Pentagram and Star of David. What the symbols we see every day really mean

1. Vessel of Hygeia

The bowl, which is wrapped around a snake, is one of the main symbols of medicine. You can see it, for example, on drugstore signs. These are the attributes of the ancient Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation Hygieia (her name became the basis of the word "hygiene"). She was often depicted as a young woman feeding a snake from a bowl. The ancient Greeks associated the ability of reptiles to shed their old skin with wisdom, healing and resurrection. The vessel symbolizes the poison of the snake, which either heals or kills.

Pharmacists began using this image in 1796 when The Pfizer Bowl of Hygeia Award in Canada / Canadian Pharmacists Association appeared on a coin minted for the Paris Pharmaceutical Society. In the USA and Canada, the Hygieia Cup award is presented. It was founded in 1958 by the president of A. H. Robins Edwin Claiborne Robins. Outstanding Pharmacists Award.

2. Eye of Providence

The eye in the triangle that crowns the unfinished pyramid is found on the US $ 1 bill. This symbol is the Eye of Providence. It was originally used by Christians. For example, in religious works of the Renaissance, it was used to denote God. The Eye of Providence can be seen in the 1525 painting "" by the Italian painter Jacopo Pontormo.

In the 18th century, the symbol appeared in the design of Russian churches, and later on Old Believer icons. For example, there is an icon "", the composition of which is based on a repeating circle motif. But some modern clergymen use it for prayers, because it does not correspond to the canon.

The symbol of the All-Seeing Eye was common among Freemasons. They interpreted it as an allegorical depiction of the Great Architect of the Universe, who observes the members of a secret society.

Adherents of conspiracy theories believe that the symbol on the dollar bill means Big Brother - the eye of the government, which is always watching people. But, most likely, the image is more about the aesthetics of the 18th century than about the power of the secret elites. An unfinished pyramid on a banknote means power and length in time, and its 13 steps represent 13 states that were part of the United States at that time. And the Eye of Providence was the symbol of God who looks after the nation.

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3. Ouroboros

A serpent that bites its own tail can symbolize eternity, as well as the cycle of death and rebirth. The exact origin of the symbol is unknown, but it is very old - it was depicted in Ancient Egypt between 1600 and 1100 BC. In Hinduism, the uroboros was considered part of the foundation on which the earth rests. Also, the symbol was used by alchemists - it personified the concept of eternity and endless return.

German chemist August Kekule von Stradonitz, who lived in the 19th century, said that his ouroboros was on the idea of bonded carbon atoms forming a benzene ring.

In modern mysticism, the ouroboros is sometimes identified with the symbol of infinity and is drawn in the shape of an eight.

4. Pentagram

The five-pointed star has been used as a symbol in many parts of the world. In China, for example, she was associated with the five elements of life: fire, earth, water, metal and wood. In Ancient Babylon, the pentagram was used to denote various gods and their own beliefs. And in Christianity, this is how the five wounds of Jesus Christ were represented.

Today, the five-pointed star is reflected in the symbolism of modern occultists - it is often worn as an amulet to protect against evil spirits. In addition, adherents of neo-pagan religions, such as Wiccans, use the pentagram. In their interpretation, each vertex denotes one of five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether. They also consider the pentagram a symbol of a person: the tops of the star correspond to the head and four limbs - arms and legs.

5. Ankh

The ring-topped cross was an important symbol in ancient Egypt. It is still unknown what exactly he meant. It is assumed that the ankh symbolized life, immortality, wisdom, was considered a protective sign. The Egyptians had the hieroglyph "ankh", which was used in verbs associated with the concept of "life." The symbol was depicted on wall reliefs in the hands of gods and rulers.

In the 1980s, the Ankh began to use the Goth subculture. A large silver cross of this configuration is worn around his neck by Death, a character from Neil Gaiman's comic book The Sandman. The symbol can also be seen in the film about the vampires "Hunger" with David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve.

6. Star of David

The six-pointed star is considered a symbol of Judaism, but this tradition is less than 200 years old. The hexagram was used by many nations. In India, for example, the six-pointed star is part of the symbol that denotes the Anahata heart chakra. The hexagram could be an astronomical sign, a protective amulet, or even a simple decorative element.

The term "Shield of David" (Magendavid), which today is called the six-pointed star, appeared in the early Middle Ages. Some Jews used it as a personal sign even then. But the Star of David became the symbol of the whole community in the 14th century, when Emperor Charles IV granted the Jews of Prague the right to have their own flag. The hexagram became firmly associated with a certain people in the 20th century, when the Nazis who came to power demanded that Jews wear a yellow six-pointed star on their clothes.

And today Magendawid can be seen on the flag of Israel, which completely coincides with the flag of the Zionists - a movement that at the end of the 19th century began to fight for the unification of Jews and their return to their historical homeland.

7. Compass and square

The tools of architects - the compass and the square - made the masons their symbol. There are different interpretations of this sign. For example, a square can personify the Earth, on which a person lives, and a compass - the vault of heaven, symbolically connected with the place where the Great Architect of the Universe draws his plan. Sometimes the image is supplemented with the letter G, which can be interpreted as God (English "God"). But there is another interpretation in which G means "geometry".

The symbol is often found on buildings. In Moscow, he can be seen at the Rossiya insurance company on Sretensky Boulevard. And in St. Petersburg, there is a compass and a square on the wall of the architect Viktor Schroeter on the embankment of the Moika River.

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