STARS - one of the most ancient symbols of humanity, adopted by the heraldry of all nations, belongs to the number of so-called astral signs. The star in general as a concept has long served as a symbol of eternity, and later (from the 18th century) - a symbol of high aspirations, ideals (which are eternal, imperishable) and from the end of the 18th century it began to be used as an emblem of guidance, happiness (“he was born under lucky star"). The motto is “Ad aspera!” (“To the stars!”) therefore means “To the sublime, to the ideal!” Stars in heraldry and emblems differ both in the number of angles or rays forming them, and in color. The combination of both gives different national meanings of the stars or nuances in their meaning.

Triangular star ("All-Seeing Eye")
A biblical sign, otherwise called the All-Seeing Eye (an eye inscribed in a triangle), a symbol of Divine Providence and the emblem of the Trinity.
In Freemasonry, a triangular star (or pyramid) with an eye inscribed in it is the Radiant Delta. The official (Grand Lodge of Russia) description of the Radiant Delta reads: “The Radiant Delta is usually located in the eastern part of the temple, and on both sides of it are the Sun (closer to the south) and the Moon (closer to the north). The Radiant Delta is a triangle with an eye placed inside it - a sign of enlightenment or the principle of consciousness, otherwise, the all-seeing eye, constantly present in all the works of the lodge, creating the energy of the presence of the Supreme Being during ritual work, constant radiation - affirmation of being. A mathematical point, which has no dimensions, but is located everywhere, fills the boundlessness of space. It is also a symbol of awareness and attention, and mutual attention, the attention that the Supreme Being shows to a caddom of brothers, the attention that each brother should show to the world.The Radiant Delta reminds us that each Mason has his own Masonic star ", which shines on him in his labors and guides him in his searches. The Radiant Delta is the main Masonic symbol of the first degree, the degree of the student."
The same symbol appears on the sketch of the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The all-seeing eye is inscribed in the unfinished pyramid of 13 rows of stone, surrounded by the Latin inscriptions “Annui coeptis” (He (the Lord) is favorable to our undertaking) and “Novus Ordo seclorum” (“A new order for centuries,” a paraphrase of Virgil’s verse “Seclorum novus nascitur”) ordo" - "A new order of centuries is born"). back side The Great Seal was never engraved, and the symbol of the all-seeing eye was "moved" onto the $1 bill.
The triangular star sign was used in Russia under Emperor Alexander I - it was introduced as an emblem in orders and medals awarded to participants in the Patriotic War of 1812-1814.

The three-pointed star is the emblem of the tripartite unity of republican and democratic forces (communists, socialists, democrats). The sign of this star was awarded (noted) to fighters of the international brigades in Spain during civil war 1936-1939.

* The four-pointed star is a symbol of guidance (light in the darkness of the night), adopted mainly by Christianity, in its form it is associated with the cross. It is also used as an order emblem as a Krashan and as a frame for order insignia in a number of countries. In our country, it is used exclusively on departmental military orders (not state ones).
The four-pointed star is used by NATO, the CIA and other intelligence agencies as a sign (symbol) of the correctness of their chosen path, as an emblem of a happy (or successful) destiny (or career) and is included in the service badges of employees of these intelligence services. By analogy with them, the agency “Alex” in our country, which is engaged in ensuring the security of organizations and individuals, made a quadrangular star (an equilateral rhombus) its emblem.
In a number of Western European countries, as well as in Japan and the USSR, from the 60-70s, the four-pointed star served as the emblem of martial arts (especially karatekas, kungfuists, etc.) and was introduced into club badges and certificates. The differences between different clubs from each other are manifested in emblematic terms in that the color, angle of the rays, their rotation and length, as well as additional accessories (see armament of emblems) can vary endlessly, while general shape the four-pointed star is invariably preserved.

the pentagram is a symbol of protection, security, one of the most ancient signs (symbols) of humanity. It is of ancient Eastern origin. Used as a military emblem; for its history and use, see Red five-pointed star.
The correct pentagram (point up) is a symbol of eternal youth and health among the Pythagoreans, in alchemy it is a symbolic representation of the human body (two arms, two legs and a head), in occultism it is a symbol of protection, security (a sign of protection from evil spirits), the legendary key of Solomon , in Christianity, the emblem of the five wounds of the crucified Christ. The pentagram with its point down is an emblem of evil spirits, one of the tools of black magic. An incorrectly drawn pentagram is not able to protect the magician from the summoned demon: for example, in Goethe’s “Faust” it was the incorrectly drawn pentagram that allowed Mephistopheles to enter the human world.
The pentagram is a truncated hexagram in which harmony is disturbed; in a pentagram with the apex up, light verses predominate, in a pentagram with the apex down, dark ones predominate. The sum of the angles of the pentagram is 180 degrees, i.e. similar to one of the triangles that make up the hexagram - good or evil. Medieval philosophers said that the pentagram, unlike the hexagram, is one, it cannot be decomposed into two figures; which symbolizes the stability of a “unipolar” world. The pentagram with its apex up is the emblem of the triumph of goodness and truth.
In antiquity, the pentagram was also considered a symbol of the beauty of the world, since it is based on the “golden ratio”, which is the personification of the beauty of proportions in nature.
In the Middle Ages, both the pentagram and the hexagram were called either the “Star of David” or the “Star of Solomon.” It was believed that the image of this star, together with the sacred 72-letter name of God, was engraved on a military shield and brought victory to the owner of the shield in all battles.
The red five-pointed star is the emblem of the Soviet Armed Forces (red is a “revolutionary” color; the star is a talisman and a symbol of high aspirations) and the emblem of international workers’ solidarity (as a complement to the motto “Workers of all countries, unite!”).

Six-pointed star.
An ancient oriental symbol, emblem of Egyptian occultism.
In the form of a regular (flat hexagon - the biblical, otherwise the star of Bethlehem; this shape, according to interpretations of the Bible, had the star that shone over the house in which Jesus was born. In the form of two triangles superimposed on each other (with their vertices in opposite directions) - the so-called Star of David, emblem of the marriage of heaven and earth.
hexagram In Christianity, a six-pointed star symbolizes the six days of creation. Also interpreted as a symbol of the struggle between God and the devil (God is the upper triangle, the devil is the lower).
The occult-theosophical interpretation of this image says that the hexagram expresses the perfection of the universe, since it is the product of the feminine number 2 (two triangles) and the masculine number 3 (three corners of each figure). There is also an “eschatological” interpretation: since the hexagram is the product of 6, 6, 6, 6 angles, 6 small triangles, 6 sides of the inner hexagon), it was associated with the number of the beast and the Antichrist.
A.I. Kuprin in “The Star of Solomon” gives the following “demonic” description of the star of Solomon:

“The whole book was interspersed with the text with many strange recipes, complex drawings, mathematical and chemical formulas, drawings, constellations and zodiac signs. But most often, on almost every page, there was a drawing of two equal triangles superimposed on each other so that the bases they were opposite each other parallel, and the vertices were one at the top, the other at the bottom, and the whole figure was something like a six-pointed star with twelve points of intersection. This drawing was called in my uncle’s cipher “The Star of Solomon.”
And always the "Star of Solomon" was accompanied in the margins or below by a column of the same seven names written on different languages: sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Greek, sometimes in French and in Russian: Astoret (sometimes Astaroth or Ashtaret).
Asmodeus.
Belial (sometimes Baal, Bel, Beelzebub).
Dagon.
Lucifer.
Moloch.
Hamman (sometimes Amman and Gamman).
It was clear that all three of Color's predecessors were trying to make up some new combination from the letters included in the names of these ancient evil demons - maybe a word, maybe a whole phrase - and place it one letter at a time at the intersection points of the "Star of Solomon" " or in the triangles it forms. Tsvet found traces of these countless, but probably futile, attempts everywhere. Three people successively, one after another, worked for a whole century to solve some mysterious problem, one in his princely estate, the other in Moscow, the third in the wilderness of Starodub district. One strange circumstance did not escape Tsvet's attention. No matter how fantastically the previous owners of the book rearranged and glued the letters together, their work always and inevitably included two syllables: “Satan.”

In European occultism, the six-pointed star is sometimes called the star of Solomon (who commanded the spirits and who had this star inscribed on his famous seal and was an amulet against evil spirits) and symbolizes the triumph of the triad.
In Freemasonry, the star of Solomon is an emblem of transcendental wisdom.
In classical heraldry, the image of a star in general. The blue Star of David has been a symbol of Israel since the early 1950s, the national emblem of this country (along with the seven-branched candlestick). The yellow biblical star was applied to Jewish clothing during World War II. Nazi concentration camps. The red six-pointed star on a white field (also called Etoile Rouge) is the emblem of the International Union of Humane Societies.
Since the 14th century The six-pointed star is used as an order emblem in many European countries.

* The seven-pointed star is one of the ancient symbols of the East, ancient civilizations. Known in Ancient Assyria, Chaldea, Sumer and Akkad. Since ancient times, since the 1st century AD. e., such a star was the emblem of Iberia (ancient Georgia), where an astral cult was developed, and later, under the Bagratids, it became one of the main emblems of Kartalinia (until the mid-15th century). In 1918-1922 it was the emblem of Menshevik Georgia, and in 1923-1936 it was “dragged” into the coat of arms of the Georgian SSR in all its variants under the guise of a disguised national ornament, and, being visible and distinguishable on the coat of arms, it was not indicated in the description of the article. 180 of the Georgian SSR directly, but was called “a border with a pattern of Georgian ornaments.” Since mid-1991, it officially became the coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia with an inscribed image of St. George the Victorious on a horse galloping to the heraldic left side. In modern foreign emblems, the seven-pointed star is used only when they want to express the concept of a star in general and try to avoid its interpretation both as a military emblem and as a religious one. Australia has a seven-pointed star (stars) in its coat of arms and on the flag and on the flag of Jordan; both countries thereby express their desire to distinguish themselves primarily from neighboring countries(Australia from New Zealand and Jordan from Israel), also using stars in their coats of arms ( New Zealand- five-pointed and Israel - six-pointed). The seven-pointed star is occasionally used as a badge of order, for example the English Order of St. Michael and St. George (1818).

Eight-pointed stars are, in fact, disguised crosses (two four-pointed stars), which is why Catholic countries - Colombia, Peru, and the Philippines - have such stars in their coats of arms. In addition, the eight-pointed star is the most common insignia of the order in all European and American Christian states. The eight-pointed star is especially often used for krashans. An almost regular octagon, formed by superimposing diagonally two squares on top of each other while preserving the lines of their intersections, was used as a symbol accompanying images of the god of hosts (god the father, more correctly, the god of forces, armies) in Russian icon painting and Christian Orthodox symbolism of pre-Nikonian times, especially from the XIV to the XVI centuries. This eight-pointed symbolic sign was depicted either at the top of icons (most often in the upper right corner), or instead of a halo, or as a background above the head of Hosts. Often both quadrangles were painted (the upper one in green and the underlying one in red) or were bordered by stripes of this color. Images of this kind are typical for the North of Russia and are available (preserved) in the museums of Rostov the Great, Vologda, and Perm. They mean (symbolize) eight millennia (“seven centuries of the Creator and the future age of the Father”*) and at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries were recognized as “heretical” from the point of view of the canons of official Orthodoxy. An eight-pointed white star with a red border and the motto “Blood and Fire” is the emblem of the British and other Anglo-Saxon branches of “The Salvation army” - a socio-religious charitable organization founded by William and Catherine Booth in London in 1865 and which became international since 1880.

Nine-rayed stars are almost never found in practice. They are used in rare cases only as orders in small Islamic states (for example, in the Sultanate of Johor on the Malacca Peninsula).

According to esoteric ideas, if the number nine symbolized a circle, then the number one is the center of the circle, and the entire circle with the center inside represents the number ten (10=9+1). H.E. Kerlot gives the triple nature of nine the following characteristics: “Nine is the triangle of the triad and the tripling of the three. Consequently, it is a complex image of the three worlds. Nine is the end - the limit of the digital series before its return to one. For the Jews, this number was a symbol of truth, being, characterized by the fact that, multiplied, it reproduces itself (in mystical addition).
....................................................

Ten-pointed or ten-pointed stars were used in Soviet emblems and in the emblems of other countries that had a five-pointed star as their official emblem, because a ten-pointed star is only a five-pointed star repeated twice. Such stars are used mainly to create insignia, especially in the Arab states of North Africa.
.................................................

The eleven-pointed star is exclusively of the order, and, moreover, rare. In the past it was used in the orders of Portugal and Imperial Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
.......................................................

A twelve-pointed star means a sign of perfection. In state emblems, that is, in coats of arms, this sign is now used by only two states - Nauru and Nepal. The emblems of these states - the 12-rayed Sun - are essentially stars, for the Sun in heraldry is recognized as a star image that has 16 rays (see Rays), and everything that has less than 16 refers, therefore, to stars. In European emblems, the 12-pointed star was used in the GDR on medals for outstanding merits, loyalty, that is, as a sign of perfection of moral or professional qualities, for example on police signs.
............................................................

The thirteen-rayed star did not exist and does not exist. :green:
...............................................................

A fourteen-pointed star is used as state emblem only two states - Malaysia (in the coat of arms and flag) and Ethiopia (in the coat of arms). In Malaysia, this number of beams was established because it reflected the number of members of the Malaysian Federation at its formation in 1963. However, in 1965, one of its members - Singapore - without the consent of the head of state - the Sultan - unilaterally left the federation and declared itself an independent state. But Malaysia even after that left a 14-pointed star in its coat of arms, and 14 stripes on its flag, thereby emphasizing that Singapore’s secession is not officially recognized. In Ethiopia, the 14-pointed star became the main coat of arms after the 1974 revolution and appeared for the first time in the state emblem in 1975 as a completely new element (previously, in imperial Ethiopia, the six-pointed star of Bethlehem was revered). It was supposed to emphasize both the antiquity of Ethiopian culture (the seven-pointed star) and its modern revival and renewal (double seven-pointed star). This emblem ceased to exist in 1991 due to the overthrow of the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam.
........................................................

Fifteen-pointed star. Theoretically, such a star is possible as a heraldic emblem with the meaning of a triple five-pointed star and used in ornaments, insignia, on medals, etc. However, there is not yet an organization or state that would use this emblem and justify its use.
..........................................................

Sixteen-pointed star. The presence of 16 rays on a star means that such a star represents the Sun, and, therefore, in emblems it is no longer called a star, but the Sun, since according to heraldic rules, 16 is the minimum number of rays that gives grounds to call the image the Sun, and any number of rays over 16 and a multiple of 4 are also sufficient for the image possessing them to be called the Sun.
A sixteen-pointed star, like a sixteen-pointed one, can be considered an image of the Sun, especially if it occurs alone or as part of an ornament. At the same time, precisely as a sign of solar purity, clarity and immaculateness, the image of a 16-pointed star since the times of pagan Ancient Rome was considered an emblem of virginity, and hence, already in the era of early Christianity, it accompanied images of the Holy Virgin, i.e., the Mother of God, which was later reflected in the Byzantine iconography. Since the virgin and maiden are called Virgo in Latin, the 16-pointed star as an emblem of the Holy Virgin Mary later received the name Virgin Star. Until very recently, this star was not used in state heraldry, as it was considered a reserved religious emblem. However, in 1991, the newly created state of Macedonia (from the Yugoslav republic of the same name), newly created on the ruins of the former Yugoslavia, adopted the 16-pointed symbol as its main state emblem. Virginia Star, referring to the fact that even before the introduction of Christianity, in the 4th century. BC e. under Philip II (359-336), this emblem was a kind of coat of arms of the Macedonian kingdom. Since Greece, as well as the Greek (and universal) Orthodox Church, then to analyze the conflict that arose, a UN mediation commission was created, which in May 1993 outlined its recommendations, supported in early June 1993 by UN Secretary General Boutros Ghali. According to them, Macedonia must remove the Virgin Star from its national flag, and also change the name of the country to “New Macedonia” or “Slavomacedonia” in order to completely eliminate any associations with Ancient Macedonia and thereby remove Greece’s fears about the territorial claims of the newly-minted heir to the Macedonian kingdom, because Greece has the province of Macedonia, which at one time was part of Ancient Macedonia. However, the Macedonian government refused to implement these UN recommendations.
................................................................

As for the color of the stars, they can have any heraldic colors. In this case, the color usually indicates the national or political affiliation of the star emblem

The most common color of stars is white (silver). This is the classic color of the star in old heraldry, and is still followed by most states. The gold color of the star is less commonly accepted. It usually indicates something extremely important, national significance, which is attached to the star emblem as the main coat of arms of a given country. Thus, China, Vietnam, Angola, Indonesia, Congo (Brazzaville), Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Suriname have gold stars in their coat of arms and flag. Sometimes a star is given only a golden border, emphasizing its significance as state sign(for example, the red stars of the USSR, SFRY, NRB, HPR, NSRA had a gold edge).
The color red is found only in five-pointed stars, which served as an emblem for socialist states.
The only exceptions are El Salvador and New Zealand, which, having introduced the image of the Southern Cross of four five-pointed stars into their flag and coat of arms, gave them a red color solely to distinguish this emblem, which is also available in other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. Until 1991, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Djibouti, PDRY, North Korea, Yugoslavia, Laos, Mozambique, Mongolia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, USSR, Zimbabwe had a red five-pointed star in their coats of arms until 1991. Of these, only North Korea and Laos retained these emblems after 1991.

* Five-pointed green stars belong, as a rule, to Arab states, and from African ones - Senegal, where the vast majority of the population is Muslim.
* The black color of the star was used extremely rarely in classical heraldry and symbolized the opposite of the concept of a star - not light, but darkness, night. In modern practice, since the 60s of the XX century. black and met stars are used as their distinctive, national new African states - Ghana, Gminea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, as well as the ANC party in South Africa, whose emblem is a red five-pointed star with a red sickle and hammer. As a political party symbol, the black five-pointed star is used by anarcho-syndicalists in Western Europe.
* Blue color stars are relatively rare and the type occurs. in Cameroon and Panama. It means that the guiding principle for these countries is peaceful politics.
....................................................................

94 years ago, William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin, the famous Soviet Scandinavian historian and heraldist, was born. Specialist in the history of international relations and cooking.

Why didn't we wait for the 95th anniversary and another round date? It’s all very simple: William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin compiled the famous “Dictionary of International Symbols and Emblems” - important book for Falerists, which provides definitions and explanations of many important terms used in the creation of awards and badges.

Now we will give a short excerpt from the dictionary, just a few terms, but these are the terms that are often used in images and we regularly have to give explanations about their meaning.

Editor-in-Chief "SAMMLUNG/Collection"
Sidelnikov Alexey

Dictionary of international symbols and emblems

STAR

STAR, STARS- one of the most ancient symbols of humanity, adopted by the heraldry of all nations, belongs to the number of so-called astral signs. The star in general as a concept has long served as a symbol of eternity, and later (from the 18th century) - a symbol of high aspirations, ideals (which are eternal, imperishable) and from the end of the 18th century it began to be used as an emblem of guidance, happiness (“he was born under a lucky star”) . The motto is “Ad aspera!” (“To the stars!”) therefore means “To the sublime, to the ideal!” Stars in heraldry and emblems differ both in the number of angles or rays forming them, and in color. The combination of both gives different national meanings of the stars or nuances in their meaning.

Triangular star- a biblical sign, the so-called “all-seeing eye” - a symbol of Providence, fate. It was used in Russia only in the era of Alexander I, especially during the period of his passion for mysticism (1810-1825), and was introduced as an emblem in orders and especially medals awarded to participants in the Patriotic War of 1812-1814.

Three-pointed star- emblem of the tripartite unity of republican and democratic forces (communists, socialists, democrats). The sign of this star was awarded (noted) to fighters of the international brigades in Spain during the civil war of 1936-1939.

Four-pointed star- a symbol of guidance (light in the darkness of the night), adopted mainly by Christianity, in its form associated with the cross. It is also used as an order emblem as a Krashan and as a frame for order insignia in a number of countries. In our country, it is used exclusively on departmental military orders (not state ones).

In Western Europe and the USA, it is widely used as an emblematic image of military or paramilitary organizations and in such cases is supplied with additional emblems or national colors (ribbons, motto ribbons, etc.). Thus, the four-pointed star is used by NATO, the CIA and other intelligence services as a sign (symbol) of the correctness of their chosen path, as an emblem of a happy (or successful) fate (or career) and is included in the service badges of employees of these intelligence services. By analogy with them, the agency “Alex” in our country, which is engaged in ensuring the security of organizations and individuals, made a quadrangular star (an equilateral rhombus) its emblem.

In a number of Western European countries, as well as in Japan and the USSR, from the 60-70s, the four-pointed star served as the emblem of martial arts (especially karatekas, kungfuists, etc.) and was introduced into club badges and certificates. The differences between different clubs from each other are manifested in emblematic terms in that the color, angle of the rays, their rotation and length, as well as additional accessories (see armament of emblems) can vary endlessly, while the general shape of the four-rayed star is invariably preserved .

Five pointed star- the pentagram is a symbol of protection, security, one of the most ancient signs (symbols) of humanity. It is of ancient Eastern origin. Used as a military emblem; for its history and use, see Red five-pointed star.

six pointed star- most often found in the pre-revolutionary heraldry of all European countries as an emblem with religious meaning. Currently, the six-pointed star, which in the classical heraldry of Christian peoples was always and everywhere depicted when it was necessary to depict a star in general, has taken a more definite position.

Firstly, the hexagram, that is, a six-pointed star that has only sides, but not a plane and is formed by two blue equal-sized triangles intersecting each other, has the special name “Star of David” and is a symbol of the Zionist movement and the main emblem of the state flag of Israel and at the same time the main national the emblem of this country (along with the seven-branched candlestick). Because of this, all other countries have become since the early 50s of the 20th century. Avoid using a six-pointed star and replace it with a five-pointed or eight-pointed one.

Secondly, the six-pointed star of a flat appearance is called the biblical or Bethlehem star, because it was its images that were traditionally placed by artists of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in paintings dedicated to the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the coming of the four wise men to this baby. As a symbol devoid of a specific political or national meaning, it was the Star of Bethlehem that began to be especially revered and used in the 17th-19th centuries by various Christian movements in the West, especially in the USA, as a result of which at the end of the 18th century it was made the state emblem of the USA and officially included in the US coat of arms to a place of honor (above the eagle surrounded by a cloud), but in a somewhat “coded” form, that is, in the form of 13 five-pointed stars arranged in the shape of a six-pointed star, which symbolize the 13 main states that made up the first USA. These stars are arranged symmetrically so that from top to bottom they follow 1: 4: 3: 4: 1 and together form one six-pointed star of Bethlehem.

The emblem of the six-pointed star of Bethlehem is included in the state emblems and flags of only small states that were colonies in the past - Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Tonga, which should be attributed to the long-term influence of Christian missionaries on the local national elite.

From the 14th century to the present day, the six-pointed star is used as an order star in all European countries.

Currently, the six-pointed star, when officially used in coats of arms or in orders, is usually silver or white. IN XVIII-XIX centuries its traditional color was often gold or yellow. But the yellow color was compromised during the Second World War when the Nazis chose a yellow six-pointed star to mark the clothing of Jews in the ghetto, and after 1945 the Star of Bethlehem of this color practically fell into disuse.

For the use of a red six-pointed star and its meaning in this capacity, see Etoile Rouge.

Seven pointed star- one of the ancient symbols of the East, ancient civilizations. Known in Ancient Assyria, Chaldea, Sumer and Akkad.

Since ancient times, since the 1st century AD. e., such a star was the emblem of Iberia (ancient Georgia), where an astral cult was developed, and later, under the Bagratids, it became one of the main emblems of Kartalinia (until the mid-15th century). In 1918-1922 it was the emblem of Menshevik Georgia, and in 1923-1936 it was “dragged” into the coat of arms of the Georgian SSR in all its variants under the guise of a disguised national ornament, and, being visible and distinguishable on the coat of arms, it was not indicated in the description of the article. 180 of the Georgian SSR directly, but was called “a border with a pattern of Georgian ornaments.” Since mid-1991, it officially became the coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia with an inscribed image of St. George the Victorious on a horse galloping to the heraldic left side.

In modern foreign emblems, the seven-pointed star is used only when they want to express the concept of a star in general and try to avoid its interpretation both as a military emblem and as a religious one. Australia has a seven-pointed star (stars) in its coat of arms and on the flag and on the flag of Jordan; both countries thereby express their desire to distinguish themselves primarily from neighboring countries (Australia from New Zealand and Jordan from Israel), which also use stars in their coats of arms (New Zealand - five-pointed and Israel - six-pointed). The seven-pointed star is occasionally used as a badge of order, for example the English Order of St. Michael and St. George (1818).

Eight pointed stars- these are, in fact, disguised crosses (two four-pointed stars), which is why Catholic countries - Colombia, Peru, and the Philippines - have such stars in their coats of arms. In addition, the eight-pointed star is the most common insignia of the order in all European and American Christian states. The eight-pointed star is especially often used for krashans.

An almost regular octagon, formed by superimposing diagonally two squares on top of each other while preserving the lines of their intersections, was used as a symbol accompanying images of the god of hosts (god the father, more correctly, the god of forces, armies) in Russian icon painting and Christian Orthodox symbolism of pre-Nikonian times, especially from the XIV to the XVI centuries. This eight-pointed symbolic sign was depicted either at the top of icons (most often in the upper right corner), or instead of a halo, or as a background above the head of Hosts. Often both quadrangles were painted (the upper one in green and the underlying one in red) or were bordered by stripes of this color. Images of this kind are typical for the North of Russia and are available (preserved) in the museums of Rostov the Great, Vologda, and Perm. They mean (symbolize) eight millennia (“seven centuries of the Creator and the future century of the Father”) and at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries were recognized as “heretical” from the point of view of the canons of official Orthodoxy.

An eight-pointed white star with a red border and the motto “Blood and Fire” is the emblem of the British and other Anglo-Saxon branches of “The Salvation army” - a socio-religious charitable organization founded by William and Catherine Booth in London in 1865 and which became international since 1880.

Nine-pointed stars in practice they almost never occur. They are used in rare cases only as orders in small Islamic states (for example, in the Sultanate of Johor on the Malacca Peninsula).

Ten-pointed or ten-pointed stars were used in Soviet emblems and in the emblems of other countries that had a five-pointed star as their official emblem, since a ten-pointed star is only a five-pointed star repeated twice. Such stars are used mainly to create insignia, especially in the Arab states of North Africa.

Eleven-pointed star- exclusively of the order, and rare at that. In the past it was used in the orders of Portugal and Imperial Ethiopia (Abyssinia).

Twelve-pointed star means a sign of perfection. In state emblems, that is, in coats of arms, this sign is now used by only two states - Nauru and Nepal. The emblems of these states - the 12-rayed Sun - are essentially stars, for the Sun in heraldry is recognized as a star image that has 16 rays (see Rays), and everything that has less than 16 refers, therefore, to stars. In European emblems, the 12-pointed star was used in the GDR on medals for outstanding service and loyalty, that is, as a sign of perfection of moral or professional qualities, for example, on police badges.

Thirteen-pointed star did not exist and does not exist.

Fourteen-pointed star Only two states have as a state emblem - Malaysia (in the coat of arms and flag) and Ethiopia (in the coat of arms). In Malaysia, this number of rays was established because it reflected the number of members of the Malaysian Federation at its formation in 1963. However, in 1965, one of its members - Singapore - without the consent of the head of state - the Sultan - unilaterally left the federation and declared itself an independent state. But Malaysia even after that left a 14-pointed star in its coat of arms, and 14 stripes on its flag, thereby emphasizing that Singapore’s secession is not officially recognized. In Ethiopia, the 14-pointed star became the main coat of arms after the 1974 revolution and appeared for the first time in the state emblem in 1975 as a completely new element (previously, in imperial Ethiopia, the six-pointed star of Bethlehem was revered). It was supposed to emphasize both the antiquity of Ethiopian culture (seven-pointed star) and its modern revival and renewal (double seven-pointed star). This emblem ceased to exist in 1991 due to the overthrow of the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam.

Fifteen pointed star. Theoretically, such a star is possible as a heraldic emblem with the meaning of a triple five-pointed star and can be used in ornaments, insignia, on medals, etc. However, there is not yet an organization or state that would use this emblem and justify its use.

Sixteen-pointed star. The presence of 16 rays on a star means that such a star represents the Sun, and, therefore, in emblems it is no longer called a star, but the Sun, since according to heraldic rules, 16 is the minimum number of rays that gives grounds to call the image the Sun, and any number of rays over 16 and a multiple of 4 are also sufficient for the image possessing them to be called the Sun.

A sixteen-pointed star, like a sixteen-pointed one, can be considered an image of the Sun, especially if it occurs alone or as part of an ornament. At the same time, precisely as a sign of solar purity, clarity and immaculateness, the image of a 16-pointed star since the times of pagan Ancient Rome was considered an emblem of virginity, and hence, already in the era of early Christianity, it accompanied images of the Holy Virgin, i.e., the Mother of God, which was later reflected in Byzantine iconography. Since the virgin and maiden are called Virgo in Latin, the 16-pointed star as the emblem of the Holy Virgin Mary later received the name Virgin Star.

Until very recently, this star was not used in state heraldry, as it was considered a reserved religious emblem. However, in 1991, the newly created state of Macedonia on the ruins of the former Yugoslavia (from the Yugoslav republic of the same name) adopted the 16-pointed Virgin Star as its main state emblem, citing the fact that even before the introduction of Christianity, in the 4th century. BC e. under Philip II (359-336), this emblem was a kind of coat of arms of the Macedonian kingdom. Since Greece, as well as the Greek (and universal) Orthodox Church, opposed such use of the Virgin Star, a UN mediation commission was created to resolve the conflict, which in May 1993 outlined its recommendations, which were supported in early June 1993 by the UN Secretary General Boutros Gali. According to them, Macedonia must remove the Virgin Star from its national flag, and also change the name of the country to “New Macedonia” or “Slavomacedonia” in order to completely eliminate any associations with Ancient Macedonia and thereby remove Greece’s fears about the territorial claims of the newly-minted heir to the Macedonian kingdom, because Greece has the province of Macedonia, which at one time was part of Ancient Macedonia. However, the Macedonian government refused to implement these UN recommendations.

Star color

As for the color of the stars, they can have any heraldic colors. In this case, the color usually indicates the national or political affiliation of the star emblem.

Most common white (silver) color of stars d. This is the classic color of the star in old heraldry, and is still followed by most states.

Gold color star accepted less frequently. It usually indicates the extremely important, state significance attached to the star emblem as the main coat of arms of a given country. Thus, China, Vietnam, Angola, Indonesia, Congo (Brazzaville), Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Suriname have gold stars in their coat of arms and flag. Sometimes the star is given only a gold border, emphasizing its significance as a state sign (for example, the red stars of the USSR, SFRY, NRB, HPR, NSRA had a gold border).

Only five-pointed stars have red color., which served as an emblem for socialist states. The only exceptions are El Salvador and New Zealand, which, having introduced the image of the Southern Cross of four five-pointed stars into their flag and coat of arms, gave them a red color solely to distinguish this emblem, which is also available in other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. Until 1991, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Djibouti, PDRY, North Korea, Yugoslavia, Laos, Mozambique, Mongolia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, USSR, Zimbabwe had a red five-pointed star in their coats of arms until 1991. Of these, only North Korea and Laos retained these emblems after 1991.

Five-pointed green stars belong, as a rule, to Arab states, and from African ones to Senegal, where the overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim.

Black star color in classical heraldry it was used extremely rarely and symbolized the opposite of the concept of a star - not light, but darkness, night. In modern practice, since the 60s of the XX century. black stars are used as their distinctive national color by new African states - Ghana, Gminea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, as well as the ANC party in South Africa, whose emblem is a red five-pointed star with a red sickle and hammer. As a political party symbol, the black five-pointed star is used by anarcho-syndicalists in Western Europe.

Blue color of stars relatively rare and the type is found in Cameroon and Panama. It means that the guiding principle for these countries is peaceful politics.

__________________

ÉTOILE ROUGE

"ETOILE ROUGE"(L’Etoile Rouge) is the emblem of the International Union of Societies for the Protection of Animals in War (UIWW). Its purpose was mainly to provide assistance to wounded horses of cavalry units, as well as other animals used in war or by paramilitary organizations (mules of mountain artillery units, service dogs of the border guard and field gendarmerie, chemical reconnaissance pigs, intelligence and communications pigeons). The MSWWW was founded in Geneva in 1914, at the very beginning of the war. It also existed during the Second World War. “Etoile Rouge” was adopted as the emblem of the MSWWW - six-pointed red star in a white field.

The Soviet Union was never a member of this international organization. The Veterinary Service of the Red Army and the Soviet Army, as well as the Civil Veterinary Service of the USSR had as their emblem blue cross.

__________________

A RED STAR

A RED STAR(RED FIVE-POINTED STAR) is one of the first Soviet emblems, which arose during the spring - autumn of 1918 as the emblem of the regular Red Army. The choice of this emblem for the Red Army was explained by the following reasons. Firstly, its shape was a pentagram (i.e., the oldest symbol of amulet, defense, security, safety). Secondly, the color red symbolized the revolution, the revolutionary army. Thirdly, the very concept of a star as a symbol of the pursuit of high ideals was also important when choosing this emblem. The emblem was proposed by the Military Collegium for the organization of the Red Army, in particular, the actual creator of this emblem for the Red Army was K. Eremeev, the first Soviet commander of the Petrograd Military District, chairman of the Commission for the formation of the Red Army.

The emblem did not immediately take shape in its final form. At first (in the spring of 1918) it was simply a red five-pointed star of different sizes (but no more than 6X6 cm), cut out of fabric and sewn onto a headdress like a cockade or on a sleeve (less often). Then (in May 1918) it began to be depicted with the emblem of a hammer and a plow inscribed in its center, and from the fall of 1918 (from September 21) it was installed in the form of a red enameled five-pointed star with the “small coat of arms of the RSFSR” inscribed in its center. - hammer and sickle. In this form, the red five-pointed star as an emblem (complex emblem) of the Red Army was fixed throughout the entire period 1918-1946, and then began (in the same form) to be called the emblem of the Soviet Armed Forces. At the same time, in the period from 1918 to 1920, and in some places until 1922, the emblem of a red five-pointed star with a hammer and a plow inscribed in its center continued to exist, and in Ukraine (in Kiev) in 1919 there was even a combined emblem - a plow, a hammer and a sickle in the center of a five-pointed star as an emblem not only of the Red Army, but also of Soviet power as a whole (in seals). True, this emblem only lasted a couple of months.

Since 1923, the symbol of a five-pointed star began to be used in the coat of arms of the USSR as a badge - as a figurative addition to the motto “Workers of all countries, unite!”, and therefore such a red star was considered an emblem of international workers’ solidarity. From here its five rays were explained as five continents, where there is a struggle between labor and capital. This emblem, naturally, had to be different from the emblem of the Red Army, and therefore in the center of the coat of arms there was no hammer and sickle as signs indicating the internal political structure of the USSR and the class composition of the Red Army. However, until 1936, the image of this badge constantly varied: sometimes it was depicted as a rusticated star, sometimes with a small gold edging, sometimes simply as a “pure star”. Only in 1936, under the new constitution, a stable image of a five-pointed red star with a narrow gold edge and with sides diverging at a strong obtuse angle of 120° was established. This image was especially emphasized after the Second World War, in 1949 (the angle was increased to 125°), due to the fact that Yugoslavia adopted a similar emblem (but not a badge) into its coat of arms, where, however, the sides diverged at an angle of 105 °. Thus, the difference between the Yugoslav and Soviet emblems was noticeable visually, despite the fact that they coincided in color and location in the coat of arms (a red star with a gold border at the top of the coat of arms).

It must be said that these subtleties of the image, as a rule, were violated throughout the country and only in Moscow, on government buildings, in the Kremlin, the coat of arms images of the red star were made according to all the rules.

The third type of red five-pointed star is the radiant star. It was used in the coats of arms of Georgia and Armenia, which existed in 1936-1991. The rays of the Georgian star are white, wide, merging around the star into radiance, and the rays of the Armenian star are golden, thin, diverging as if from behind the star, from its back side. In both of these cases, the radial star combines and replaces the emblem of the Sun and, therefore, is interpreted as a symbol of happiness and prosperity, in contrast to the interpretation of the star in the coats of arms of other republics. In this regard, the location of the star and motto in the coats of arms of Armenia and Georgia differed significantly from the location of these armorial parts in other coats of arms, where the stars served as a figured motto (badge), similar in meaning to the badge in the union coat of arms. But in Georgia and Armenia, the verbal motto was so sharply separated from the field of the coat of arms, placed on a special motto border, outside the shield field, that this already immediately emphasized that the radiant star in the coats of arms of these republics should be given its own eigenvalue, that it is not a figurative addition to the verbal motto. This happened because the coats of arms of Georgia and Armenia were created even before the formation of the USSR and their symbolism came not from all-Union, but from local Transcaucasian principles. In addition, all-Union symbolic ideas were represented in these republics in the coat of arms and flag of the TSFSR until 1936, but after the liquidation of the federation they disappeared along with it, which no one paid attention to, because in 1937 there was no time for heraldic subtleties.

Thus, in Soviet heraldry during its existence, contrary to ideas about its unity and ideological purity, there were three emblems of a red five-pointed star with different meanings.

__________________

RAYS

RAYS(see also Sun) is a term that in heraldry and emblems denotes several different concepts.

1. Angles or ends of stars. For example, they say: “five-pointed” or “five-pointed star.” The number of rays of a star cannot be more than 14, since starting from 16 rays the image is already called the Sun.
2. Actually the rays between the corners of the stars on medal badges.
3. The so-called rays ray stars, from which it can diverge in the form of radiance certain number stripes-rays. An example of a rayed star is the five-pointed rayed star on the coat of arms of Georgia (52 rays) and the rayed star in the coat of arms of Armenia (40 rays), as they existed before 1991.
4. Rays Sun.

In the depiction of rays, certain rules are adopted regarding their number, arrangement, shape and color; therefore, the rays cannot be considered as some kind of subordinate attribute, since they are a special emblematic element with their own laws.

A) Number of rays

The number of rays of the Sun or ray stars (sometimes replacing the Sun in coats of arms) is strictly established in heraldry and emblems, that is, canonized. Thus, the number of solar rays on the emblems of the Sun is explained by the fact that the heraldic rays originated from the points of the compass, known to the ancient sailors (Scandinavians, Phoenicians). There were 16 of these points until the 15th century, and from the beginning of the 16th century there were already 32 of them. Therefore, the 16-ray image of the Sun is considered more ancient or indicating antiquity if it is used in modern coats of arms, and the 32-rayed one refers to newer coats of arms.

Since the 19th century (after 1815), it has become acceptable to depict any number of rays of the Sun that is a multiple of 16, that is, not only 32, but also 48, 64, 80, etc.

Currently, it is also allowed for the image of the Sun to have 16 rays plus any number that is a multiple of it or its half, quarter, or three quarters. Thus, you can add 4, 8, 12, 20 rays, etc. to 16. It was from this rule that we proceeded when drawing the rays of the Sun in the coats of arms of different Soviet republics: they were diversified in number, without going beyond the boundaries of the multiplicity of 16. For example, on the flag of Georgia, 24 rays departed from the Sun, that is, 16 + 8, and not on the coat of arms - 52 , that is, 16 X 3 = 48 + 4 = 52.

b) Location and shape of the rays

The rays can be located around the image of the solar disk evenly, at the same distance from each other, or in groups or bundles, each of which can include several rays, starting with two. (Practically, the number of rays collected into beams is not limited. For example, Madagascar has 7 beams in its coat of arms, each of which has ... 14 rays.) Rays can be expressed by lines, as well as stripes, widening at the end and tapering at disk. The rays can be expressed not as straight lines, but as wavy or curved ones.

An example of the oldest image of the Sun with curved lines is the so-called “Sun of the Ynglings” (Sweden, VIII-IX centuries). Like every ancient image of the Sun, it contains exactly 16 ray lines.

Another canonical feature of the ancient image of the Sun is the alternation of straight, dagger-shaped rays with wavy, hair-like rays - every other time. Similar images of the rays of the Sun have now been preserved mainly only in countries such as the Bahamas, Ecuador, Uruguay, Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad, and the Central African Republic, which should be attributed to the influence on the native elite of Catholic missionaries, who raised their students using examples of traditional Catholic symbolism .

V) Ray color

The color of the Sun's rays must match the color of the disk. This means that a gold disk should have golden rays, a silver one should have silver rays, and a red one should have red rays. Sometimes it is allowed to reduce the color level of the rays by one degree compared to the disk. Thus, the golden disk of the Sun may have red rays, but there must be some compelling historical, heraldic, as well as aesthetic reasons for this. So, for example, in the coat of arms of the Latvian SSR, the white disk of the Sun (white is equivalent to silver) had purple rays, which is correct both from a heraldic point of view and from an aesthetic point of view, because only purple rays well emphasize the brightness of the whiteness of the solar disk. Reducing the color level of the disk compared to the rays is not allowed (a red disk cannot have golden rays) (see also Sun).

__________________

SUN

SUN- the oldest cosmic symbol, known to absolutely all peoples globe and which has been the main, main symbolic sign for the vast majority of peoples for many millennia, means the deity of life, the source of life, life force in biblical symbolism. The Sun is a symbol of beauty. Since in the Middle Ages the pagan symbol of the Sun was replaced by a cross, it became necessary to give the Sun a different appearance. This is how the emblem of the Sun appeared, that is, a sign that was an order of magnitude lower than the previous symbol. But also as an emblem, the image of the Sun was preserved in all subsequent formations, in feudal and capitalist society, where religion, although it struggled with the spread of this pagan, in its opinion, emblem, was forced to accept and adapt it for its needs.

In medieval classical heraldry, the Sun remained a symbol of light, wealth, and abundance. It began, however, to be emblematically depicted not as a symbol-circle with rays, but as a circle with a human face, surrounded by rays alternately straight and sinuous (the latter meaning flame). This image of the Sun emblem has survived to this day mainly in the heraldry of Catholic countries and in some of them it became the state emblem (Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay and Sri Lanka). The position of the Sun in the coat of arms is determined by the rays. If they rise from bottom to top from the disk of the Sun (its half, third or three quarters), located at the base of the coat of arms, the Sun is called rising. This position of the Sun is most often found in state emblems, because it means and symbolizes the progressive development of the state. The emblem of the rising sun was adopted on the coat of arms of the USSR and most of its union republics; it is also found in the coats of arms of Afghanistan, Angola, Bahamas, Cote d'Ivoire, Costa Rica, Cuba, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Mongolia, Panama, Chad, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic.

If the rays of the solar disk go from top to bottom, and the solar disk itself is located in one of the upper corners of the coat of arms, then such a Sun is called setting. Such an emblem is not found in state emblems, since it is a purely heraldic conventional concept. However, in the first months October revolution When new Soviet emblems were proposed, there were attempts to place the Sun at the top of the Soviet coat of arms and give it rays illuminating the earth, that is, to give them in a real, and not in a heraldic image. But since this contradicted the international rules of heraldry and, therefore, would have received a wrong international interpretation, this option of placing the Sun in the Soviet coat of arms was abandoned already in the draft, that is, long before the approval of the Soviet coat of arms.

The sun can also be placed as an emblem in coats of arms (and on flags) in the form of a full disk and, moreover, in the middle or in the upper half of the coat of arms. This position of the Sun is called midday and means perfection, the flourishing of the state. This emblem is on the flag of Japan and in the coats of arms of Argentina, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Djibouti, Ecuador, Honduras, Malta, Niger, Uganda. For most of these countries, such an emblem means that they have finally achieved the independence they have long sought.

The Sun cannot practically be depicted in a coat of arms without rays, for even their number and their design already indicate that the Sun is depicted, and not another circle or semicircle. However, when the Sun is still depicted without such an indispensable feature as rays, then in heraldry it is called “Sun in Eclipse.” At the same time, on the flag the Sun can be depicted as a disk without rays, without changing its high symbolic meaning.

Extremely important also has a choice of color for the image of the Sun as an emblem. As a rule, it should only be depicted in gold. But if a different color is chosen for it, then in classical heraldry such an emblem is called the “shadow of the Sun.”

All European countries adhere to these rules both during the creation and subsequent blazoning of the Sun emblem. However, in recent decades, some Asian and African states have begun to deviate from this rule, giving the Sun emblem on their coats of arms other (usually national) colors. Thus, Malawi, Bangladesh, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Greenland, Chad have a red disk of the Sun, and Angola is even pale pink with black rays, that is, not at all heraldic. Cuba adopted the red disk of the Sun as a sign of its revolution, so that this special institution would force subsequent generations to remember the reason for this exception, but the sun's rays were still left golden. Therefore, the Cuban Sun emblem cannot be considered as a deviation from heraldic rules.

But Niger introduced an orange Sun, Afghanistan - a white (half-disk), India - a symbolic sign blue color- chakra. Japan (disc), Bangladesh (disc), and Greenland (half-disc) have the Red Sun on their national flags. The full white disk on the flag should be considered not as an emblem of the Sun, but as an emblem of the Moon. Such an emblem (as a national one) is present on the state flag of Laos. In the Soviet coats of arms (USSR and Union republics), the emblem of the Sun was considered as a source of strength of the Soviet state, personifying the concept of “life-giving forces of socialism” in the coat of arms. This emblem was absent only in the coats of arms of two republics - Georgia and Armenia, which was all the more strange because the emblem of the Sun was characteristic of the national symbols of the peoples of Transcaucasia and the image of the full disk of the Sun with rays and a human face was always included in the coats of arms and banners of Georgian and Armenian principalities from the 6th to the 17th centuries.

However, the authors of the Georgian and Armenian Soviet coats of arms - E. Lansere and M. Saryan unanimously decided to abandon the national emblems of the Sun, not to introduce them into the Soviet coats of arms, in order to fully emphasize the specialness and isolation of the two Christian states of Transcaucasia, even within the USSR. The coat of arms of Azerbaijan, where the Sun was preserved, stood out especially sharply against the background of the circular coats of arms of the Armenian SSR and Georgian SSR, unlike other Soviet coats of arms. Instead of the emblem of the Sun, a so-called radiant (radiant) star was placed on them, located at the top of the coat of arms, and not at the bottom of it, as “ rising Sun" Thus, the Armenian SSR and the Georgian SSR were left without the “life-giving force of socialism.” This small “heraldic sabotage” was never noticed by the Soviet leadership, and the coats of arms of Armenia and Georgia revealed their “obstinacy” only before the eyes of competent armorial specialists.

Drawings prepared specifically for this publication

by the editors of "SAMMLUNG / Collection"

Verginskaya star or Virginia sun is a symbol, an artistic depiction of a star with sixteen rays. It was discovered in 1977 during archaeological excavations in Vergina, in Northern Greece by Professor Manolis Andronikos (Greek. Μανώλης Ανδρόνικος ). The “star” adorned the golden tomb of one of the kings of Ancient Macedonia.

Andronikos described the symbol vaguely: as a "star", "the radiance of a star" or "the radiance of the sun". He himself believed that the tomb where the star was found belonged to Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Other historians have suggested that this is the tomb of King Philip III Arrhidaeus. It can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Vergina, not far from the place of discovery. Another version of the “star”, with twelve rays, was on the tomb of Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great.

The Vergina star is adopted as the national symbol of the Macedonians and, in a slightly modified form, is depicted on the Macedonian flag.

1. Interpretations of the symbol

Golden Larnaca of Philip II (Vergina Archaeological Museum)

The symbolism of the Verginskaya star is questionable. Archaeologists debate whether it was a symbol of Macedonia, an emblem of the Argead dynasty, a religious symbol representing the twelve gods of Olympus, or simply a decoration. Andronikos himself constantly interpreted it as “the emblem of the (reigning) dynasty of Macedonia,” although Eugene Borza (eng. Eugene Borza) noted that the "star" appeared frequently in ancient Macedonian art.

John Paul Adams draws attention to the continued use of "star" as decorative element in ancient Greek art and argues that it is impossible to say with certainty whether it was a “royal” symbol of Macedonia or a “national” one.

Sixteen- and eight-rayed suns often appeared on Macedonian and Hellenic coins and shields at this time. There are also several images of Athenian hoplites with a similar sixteen-rayed symbol on their armor. Interestingly, before Andronikos discovered the “star” on the tomb in 1977, it was regarded simply as a decoration. After its discovery, it became firmly associated with Macedonia, despite more ancient sources in Greek art.

2. Legacy

After its discovery, the star was widely adopted by Greek culture as a symbol of the connection between the traditions of Ancient Macedonia and modernity. The Vergina star, depicted on a blue background, is the official emblem of the three regions, prefectures and municipalities located on the territory of historical Macedonia. It is also used as a symbol of Greek Macedonian diaspora organizations, such as the Pan Macedonian Association, or even commercial enterprises.

The "Star" was also adopted by foreign organizations of the Slavic-Macedonian diaspora, and by some nationalist organizations in the Yugoslav Socialist Republic of Macedonia. After the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991-92, the newly formed Republic of Macedonia adopted the Vergina Star as a national symbol and displayed it on its new flag, but after protests from Greece and diplomatic moves from other countries, a new flag was adopted in 1995, without the Vergina Star .

Notes

1. Danforth, L. M. , p. 163. Princeton University Press, 1997
2. Borza, E. N. , p. 260. Princeton University Press, 1990
3. W. Lindsay Adams and Eugene N. Borza, eds. , p. 82. University Press of America, 1982
4. Adams, J.P. The Larnakes from Tomb II at Vergina. Archaeological News. 12:1-7
5. Νικόλαος Μάρτης . Β " - tovima.dolnet.gr/print_article.php?e=B&f=12515&m=B06&aa=1 (Greek) , Το ΒΗΜΑ (January 10, 1999).
6. Argeads and the Vergina Sun - www.matia.gr/7/71/7106/7106_1_8.html
7. Website of the Pan Macedonian Association - www.macedonia.com/english/
8. (13 September 1995) “Interim Accord (with related letters and translations of the Interim Accord in the languages ​​of the Contracting Parties) - untreaty.un.org/unts/120001_144071/6/3/00004456.pdf.” UN Treaty Series 1891 : Article 7.2 and Related Letters pp.15–18. Retrieved 20 March 2011.

Sources

• Philip II, Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Heritage, ed. W. Lindsay Adams and Eugene N. Borza. University Press of America, 1982. ISBN 0-8191-2448-6
• The Larnakes from Tomb II at Vergina. Archaeological News. John Paul Adams
• In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon, Eugene N. Borza. Princeton University Press, 1990. ISBN 0-691-05549-1
• "Macedonia Redux", Eugene N. Borza, in The Eye Expanded: life and the arts in Greco-Roman Antiquity, ed. Frances B Tichener & Richard F. Moorton. University of California Press, 1999. ISBN 0-520-21029-8
• Macedonia: The Politics of Identity and Difference, Jane K. Cowan. Pluto Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7453-1589-5
• The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World, Loring M. Danforth. Princeton University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-691-04357-4
• Macedonia and Greece: The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation, McFarland & Company, 1997. ISBN 0-7864-0228-8

5. External links

• - www.wipo.int/cgi-6te/guest/ifetch5?ENG 6TER 15 1151315-REVERSE 0 0 1055 F 125 431 101 25 SEP-0/HITNUM,B KIND/Emblem
• Image of gold box with Vergina Sun in Thessaloniki Museum - www.kzu.ch/fach/as/aktuell/2000/04_vergina/verg_04.htm
• Flags of Greek Macedonia - www.fotw.net/flags/gr-maced.html - Flags of the World
• The Vergina Sun - www.tetraktys.org/images/tetraktys_ani.gif
• Republic of Macedonia National Flag 1992-1995 - www.fotw.net/flags/mk_verg.html - Flags of the World

download
This abstract is based on the request “Star (heraldry)” is redirected here. A separate article is needed on this topic. Relief, 9th - 11th centuries, Solin, southern Slavs

Five-pointed star- a geometric figure that can be drawn with one continuous line.

Formed by connecting lines of equal length at angles of 36° at each vertex. Continuation of the lines into the star until the lines converge together forms a pentagram. The five-pointed star is an important religious and ideological symbol and is therefore widely used. The five-pointed star is used in heraldic devices which are often used as state and military symbols. The five-pointed star is one of the symbols of Islam - the five pillars of Islam or the five daily prayers.

Pythagoras argued that such a star, or, as he called it, hygieia (ύγιεια, in honor of the Greek goddess of health Hygieia), represents mathematical perfection, since it hides the golden ratio.

Symbolism

The five-pointed star - pentacle, as a symbol of protection and safety, has been known for more than three thousand years. It was used in their totems and ritual drawings by primitive people and representatives of the earliest civilizations in the territories of modern Greece, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. The pentacle was a revered emblem in Japan and among the American Indians. Among the Sami of Russian Lapland, the five-pointed star was considered a universal amulet that protects reindeer - the basis of the way of life of most northerners.

Pentagrammaton Agrippa (1486 - 1536)

During the times of Ancient Rome, the five-pointed star was a symbol for the Romans of the god of war - Mars - and denoted the lily from which he was born.

The five-pointed star resembles a man with arms extended to the sides and legs spread apart, similar to the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci (“Vitruvian Man”) and Agrippa of Nettesheim.

Inverted, it is used as the seal of Baphomet; in normal form, it was used as a symbol of Satanism by Eliphas Levi.

In Soviet Russia, the five-pointed red star, according to Kibalchich, was first used on military uniforms by Kronstadt sailors led by Lyonka Panteleev during the assault Winter Palace in October 1917, subsequently borrowed by the Red Army.

Five-pointed star: meaning, symbol. How to make a three-dimensional five-pointed star from paper?

Stars have interested people's minds since ancient times. A five-pointed star, or, as it is also called, a pentagram, or a pentacle with rays intersecting at one point, corresponds to the golden ratio according to Leonardo da Vinci and the addition of two and three, meaning difference and perfection according to Pythagoras. With the top up it means the divine principle, and down - satanic symbols. This is the matrix of cosmic man, the star of priests and alchemists. For Freemasons, it symbolizes a reborn man.

Light, spirituality, and inspiration are symbolized by a five-pointed star with its top pointing upward. It takes on the exact opposite value when the top is down. This is darkness, black magic and witchcraft.

In ancient Egypt it meant the highest God Zorus. In the Bible - the key to the kingdom of heaven, and the peaks represent the five wounds of Jesus Christ and the Bethlehem Christmas star. In Judaism, this is the Pentateuch, which was received by Moses.

For Pythagoras, the addition of two and three, difference and perfection, means a five-pointed star. The symbol in Ancient Greece meant the five elements: air, fire, ether, earth and water.

And the red star of the Bolsheviks symbolized Mars, the god of war, as well as the peaceful labor of workers.

It is present among the symbols of many countries and means invincibility, strength and power. In addition to its detailed description, the article tells how to make a five-pointed star.

Stars are six-, seven-, eight-, ten-, twelve-pointed. Meaning

Stars can have different numbers of angles and are endowed with different sacred meanings

Triangular in the Bible means the Providence of God (the All-Seeing Eye).

Quadrangular - a symbol of light and guidance, a cross.

The six-pointed Star of David, which consists of two triangles intersecting each other, served as a talisman for the Jews. In Hebrew it was called the “shield of David.” In Kabbalah, she protected from evil spirits. And currently it is a symbol of the Zionists.

The six-pointed star of Bethlehem is a sign of the Nativity of Christ.

The seven-pointed star is the star of the East.

The eight-pointed one, like the doubled four-pointed one, symbolizes the cross. For a long time there was such a star in Rus'. It meant not only the essence of being, but was also the fundamental principle of other magical signs. Later, under Christianity, such a star was not rejected, but began to bear the name of the Virgin Mary.

A star consisting of twelve rays signifies perfection.

The symbol of the ancients

Even primitive people used this symbol in ritual drawings and totems.

In ancient times, these signs were also known in Sumer and Egypt. On the one hand, they meant peace and amulet, and on the other, power over the whole world. The upper corner personified the ruler, and the rest represented the cardinal directions that submitted to him.

Pythagoras imagined that the five-pointed star was perfection, and his students believed that the world consists of elements - five elements: air, water, earth, fire and ether. These elements, in their opinion, mean a five-pointed star. A symbol of strength and fortitude, she protected and defended people. For the Druids in Gaul, Ireland and Britain it meant the same thing. Called the Druid's cross, the pentagram could be found on many window panes in Gothic buildings.

Even the Japanese and American Indians revered her.

The Sami of Russian Lapland considered it a talisman, and in North Karelia it protected hunters from forest predators.

The magic pentacle is a five-pointed star in a circle, which is also called the star of Solomon. It symbolizes the divine power of God or man. Magicians embroidered it on their clothes and painted it inside or outside the circle. Such amulets protected against attacks by demons.

Leonardo da Vinci's symbol

The Italian genius associated the star with the human body, in which the top of the star was assigned to the head, and the other four corners meant the arms and legs. He was called the Vitruvian Man.

The figure of a young man is located inside a circle with arms and legs spread apart. This drawing and Da Vinci’s explanations are sometimes called the canonical proportions, the ideal man.

Christian symbol

This star is also revered in Christianity.

Seal of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who created the official Christian religion, was in the shape of a pentagram, because he believed that it was she who showed him the way.

The five-pointed star does not only represent the five wounds of Jesus. These are also Mary's five joys in serving Christ. It is not without reason that the sign has long been used to decorate Christmas trees.

Masonic symbol

The five-pointed star received a different, ominous meaning in the Middle Ages. The meaning of upside down is the sign of Satan. It was used in the rituals of sorcerers and witches, taking it as a symbol of Satan. In this form, she looks like a horned goat.

As a seal of Freemasonry and Kabbalah, the star became known to many not so long ago.

In the fourteenth century it was shown to the world as a symbol of the god Allah and Mohammed.

During their spells, Masons wear a headdress with a pentagram and tetragram on their heads. As they themselves say, the five-pointed star is a symbol of the power of Reason, depicting Satan in an inverted form.

Once at the end of the eighteenth century in France and Italy, the Freemasons passed through the city in public, magnificent processions. Pope Leo the Thirteenth protested against such brazen praise of Satan. However, the Freemasons calmly objected to him in the journal they published. Thus, the cult of Satan spread throughout the world.

For example, in New York, the Thirteen Club was formed, in which Satan was elected a lifelong member.

The whole of Europe was covered by the teachings of the Freemasons. However, it came to Russia only after Peter the Great cut a window to Europe.

Symbol in pre-revolutionary Russia and the USSR

In Russia, until 1917, such stars were rarely used in symbolism. But after the revolution, the pentacle was chosen as such. Some believe that it was Military Commissar Nikolai Polyansky who first proposed the star, others say that it was Konstantin Eremeev. But it was Leon Trotsky who finally rooted it as a symbol of the Bolsheviks.

Having really spread first during the Great french revolution, the five-pointed star was perceived as a symbol of the god of war, Mars. In the same interpretation, it was picked up by Soviet revolutionaries in the Red Army, as well as many other armies of the world, although in our country it was introduced by Nicholas the First in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Few people know that initially the soldiers of the Red Army had an inverted red star as a distinction. Only later was it changed, since such an image caused much indignation among the people, who associated it in this position with the horns of the devil.

A star in the modern world

WITH different numbers rays, this symbol is used by all world religions. It is also most often found in state symbols.

For example, the flag of Israel features the six-pointed Star of David of Judaism.

The emblem of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations depicts an eight-pointed star - a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

The Turkish flag has a five-pointed star located next to a crescent.

Azerbaijani - eight-pointed, and Malaysian - fourteen-pointed.

How to draw a five-pointed star

Take a ruler, pencil, eraser and paper. The first corner is drawn. This is the top. Next, a perpendicular line is drawn underneath it, protruding equally on both sides, and from the ends the same angles are drawn down, but the lines should be longer. After this, the lines coming from the top of the corners are connected, forming the bottom corners. Then, armed with an eraser, erase the inner arrows.

Since you can draw a five-pointed star in a simple and complex way, stop at this stage or do it further. For the second option, lines with all angles are drawn exactly from the middle of the figure. To give a volumetric shadow effect, every second triangle is shaded. Now the complicated star drawing is ready!

How to make a star

A five-pointed star with your own hands can be made from just one square sheet of paper using scissors.

To do this, you first need to fold it in half with the fold line at the bottom. We again bend the two resulting squares twice diagonally. The fold lines this time should be in the opposite direction. The lower left corner connects to the center of the diagonals. Its corner bends back. Then the right side of the sheet is connected to the resulting bend, and the corner is bent, as with the left side. The resulting figure resembles an airplane.

From the last corners there are still small corners that need to be cut off. The result, after straightening, is a three-dimensional five-pointed star.

Using a template to make a star

To make a five-pointed star out of paper using a template, you will need: paper of any thickness, scissors, a printer and glue.

Cardboard, book or magazine sheets may work well for this purpose. However, if the construction of a five-pointed star is planned big size, then the paper should be thick enough. To do this, take five cardboard sheets, print out the blanks of the rays of the template you like, cut them out, glue them first separately, and then together. That's all. The finishing touch the rays are decorated with all kinds of sparkles, beads and sequins.

How to make a three-dimensional five-pointed star

In another version of the craft, you will need colored or patterned paper, glue and scissors, a ruler, a protractor and a pencil, as well as a printer.

First, a five-pointed star template is made or downloaded from the Internet. Then two transverse axes are outlined - vertical and horizontal. Next, lines are drawn every thirty-six degrees. From every second line, segments are drawn, cutting them out to create depressions future star. The resulting segments are connected at the dividing points with adjacent lines at the intersection of the circle.

After the template is cut out, the five-pointed star made of paper is folded in half along the lines.

Having turned the star upward, the same is repeated with the depressions.

Having made two such stars, we glue them together using special paper tabs, inside out.

After drying, volume is carefully added, and the craft is gradually and slowly filled with air from the inside. This is how you get a regular five-pointed star.

star - symbol I've been looking for information for a long time

Quote from AAUUMM Read in full In your quotation book or community!
The star is a symbol.
STARS - one of the most ancient symbols of humanity, adopted by the heraldry of all nations, belongs to the number of so-called astral signs. The star in general as a concept has long served as a symbol of eternity, and later (from the 18th century) - a symbol of high aspirations, ideals (which are eternal, imperishable) and from the end of the 18th century it began to be used as an emblem of guidance, happiness (“he was born under a lucky star”) . The motto is “Ad aspera!” (“To the stars!”) therefore means “To the sublime, to the ideal!” Stars in heraldry and emblems differ both in the number of angles or rays forming them, and in color. The combination of both gives different national meanings of the stars or nuances in their meaning.

Triangular star ("All-Seeing Eye")
A biblical sign, otherwise called the All-Seeing Eye (an eye inscribed in a triangle), a symbol of Divine Providence and the emblem of the Trinity.
In Freemasonry, a triangular star (or pyramid) with an eye inscribed in it is the Radiant Delta. The official (Grand Lodge of Russia) description of the Radiant Delta reads: “The Radiant Delta is usually located in the eastern part of the temple, and on both sides of it are the Sun (closer to the south) and the Moon (closer to the north). The Radiant Delta is a triangle with an eye placed inside it - a sign of enlightenment or the principle of consciousness, otherwise, the all-seeing eye, constantly present in all the works of the lodge, creating the energy of the presence of the Supreme Being during ritual work, constant radiation - affirmation of being. A mathematical point, which has no dimensions, but is located everywhere, fills the boundlessness of space. It is also a symbol of awareness and attention, and mutual attention, the attention that the Supreme Being shows to a caddom of brothers, the attention that each brother should show to the world.The Radiant Delta reminds us that each Mason has his own Masonic star ", which shines on him in his labors and guides him in his searches. The Radiant Delta is the main Masonic symbol of the first degree, the degree of the student."
The same symbol appears on the sketch of the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The all-seeing eye is inscribed in the unfinished pyramid of 13 rows of stone, surrounded by the Latin inscriptions “Annui coeptis” (He (the Lord) is favorable to our undertaking) and “Novus Ordo seclorum” (“A new order for centuries,” a paraphrase of Virgil’s verse “Seclorum novus nascitur”) ordo" - "A new order of centuries is born"). The reverse side of the Great Seal was never engraved, and the symbol of the all-seeing eye "moved" to the $1 banknote.
The triangular star sign was used in Russia under Emperor Alexander I - it was introduced as an emblem in orders and medals awarded to participants in the Patriotic War of 1812-1814.

The three-pointed star is the emblem of the tripartite unity of republican and democratic forces (communists, socialists, democrats). The sign of this star was awarded (noted) to fighters of the international brigades in Spain during the civil war of 1936-1939.

* The four-pointed star is a symbol of guidance (light in the darkness of the night), adopted mainly by Christianity, in its form it is associated with the cross. It is also used as an order emblem as a Krashan and as a frame for order insignia in a number of countries. In our country, it is used exclusively on departmental military orders (not state ones).
The four-pointed star is used by NATO, the CIA and other intelligence agencies as a sign (symbol) of the correctness of their chosen path, as an emblem of a happy (or successful) destiny (or career) and is included in the service badges of employees of these intelligence services. By analogy with them, the agency “Alex” in our country, which is engaged in ensuring the security of organizations and individuals, made a quadrangular star (an equilateral rhombus) its emblem.
In a number of Western European countries, as well as in Japan and the USSR, from the 60-70s, the four-pointed star served as the emblem of martial arts (especially karatekas, kungfuists, etc.) and was introduced into club badges and certificates. The differences between different clubs from each other are manifested in emblematic terms in that the color, angle of the rays, their rotation and length, as well as additional accessories (see armament of emblems) can vary endlessly, while the general shape of the four-rayed star is invariably preserved .

the pentagram is a symbol of protection, security, one of the most ancient signs (symbols) of humanity. It is of ancient Eastern origin. Used as a military emblem; for its history and use, see Red five-pointed star.
The correct pentagram (point up) is a symbol of eternal youth and health among the Pythagoreans, in alchemy it is a symbolic representation of the human body (two arms, two legs and a head), in occultism it is a symbol of protection, security (a sign of protection from evil spirits), the legendary key of Solomon , in Christianity, the emblem of the five wounds of the crucified Christ. The pentagram with its point down is an emblem of evil spirits, one of the tools of black magic. An incorrectly drawn pentagram is not able to protect the magician from the summoned demon: for example, in Goethe’s “Faust” it was the incorrectly drawn pentagram that allowed Mephistopheles to enter the human world.
The pentagram is a truncated hexagram in which harmony is disturbed; in a pentagram with the apex up, light verses predominate, in a pentagram with the apex down, dark ones predominate. The sum of the angles of the pentagram is 180 degrees, i.e. similar to one of the triangles that make up the hexagram - good or evil. Medieval philosophers said that the pentagram, unlike the hexagram, is one, it cannot be decomposed into two figures; which symbolizes the stability of a “unipolar” world. The pentagram with its apex up is the emblem of the triumph of goodness and truth.
In antiquity, the pentagram was also considered a symbol of the beauty of the world, since it is based on the “golden ratio”, which is the personification of the beauty of proportions in nature.
In the Middle Ages, both the pentagram and the hexagram were called either the “Star of David” or the “Star of Solomon.” It was believed that the image of this star, together with the sacred 72-letter name of God, was engraved on a military shield and brought victory to the owner of the shield in all battles.
The red five-pointed star is the emblem of the Soviet Armed Forces (red is a “revolutionary” color; the star is a talisman and a symbol of high aspirations) and the emblem of international workers’ solidarity (as a complement to the motto “Workers of all countries, unite!”).

Six-pointed star.
An ancient oriental symbol, emblem of Egyptian occultism.
In the form of a regular (flat hexagon - the biblical, otherwise the star of Bethlehem; this shape, according to interpretations of the Bible, had the star that shone over the house in which Jesus was born. In the form of two triangles superimposed on each other (with their vertices in opposite directions) - the so-called Star of David, emblem of the marriage of heaven and earth.
hexagram In Christianity, a six-pointed star symbolizes the six days of creation. Also interpreted as a symbol of the struggle between God and the devil (God is the upper triangle, the devil is the lower).
The occult-theosophical interpretation of this image says that the hexagram expresses the perfection of the universe, since it is the product of the feminine number 2 (two triangles) and the masculine number 3 (three corners of each figure). There is also an “eschatological” interpretation: since the hexagram is the product of 6, 6, 6, 6 angles, 6 small triangles, 6 sides of the inner hexagon), it was associated with the number of the beast and the Antichrist.
A.I. Kuprin in “The Star of Solomon” gives the following “demonic” description of the star of Solomon:
“The whole book was interspersed with the text with many strange recipes, complex drawings, mathematical and chemical formulas, drawings, constellations and zodiac signs. But most often, on almost every page, there was a drawing of two equal triangles superimposed on each other so that the bases they were opposite each other parallel, and the vertices were one at the top, the other at the bottom, and the whole figure was something like a six-pointed star with twelve points of intersection. This drawing was called in my uncle’s cipher “The Star of Solomon.”
And always the “Star of Solomon” was accompanied in the margins or below by a column of the same seven names, written in different languages: sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Greek, sometimes in French and in Russian: Astoret (sometimes Astaroth or Ashtaret ).
Asmodeus.
Belial (sometimes Baal, Bel, Beelzebub).
Dagon.
Lucifer.
Moloch.
Hamman (sometimes Amman and Gamman).
It was clear that all three of Color's predecessors were trying to make up some new combination from the letters included in the names of these ancient evil demons - maybe a word, maybe a whole phrase - and place it one letter at a time at the intersection points of the "Star of Solomon" " or in the triangles it forms. Tsvet found traces of these countless, but probably futile, attempts everywhere. Three people successively, one after another, worked for a whole century to solve some mysterious problem, one in his princely estate, the other in Moscow, the third in the wilderness of Starodub district. One strange circumstance did not escape Tsvet's attention. No matter how fantastically the previous owners of the book rearranged and glued the letters together, their work always and inevitably included two syllables: “Satan.”
In European occultism, the six-pointed star is sometimes called the star of Solomon (who commanded the spirits and who had this star inscribed on his famous seal and was an amulet against evil spirits) and symbolizes the triumph of the triad.
In Freemasonry, the star of Solomon is an emblem of transcendental wisdom.
In classical heraldry, the image of a star in general. The blue Star of David has been a symbol of Israel since the early 1950s, the national emblem of this country (along with the seven-branched candlestick). The yellow biblical star was applied to the clothing of Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The red six-pointed star on a white field (also called Etoile Rouge) is the emblem of the International Union of Humane Societies.
Since the 14th century The six-pointed star is used as an order emblem in many European countries.

* The seven-pointed star is one of the ancient symbols of the East, ancient civilizations. Known in Ancient Assyria, Chaldea, Sumer and Akkad. Since ancient times, since the 1st century AD. e., such a star was the emblem of Iberia (ancient Georgia), where an astral cult was developed, and later, under the Bagratids, it became one of the main emblems of Kartalinia (until the mid-15th century). In 1918-1922 it was the emblem of Menshevik Georgia, and in 1923-1936 it was “dragged” into the coat of arms of the Georgian SSR in all its variants under the guise of a disguised national ornament, and, being visible and distinguishable on the coat of arms, it was not indicated in the description of the article. 180 of the Georgian SSR directly, but was called “a border with a pattern of Georgian ornaments.” Since mid-1991, it officially became the coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia with an inscribed image of St. George the Victorious on a horse galloping to the heraldic left side. In modern foreign emblems, the seven-pointed star is used only when they want to express the concept of a star in general and try to avoid its interpretation both as a military emblem and as a religious one. Australia has a seven-pointed star (stars) in its coat of arms and on the flag and on the flag of Jordan; both countries thereby express their desire to distinguish themselves primarily from neighboring countries (Australia from New Zealand and Jordan from Israel), which also use stars in their coats of arms (New Zealand - five-pointed and Israel - six-pointed). The seven-pointed star is occasionally used as a badge of order, for example the English Order of St. Michael and St. George (1818).

Eight-pointed stars are, in fact, disguised crosses (two four-pointed stars), which is why Catholic countries - Colombia, Peru, and the Philippines - have such stars in their coats of arms. In addition, the eight-pointed star is the most common insignia of the order in all European and American Christian states. The eight-pointed star is especially often used for krashans. An almost regular octagon, formed by superimposing diagonally two squares on top of each other while preserving the lines of their intersections, was used as a symbol accompanying images of the god of hosts (god the father, more correctly, the god of forces, armies) in Russian icon painting and Christian Orthodox symbolism of pre-Nikonian times, especially from the XIV to the XVI centuries. This eight-pointed symbolic sign was depicted either at the top of icons (most often in the upper right corner), or instead of a halo, or as a background above the head of Hosts. Often both quadrangles were painted (the upper one in green and the underlying one in red) or were bordered by stripes of this color. Images of this kind are typical for the North of Russia and are available (preserved) in the museums of Rostov the Great, Vologda, and Perm. They mean (symbolize) eight millennia (“seven centuries of the Creator and the future age of the Father”*) and at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries were recognized as “heretical” from the point of view of the canons of official Orthodoxy. An eight-pointed white star with a red border and the motto “Blood and Fire” is the emblem of the British and other Anglo-Saxon branches of “The Salvation army” - a socio-religious charitable organization founded by William and Catherine Booth in London in 1865 and which became international since 1880.

Nine-rayed stars are almost never found in practice. They are used in rare cases only as orders in small Islamic states (for example, in the Sultanate of Johor on the Malacca Peninsula).
According to esoteric ideas, if the number nine symbolized a circle, then the number one is the center of the circle, and the entire circle with the center inside represents the number ten (10=9+1). H.E. Kerlot gives the triple nature of nine the following characteristics: “Nine is the triangle of the triad and the tripling of the three. Consequently, it is a complex image of the three worlds. Nine is the end - the limit of the digital series before its return to one. For the Jews, this number was a symbol of truth, being, characterized by the fact that, multiplied, it reproduces itself (in mystical addition).
....................................................
Ten-pointed or ten-pointed stars were used in Soviet emblems and in the emblems of other countries that had a five-pointed star as their official emblem, because a ten-pointed star is only a five-pointed star repeated twice. Such stars are used mainly to create insignia, especially in the Arab states of North Africa.
.................................................
The eleven-pointed star is exclusively of the order, and, moreover, rare. In the past it was used in the orders of Portugal and Imperial Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
.......................................................

A twelve-pointed star means a sign of perfection. In state emblems, that is, in coats of arms, this sign is now used by only two states - Nauru and Nepal. The emblems of these states - the 12-rayed Sun - are essentially stars, for the Sun in heraldry is recognized as a star image that has 16 rays (see Rays), and everything that has less than 16 refers, therefore, to stars. In European emblems, the 12-pointed star was used in the GDR on medals for outstanding service and loyalty, that is, as a sign of perfection of moral or professional qualities, for example, on police badges.
............................................................
The thirteen-rayed star did not exist and does not exist.
...............................................................


Only two states have a fourteen-pointed star as their state emblem - Malaysia (in the coat of arms and flag) and Ethiopia (in the coat of arms). In Malaysia, this number of beams was established because it reflected the number of members of the Malaysian Federation at its formation in 1963. However, in 1965, one of its members - Singapore - without the consent of the head of state - the Sultan - unilaterally left the federation and declared itself an independent state. But Malaysia even after that left a 14-pointed star in its coat of arms, and 14 stripes on its flag, thereby emphasizing that Singapore’s secession is not officially recognized. In Ethiopia, the 14-pointed star became the main coat of arms after the 1974 revolution and appeared for the first time in the state emblem in 1975 as a completely new element (previously, in imperial Ethiopia, the six-pointed star of Bethlehem was revered). It was supposed to emphasize both the antiquity of Ethiopian culture (seven-pointed star) and its modern revival and renewal (double seven-pointed star). This emblem ceased to exist in 1991 due to the overthrow of the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam.
........................................................
Fifteen-pointed star. Theoretically, such a star is possible as a heraldic emblem with the meaning of a triple five-pointed star and used in ornaments, insignia, on medals, etc. However, there is not yet an organization or state that would use this emblem and justify its use.
..........................................................
Sixteen-pointed star. The presence of 16 rays on a star means that such a star represents the Sun, and, therefore, in emblems it is no longer called a star, but the Sun, since according to heraldic rules, 16 is the minimum number of rays that gives grounds to call the image the Sun, and any number of rays over 16 and a multiple of 4 are also sufficient for the image possessing them to be called the Sun.
A sixteen-pointed star, like a sixteen-pointed one, can be considered an image of the Sun, especially if it occurs alone or as part of an ornament. At the same time, precisely as a sign of solar purity, clarity and immaculateness, the image of a 16-pointed star since the times of pagan Ancient Rome was considered an emblem of virginity, and hence, already in the era of early Christianity, it accompanied images of the Holy Virgin, i.e., the Mother of God, which was later reflected in the Byzantine iconography. Since the virgin and maiden are called Virgo in Latin, the 16-pointed star as an emblem of the Holy Virgin Mary later received the name Virgin Star. Until very recently, this star was not used in state heraldry, as it was considered a reserved religious emblem. However, in 1991, the newly created state of Macedonia on the ruins of the former Yugoslavia (from the Yugoslav republic of the same name) adopted the 16-pointed Virgin Star as its main state emblem, citing the fact that even before the introduction of Christianity, in the 4th century. BC e. under Philip II (359-336), this emblem was a kind of coat of arms of the Macedonian kingdom. Since Greece, as well as the Greek (and universal) Orthodox Church, opposed such use of the Virgin Star, a UN mediation commission was created to resolve the conflict, which in May 1993 outlined its recommendations, which were supported in early June 1993 by the UN Secretary General Boutros Gali. According to them, Macedonia must remove the Virgin Star from its national flag, and also change the name of the country to “New Macedonia” or “Slavomacedonia” in order to completely eliminate any associations with Ancient Macedonia and thereby remove Greece’s fears about the territorial claims of the newly-minted heir to the Macedonian kingdom, because Greece has the province of Macedonia, which at one time was part of Ancient Macedonia. However, the Macedonian government refused to implement these UN recommendations.
................................................................
As for the color of the stars, they can have any heraldic colors. In this case, the color usually indicates the national or political affiliation of the star emblem
The most common color of stars is white (silver). This is the classic color of the star in old heraldry, and is still followed by most states. The gold color of the star is less commonly accepted. It usually indicates the extremely important, state significance attached to the star emblem as the main coat of arms of a given country. Thus, China, Vietnam, Angola, Indonesia, Congo (Brazzaville), Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Suriname have gold stars in their coat of arms and flag. Sometimes the star is given only a gold border, emphasizing its significance as a state sign (for example, the red stars of the USSR, SFRY, NRB, HPR, NSRA had a gold border).
The color red is found only in five-pointed stars, which served as an emblem for socialist states.
The only exceptions are El Salvador and New Zealand, which, having introduced the image of the Southern Cross of four five-pointed stars into their flag and coat of arms, gave them a red color solely to distinguish this emblem, which is also available in other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. Until 1991, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Djibouti, PDRY, North Korea, Yugoslavia, Laos, Mozambique, Mongolia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, USSR, Zimbabwe had a red five-pointed star in their coats of arms until 1991. Of these, only North Korea and Laos retained these emblems after 1991.
* Five-pointed green stars belong, as a rule, to Arab states, and from African ones - Senegal, where the vast majority of the population is Muslim.
* The black color of the star was used extremely rarely in classical heraldry and symbolized the opposite of the concept of a star - not light, but darkness, night. In modern practice, since the 60s of the XX century. black and met stars are used as their distinctive, national new African states - Ghana, Gminea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, as well as the ANC party in South Africa, whose emblem is a red five-pointed star with a red sickle and hammer. As a political party symbol, the black five-pointed star is used by anarcho-syndicalists in Western Europe.
* Blue color stars are relatively rare and common type. in Cameroon and Panama. It means that the guiding principle for these countries is peaceful politics.
....................................................................
http://www.symbolsworld.narod.ru/Zvezda.html
http://www.blogs.mail.ru/mail/russian7777/59CBACF7654568E6.html
http://psylive.ru/?mod=articles&gl=4&id=149

What does the communist star mean?

who knows its origin and why it became a communist symbol?

Igor zi

The red star is one of the key symbols Soviet era along with the hammer and sickle. It meant the unity of the world proletariat of all five continents: the five ends of the star - the five continents of the planet. Red is the color of the proletarian revolution and biblical purification by blood; he had to unite all five continents with a single goal and a single beginning. This is the occult side of the Soviet symbol.
The red star was usually called the "star of Mars" after the ancient Roman god of war, Mars. In the Soviet tradition, Mars symbolized the protection of peaceful labor. Therefore, it is no coincidence that it is the red star that flies over the planet in the coat of arms of the USSR. The red star symbolized the liberation of workers from “hunger, war, poverty and slavery.”
In April 1918, the emblem of the Red Army appeared - a five-pointed red star with a gold border, in the middle there is a gold plow and hammer, symbolizing the union of peasants and workers. The emblem was approved by the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs on April 19, 1918. The final design of the star was approved by the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs in July 1918. Later, the emblem was simplified - instead of a plow, a more visual sickle began to be depicted. This was officially formalized by order of the Revolutionary Military Council on April 13, 1922.
The red star was often depicted on the flags and state symbols of socialist countries as a sign of solidarity between ideologies and development paths.
In the meaning of “Mars” the star appeared in the tsarist army. By decree of Emperor Nicholas I on January 1, 1827, stars appeared on the epaulettes of Russian officers and generals, in the manner of the French. And on April 29, 1854 - already sewn stars on the newly established shoulder straps.
Later the star appeared on the band of his cap. This first happened on April 21, 1917, when by order of the Minister of Military and Naval Affairs of the Provisional Government A.I. Guchkov for the Navy and Maritime Department No. 150, shoulder straps were replaced with sleeve insignia and a new cockade was introduced. A five-pointed star was placed above a rosette with an anchor.
The Great October Socialist Revolution, like almost all others, sweeping away the old political system, destroyed its attributes, including almost the entire iconic system of the old armed forces. However, with the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, the question arose about the iconic function of military clothing. Such an objective factor as identification, operating on the principle of “friend or foe,” urgently required the introduction of some signs of belonging to the Red Army. Moreover, during the civil war, the warring sides used the same cut of clothing left over from the old army.
At first, the red five-pointed star became such a difference. It was first mentioned in the newspaper “Izvestia of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Peasants, Workers, Soldiers and Cossack Deputies” on April 19, 1918. A small note in the “Chronicle” section said that the Commissariat for Military Affairs approved a drawing of a breastplate for soldiers of the Red Army in the form of a red star with a golden image of a plow and a hammer in the center. The configuration of the sign embodies the oldest symbol of protection. The plow and hammer were read as a union of workers and peasants. The color red represented revolution and the god of war, Mars. It is not surprising that when it was officially approved by order of the People's Commissar of Military Affairs of the Republic No. 321 of May 7, 1918, it received the name “Mars star with a plow and hammer”, it was announced that this sign“It belongs to persons serving in the Red Army,” and it was also categorically prohibited, even to the point of being adjudicated by a revolutionary tribunal, its use by those not in the army.