The pentagram has long been associated with the Occult, however, could the magic of the pentagram lie in math? What! It does!?! I was reminded of this, when I recently watched Disney’s Donald in Mathmagic Land. This entertaining educational film is approximately 27 minutes long and is a fun watch.
During the film, Donald Duck travels to ancient Greece and learns about Pythagoras. Now Pythagoras discovers that the pentagram has a special number hidden inside called the Golden Ratio, which equals approximately 1.618. Pythagoras also works with other people, who enjoy discussing new ideas and thoughts such as the Golden Ratio, Pythagorean theorem and mathematical/experimental study of music. Thus, the Pythagoras’s secret society was born. In order to attend a secret Pythagorean society meeting, one needed a pentagram on the palm of their hand. Donald Duck obtains such a pentagram in order to join in on the society meeting. Next, the pentagram is shown to contain the pattern for constructing infinite amount of golden rectangles. The golden rectangle has influenced both ancient and modern cultures in many ways.
Donald in Mathmagic Land made me ponder if the origins of the pentagram are older than Ancient Greece. This led me down the rabbit hole to discover that the origins of the pentagram symbol, which can be traced to Mesopotamia and as far back as 3500 or 3000 BC. The Chaldees of Mesopotamia inscribed the symbol on their pottery and other artifacts. The Sumerian pentagrams were said to connote the word “UB,” meaning “corner” or “angle”. The Babylonians perhaps thought the five points of the shape referred to Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Venus.
Continuing down the rabbit hole, the Hebrews actually used the pentagram as a symbol of truth and to represent the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Druids referred to the pentagram as the Godhead and the early Christians believed the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Christ. Prior to the Inquisition, the pentagram had no evil associations and was viewed as a symbol of truth.
Not much is known about the pentagram between the years of 3500 or 3000 BC. I hope they discover more information during this time frame. It would be great to understand the symbolism of the pentagram during this time. If you have a chance you should watch Disney’s Donald in Mathmagic Land and see what you discover.
