.
Modern Pagan practice
The pentacle is a prominent symbol in Wicca and in a range of Neopagan traditions. Meanings differ among practitioners, but common interpretations concern the elements, nature, balance, protection and the relationship between spirit and the material world.
Inverted pentagrams
An inverted pentagram places two points above and one below. It has been interpreted in different ways, and inversion does not have one universal meaning. Certain occult and religious Satanist movements adopted forms of it during the modern period, contributing to its strong popular association with Satanism.
The United States Medal of Honor also uses a downward-pointing five-pointed star. Its context is entirely different: it is a military decoration for valor. This illustrates why orientation alone cannot define a symbol.
The Sigil of Baphomet
The Sigil of Baphomet is a specific emblem combining an inverted pentagram with a goat's head and additional lettering or design elements. It is distinct from an unadorned inverted pentagram and is widely associated with modern religious Satanism.
The word Baphomet appeared in medieval accusations directed at the Knights Templar. Accounts extracted during coercive interrogations were inconsistent and are not reliable descriptions of a shared Templar object of worship. The familiar goat-headed image developed much later through occult art and writing. In the twentieth century, Aleister Crowley also used Baphomet as a personal magical name.
Order of the Eastern Star emblem
The Order of the Eastern Star, a Freemasonry-related fraternal organization open to adult women and men who meet its membership requirements, uses a downward-pointing five-colored star. Its five points refer to the biblical figures Adah, Ruth, Esther, Martha and Electa. Versions vary in their internal lines, lettering and surrounding circles.
The emblem's orientation can cause confusion, but its colors and internal symbols identify it as an Eastern Star design rather than the Sigil of Baphomet.