Star polygons in art and culture

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Star polygons and polygonal compounds are the basis for numerous figures of significance in arts and culture. The figure may be the border or interior of the polygon, or one or more closed polygonal paths that include all of the border and also have some legs crossing the interior. The name is derived from the polygon's similarity to the diffraction spikes of astronomical stars, but specific uses may exploit the connection or not. Stars often represent the unity of states within a country when they are used as a part of the flag.

Contents

Emblematic use

Three-pointed stars

Flag of the International Brigades Flag of the International Brigades.svg
Flag of the International Brigades

The three-pointed star is used much less often than other types of stars. but it appears in one of the versions of the flag of the International Brigades in the Spanish civil war. [4] It also appears in the symbol of the Mercedes-Benz car manufacturer.

Four-pointed stars

Seal of United States Civil Service Commission US-CivilServiceCommission-Seal-EO11096.jpg
Seal of United States Civil Service Commission

Several varieties of four-pointed stars were used in cultures around the world:

The 1914-15 star campaign medal of the British army was based on a four-pointed star. [5] A compass rose in the form of a four pointed-star also appears in the flag of NATO and the flag of the country of Aruba. The seal of the (now cancelled) United States Civil Service Commission included a four-pointed star between the years 1963-1979. [6] Four-pointed stars also appears in the symbols of the Subaru car company and Philips corporation.

Five-pointed stars

Five-pointed star Five-pointed star.svg
Five-pointed star

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. [7] If the colinear edges are joined, a pentagram is produced, which is the simplest of the unicursal star polygons, and a symbol of mystical and magical significance. 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 also incorporate five-pointed stars.

The five-pointed star appears in the flags of 35 countries, and 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.

The five-pointed star is 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 United Blood Nation, also use this as a symbol as they have emulated the People Nation alliance.[ citation needed ]

A pentagram with a point facing downward was used as a symbol of the devil in Romanticism and in modern Satanism. RWS Tarot 15 Devil.jpg
A pentagram with a point facing downward was used as a symbol of the devil in Romanticism and in modern 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.

Six-pointed stars

Several varieties of six-pointed stars are used in cultures around the world:

Apart from these, six-pointed star formations are rare as an ideograph in Western cultures except in the case of law enforcement badges. [9] 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.[ citation needed ]

Seven-pointed stars

Political

A seven-pointed star appears in the flag and heraldic symbolism of Australia. In the Australian context, the seven points (also known as the Commonwealth Star, the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901. Six points of the Star represent the six original states of the Commonwealth of Australia, while the seventh point represents the 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.

The seven-pointed star is also used as a symbol of the Trinitarios gang from New York City.

Heptagram

A heptagram or septagram is a seven-pointed star drawn with seven straight strokes. There are two kinds of heptagrams:

Eight-pointed stars

Political

Other

The eight-pointed star is widely used in the Arabic states in decorative art,[ vague ]. It is sometimes similar to the Star of Lakshmi formed from overlapping squares but may also appear in the form of the Rub el Hizb which adds a central circle to the design.

A two-color, 8-pointed star associated with the American Friends Service Committee and other Quaker service groups since the 1870s is sometimes called "the Quaker star".

Nine-pointed stars

A nine-pointed star is the most common symbol of the Baháʼí Faith, the number nine being significant in the religion.

Eleven-pointed stars

The flag of the Federation of Malaya used the eleven-pointed star from 1950 until 1963, with the star representing the 11 member states of the federation.

Twelve-pointed stars

The flag of Nauru uses a twelve-pointed star representing the 12 tribes on the island.

Fourteen-pointed stars

In the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem the traditionally location of the birth of Jesus is marked by a silver star with 14 points that represents the three sets of 14 generations in the genealogy of Jesus. The flag of Malaysia uses the Federal Star, a fourteen-pointed star representing the unity between the 13 member states and the federal government.

See also

Related Research Articles

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A heptagram, septagram, septegram or septogram is a seven-point star drawn with seven straight strokes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentagram</span> Five-pointed star polygon

A pentagram is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around the five points creates a similar symbol referred to as the pentacle, which is used widely by Wiccans and in paganism, or as a sign of life and connections. The word "pentagram" refers only to the five-pointed star, not the surrounding circle of a pentacle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hexagram</span> Six-pointed star polygon

A hexagram (Greek) or sexagram (Latin) is a six-pointed geometric star figure with the Schläfli symbol {6/2}, 2{3}, or {{3}}. Since there are no true regular continuous hexagrams, the term is instead used to refer to a compound figure of two equilateral triangles. The intersection is a regular hexagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star (heraldry)</span> Heraldic symbol

In heraldry, the term star may refer to any star-shaped charge with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced. While there has been much confusion between the two due to their similar shape, a star with straight-sided rays is usually called a mullet in English heraldry while one with wavy rays is usually called an estoile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Australia</span>

The coat of arms of Australia, officially the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, is a formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia. It depicts a shield, containing symbols of Australia's six states, and is held up by native Australian animals, the kangaroo and the emu. The seven-pointed Commonwealth Star surmounting the crest also represents the states and territories, while golden wattle, the national floral emblem, appears below the shield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Arkansas</span> Flag of the U.S. state of Arkansas

The flag of Arkansas, also known as the Arkansas flag, is a red banner charged with a large blue-bordered white lozenge (diamond). Twenty-nine five-pointed stars appear on the flag: twenty-five small white stars within the blue border, and four larger blue stars in the white diamond. The inscription "ARKANSAS" appears in blue within the white lozenge, with one star above and three stars below. The star above and the two outer stars below point upwards; the inner star below points downwards. The flag was designed by Willie K. Hocker of Wabbaseka, a member of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Arkansas Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Massachusetts</span> Flag of the U.S. state of Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been represented by official but limited-purpose flags since 1676, though until 1908 it had no state flag per se to represent its government. A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts volunteer regiments during the American Civil War alongside the National Colors. An exception were the two "Irish regiments", each of which was permitted to carry an alternative green flag with a harp symbol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red star</span> Symbol associated with communist ideology

A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. It has been widely used in flags, state emblems, monuments, ornaments, and logos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth Star</span> Seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia

The Commonwealth Star is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Victoria (state)</span> Australian state flag

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The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and government bodies.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetradecagon</span> Polygon with 14 edges

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star of Ishtar</span> Symbol of the Sumerian goddess Inanna

The Star of Ishtar or Star of Inanna is a Mesopotamian symbol of the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna and her East Semitic counterpart Ishtar. The owl was also one of Ishtar's primary symbols. Ishtar is mostly associated with the planet Venus, which is also known as the morning star.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of South Bend, Indiana</span> American municipal flag

The flag of South Bend, Indiana, was adopted by the city council during the mayorship of Pete Buttigieg on April 25, 2016. It is a field of white and yellow separated by a two blue curved lines with a white line between them and a red six-pointed star in the upper left corner.

References

  1. Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles; Graham Johnston (2004) [1909]. A Complete Guide to Heraldry. Kessinger Publishing. pp. 295–296. ISBN   1-4179-0630-8.
  2. Volborth, Carl Alexander von (1981). Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. Poole, England: Blandford Press. p. 80. ISBN   0-7137-0940-5.
  3. Brewer, E. Cobham (1994). "Star". The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable . Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd. ISBN   1-85326-300-1.
  4. Oviedo de Valeria, Jenny (2 August 1994). "The International Brigades in the Spanish War 1936-1939: Flags and Symbols". Educación matemática. 6 (2): 73–86. doi:10.24844/em0602.06. ISSN   2448-8089.
  5. About the 1914-15 Star, UK Parliament site
  6. "Executive Order 11096—Establishing a Seal for the United States Civil Service Commission | The American Presidency Project". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  7. The five-pointed star Archived 11 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine from Liungman, Carl G. (2004). Symbols: Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. HME Publishing. ISBN   91-972705-0-4.. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
  8. "The History of the Stars and Stripes". Federal Citizen Information Center. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  9. The sixpointed star Archived 11 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine from Liungman, Carl G. (2004). Symbols: Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. HME Publishing. ISBN   91-972705-0-4.. Retrieved 19 July 2006.