Alicia CharlesD’Avalon Concordia University April 2, 2020 Symbolic Analysis of The Pentagram The pentagram is an ancient symbol that has deep meaning, even though the perceptions and uses of the symbol have changed over time. The pentagram is “a five-pointed star that is formed by drawing a continuous line in five straight segments, often used as a mystic and magical symbol” (Knowles 2006), often depicted within a circle. This symbol is fascinating because it is a symbol that is emotionally charged with historic, religious, political and pop-culture content, some of which is highly contradictory. The pentagram is a metaphoric, metonymic, multifocal, polysemic symbol. It simultaneously has meanings of evil, satanism, magic and witchcraft, protection, humanity, unity, balance, and perfection. It is both a natural and arbitrary symbol. How the pentagram operates on multiple levels can be analyzed by looking at its history, the modern religious uses of the symbol, and the modern pop culture reactions toward the symbol. It is important to look at the meanings of the pentagram throughout history to understand why the symbol has its current meanings in Western society today. The significance of the pentagram was explored by the Pythagoreans. This symbol is geometrically significant because it represents a mathematical concept of ‘The Golden Ratio’(also known as the Fibonacci sequence). This proportion of organic growth is found in all living organisms as well as in all “the human creations characterized by harmony” (Urmă 2016: 8). Humans are accustomed to seeing this ratio and are drawn to it aesthetically. Hence, the pentagram became associated with harmony and balance and was called ‘God’s proportion’. 1 1 Urmă 2016: 2; 8-9