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A brass ring on a medieval finger, a wax impression on a petition to a king, a diagram inked into the margin of a grimoire. The five-pointed star and the name of Solomon appear together so often in occult literature that many assume they are the same symbol. They are not. The pentagram is a geometric figure; the Seal of Solomon is a specific hexagram. The relationship between them is not identity but lineage: both belong to the same family of protective and binding diagrams, and both were attributed to Solomon by medieval magicians who believed he had imprisoned demons inside sealed vessels.

The confusion is older than most people realize. By the time the Key of Solomon circulated in manuscript form during the 14th century, the pentagram was already being called the “Seal of Solomon” in some traditions. The hexagram, today known as the Star of David, was a latecomer to that title. Understanding how these two symbols became entangled requires tracing the history of Solomonic magic itself, from Byzantine amulets to Renaissance grimoires.

Where Did the Pentagram First Appear in Solomonic Texts?

Where Did the Pentagram First Appear in Solomonic Texts

The earliest surviving Solomonic grimoire, the Hygromanteia (a 14th-century Byzantine manuscript), contains no pentagrams. Its diagrams are circles, triangles, and the occasional hexagram. The pentagram enters the tradition through the Key of Solomon, which survives in multiple Latin and vernacular copies from the 15th and 16th centuries.

In the Key of Solomon, the pentagram appears as one of many “pentacles” — circular talismans inscribed with divine names, angelic sigils, and geometric figures. The pentagram inside these pentacles is not the star we draw today. It is a continuous, unbroken line that traces the star without lifting the pen. This “endless knot” quality mattered to the magician: a broken line left an opening for spirits to escape.

The attribution to Solomon was strategic. Medieval magicians needed authority. By claiming their diagrams came from the biblical king who built the Temple and commanded demons, they gave their practice a pedigree that Christian censors could not easily attack. The pentagram became Solomonic not because Solomon drew it, but because the magicians who used it said he did.

What Is the Actual Seal of Solomon?

The Seal of Solomon is a hexagram: two interlocking triangles, one pointing up, one pointing down. The earliest known reference to this symbol as Solomon’s seal appears in the Testament of Solomon, a Greek text from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. In that text, Solomon receives a ring from the archangel Michael. The ring is engraved with a pentalpha (a five-pointed star) or a hexagram — sources disagree on the original shape.

By the 6th century CE, Byzantine amulets called “Solomonic seals” used the hexagram almost exclusively. These amulets were worn to ward off illness, evil spirits, and the evil eye. The hexagram was carved into bronze or iron, often with the name of God or the archangels around its points.

The pentagram and hexagram coexisted in Solomonic magic for centuries. The Key of Solomon uses both. The hexagram appears in the “Greater Key” (the first book, dealing with evocation of spirits). The pentagram appears in the “Lesser Key” (the second book, dealing with talismans and practical magic). The distinction is functional: the hexagram for summoning, the pentagram for binding.

How Did the Pentagram Become Associated with Solomon Specifically?

The association crystallized in the 16th and 17th centuries, when printed grimoires standardized the imagery. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1533) included both symbols in his discussion of magical seals. Agrippa wrote that the pentagram “is the sign of the microcosm, representing the five wounds of Christ and the five senses of man.” He did not call it Solomonic. But later editors of the Key of Solomon added pentagrams to their manuscripts, and the association stuck.

The turning point came with the Lemegeton (the “Lesser Key of Solomon”), a 17th-century compilation that became the most influential grimoire in Western occultism. The Lemegeton describes seventy-two demons, each with a seal. Many of those seals incorporate pentagrams. The book’s frontispiece in some editions shows Solomon kneeling before a pentagram inscribed on the floor.

By the 19th century, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn had codified the pentagram as a Solomonic tool. Their “Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram” — still the most widely practiced magical ritual in the Western tradition, is explicitly attributed to Solomonic sources. The ritual traces a pentagram in the air at each cardinal direction, invoking divine names that appear in the Key of Solomon.

What Does the Pentagram Mean in Solomonic Magic?

In the Key of Solomon, the pentagram is first and foremost a binding instrument. The magician draws it on the ground, on a talisman, or in the air to confine a spirit within its lines. The five points correspond to the five wounds of Christ in Christian grimoires, or to the five elements (earth, air, fire, water, spirit) in Hermetic ones.

The direction of the star matters. A pentagram with one point up represents spirit ruling over matter, the proper orientation for binding and protection. A pentagram with two points up (the “inverted” pentagram) appears in some Solomonic texts as a sign of the demonic, though this distinction is largely a 19th-century invention. Medieval grimoires do not consistently distinguish between the two orientations.

The continuous line of the pentagram is its most important feature. In the Key of Solomon, the magician is instructed to draw the pentagram “without lifting the pen, so that the line is unbroken.” A broken line leaves a gap through which the spirit can escape. This is why Solomonic pentacles are often engraved or stamped rather than drawn: the physical impression ensures continuity.

How Do Practitioners Use the Pentagram and Seal of Solomon Today?

Modern ceremonial magicians distinguish between the two symbols more carefully than their medieval predecessors. The hexagram (Seal of Solomon) is used for evocation: calling spirits into visible appearance. The pentagram is used for banishing: clearing a space of unwanted influences.

The Golden Dawn’s “Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram” remains the standard practice. The magician stands facing east, traces a pentagram in the air, and vibrates the divine name associated with that direction. The ritual is repeated at the south, west, and north, then the magician draws a circle of light around the space. The pentagrams act as barriers, sealing the area from external interference.

The Seal of Solomon appears in evocation rituals from the Goetia (the first book of the Lemegeton). The magician draws the hexagram on the floor or on a triangle of art, then calls the demon into the triangle. The hexagram is believed to compel the spirit to appear and obey.

Some practitioners combine both symbols. A common setup: the magician stands inside a circle inscribed with pentagrams, while the demon is confined to a triangle inscribed with the Seal of Solomon. The pentagram protects the magician; the hexagram binds the spirit.

What Do People Get Wrong About the Pentagram and Solomon?

The most persistent error is that the pentagram is the Seal of Solomon. It is not. The Seal of Solomon is a hexagram. The pentagram is a separate symbol that medieval magicians attributed to Solomon for authority.

A second error: that the pentagram is inherently evil or demonic. In Solomonic texts, the pentagram is a tool of binding and protection. It is used to control demons, not to worship them. The association of the inverted pentagram with Satanism dates to the 19th century, specifically to the writings of Eliphas Levi and later to the Church of Satan (founded 1966). Medieval Solomonic magic does not share this view.

A third error: that Solomon himself used these symbols. There is no historical evidence that the biblical Solomon drew pentagrams or hexagrams. The attribution is a literary device, not a historical fact. The Testament of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical text, written centuries after Solomon’s death. The symbols attributed to him are the inventions of later magicians.

A fourth error: that the pentagram and hexagram are interchangeable. They serve different functions in Solomonic magic. The pentagram binds and protects. The hexagram summons and compels. Using the wrong symbol in a ritual can produce unintended results, according to traditional sources.

FAQ

Is the pentagram the same as the Seal of Solomon? No. The pentagram is a five-pointed star. The Seal of Solomon is a hexagram, a six-pointed star formed by two interlocking triangles.

Did King Solomon actually use the pentagram? There is no historical evidence that the biblical Solomon used pentagrams. The attribution comes from medieval grimoires that claimed Solomonic authority for their symbols.

Why do grimoires call the pentagram the Seal of Solomon? Medieval magicians attributed the pentagram to Solomon to give their practices authority. The Key of Solomon and related texts popularized this association.

Can the pentagram be used to summon demons? In Solomonic magic, the pentagram is used to bind and banish spirits, not to summon them. The hexagram (Seal of Solomon) is used for evocation.

Closing

The pentagram and the Seal of Solomon share a history of confusion and a common purpose: both are tools for drawing lines that spirits cannot cross. Understanding their differences clarifies how Western ceremonial magic actually works, rather than how it is caricatured. For a deeper look at the symbols that structure Solomonic practice, see our guide to angelology and the glossary of magical symbols. The Key of Solomon tradition remains the most direct source for anyone who wants to trace the pentagram back to its medieval roots.