Star of David. Meaning and history

The hexagonal star of superimposed right triangles is best known as the "Star of David". The meaning of this symbol, however, changed many times before it hit the flag of the State of Israel. It is believed that the hexagram existed in a religious stream called "Tantrism", which was spread in the beginning of our era in Nepal, India, and Tibet. According to him, this element meant the harmony of the world of matter, which personified the upper triangle with the spiritual world (lower triangle). Also there was an opinion about the interpretation of the sign as the unity of the male and female beginnings.

In the Middle East in ancient times also had its own "Star of David". The meaning of the hexagram was associated with the symbolism, dedicated to the goddess Ishtar. The first signs of such a configuration were found in different parts of the world (from Britain to Mesopotamia) and they related to rather remote times. For example, on the Iberian peninsula ornaments with such inclusions refer to the iron age of the pre-Roman period. What they meant from the peoples living there, scientists could not be established. Most likely, hexagrams were used in the direction of some religious and mystical rites.

It is difficult to find a developed culture where symbolism that looked like a star of David would not be used. The importance in Christianity of this sign in the Middle Ages is difficult to determine. It was simply used as an element of seals (French kings in 9-10 centuries), was an element of a pattern for decorating monuments of architecture. For example, today the star of David can be seen on the Valencia or Burgos cathedrals. Arabic books of the same period were decorated with an intricate pattern with this element.

What is the interpretation of the star of David in Jewish culture? The meaning of the symbol here is associated with the form of the shields of wars fought under the reign of King David. There is also a version that this element came from the temple lamps, under each of which was a flower - a lily. In the open form, its petals form a regular hexagon.

Some historians correlate the formation of this sign with the times of David Alroy's campaigns, which was going with the liberation campaign to the Promised Land in the twelfth century. A little later, in 1254, the first flag with a hexagram appeared on a red background, which Emperor Charles IV granted as a privilege to the Jewish community in Prague.

When did the Jewish star officially become the national symbol of the Jewish people? Its significance for identification was determined in the 19th century by the most emancipated representatives of the communities. They found the sign fairly common, personifying Jews, but not Judaism, which was important for the emerging secular Zionism. In 1897, at the congress in Basel, the symbol was approved as the main sign of the Zionist movement.

Where in the state symbolism is the star of David? Photo, meaning, heraldic features can be seen for the flags of some cities or countries. The most famous, of course, is the flag of Israel. But the same elements are on the arms of the German city of Herbstedt, the old flag of Nigeria, the unofficial flag of Northern Ireland and the coat of arms of Italian Somalia. Moreover, some symbols in the fields created in an incomprehensible way have the form of a hexagram.