Star (symbol)
The
star, as an
ideograph, most commonly represents the
astronomical star for which it is named.
In
heraldry the star is the ensign of knightly rank, and every order of knighthood incorporates this symbol in some way. It has also been used as a mark of
cadency for the third son.
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.
A number of stars in a row can indicate a scale of varying quality, the more stars the higher the quality.
In
heraldry a a
mullet is a star with five or less commonly six points. A star with wavy rather than straight rays is called an
estoile.
The star with six (or less commonly five) points is associated with
law and order in the
United States, and forms the basis of the
sherrif's badge.
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The golden five-pointed star. |
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The pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes. |
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.
[The fivepointed star from . Retrieved 19 July 2006.] 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.
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.
Image:Ksstarandcrescent.gif|The Star and Crescent of Kappa SigmaImage:VIIcorpsbadge.png|Union Army, VII Corps, 3rd Division BadgeImage:XIIcorpsbadge.png|Union Army, XII Corps, 3rd Division BadgeThe 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. 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 symbolise
Islam, appearing for example as part of the symbol of the
Ottoman Empire.
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A typical presentation of the Islamic star and crescent. |
In
philately the five-pointed star signifies stamps that have not been
postmarked.
The six-pointed star is rare as an
ideograph in Western cultures.
[The sixpointed star from . Retrieved 19 July 2006.] In
astrology it signifies
fixed stars. On gravestones it signifies date of birth, synonymous with the five-point star.
If the colinear edges of a six-pointed star are connected, so that two interlaced triangles are formed, the resulting symbol is known as the
hexagram or
Star of David, and is, among other things, the most common modern symbol of
Judaism.
Political
Image:Flag of Australia.svg|Flag of Australia Image:Cherokeenationalflagpublicdomainimage.gif| Flag of the Cherokee Nation A seven-pointed star appears in the
flag and
heraldic symbolism of
Australia. In the Australian context, the seven points allegedly 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.
Corporate
Image:Maersk.png|Maersk The shipping company Maersk and the computer company The Future Company (TFC) both use an acute seven-pointed star for their logo.
Heptagram
A
heptagram or
septagram is a seven-pointed star drawn with seven straight strokes. There are two kinds of heptagram:
*
Acute heptagram, the {7/3}
star polygon.
*
Obtuse heptagram, the {7/2} star polygon.
