Something that Christine O’Donnell said during talks about “witchcraft” caught my attention. At one point, she apparently told someone that the “pentagram” was a symbol of satanism and not a symbol of nature or Wicca the way some practitioners suggest.

The pentagram is one of those symbols that has been used by just about everyone at some point. Taoism has used it to represent the five elements, for example. All three Abrahamic faiths have used it, and Christians used to see it as symbolizing the five wounds of Christ. Granted, there’s the notion that the upwards-pointing star is holy while the downwards-pointed star is occult, but this seems to be a 19th century idea.

Where did the pentagram (or pentacle, pentalpha or pentangle) get the reputation for being a symbol of demonic powers? That seems to date back to a really interesting book of magic called the Testament of Solomon.

Solomon in his Wisdom

Pullquote: “And he answered: ”I am able to remove mountains, to overthrow the oaths of kings. I wither trees and make their leaves to fall off.” And I said to him: “Canst thou raise this stone, and lay it for the beginning of this corner which exists in the fair plan of the Temple?”

The Testament is seems to be either a Christian work or a Jewish work later modified by Christians. Although it claims to be written by Solomon in the first person, it’s loosely dated to the third century A.D.. Like a lot of magic books, possessing this would have gotten you arrested and probably burned during parts of the middle ages. Now it’s available for free on the internet.

The Testament is both a story and a magical guide. The story is simple enough: King Solomon is having trouble with the building of his Temple, because a demon is harassing the child of one his chief workmen. Solomon prays for help, and is given a ring by the archangel Michael. The ring would allow Solomon to bind the demons that were tormenting his workman’s child.

The ring had an engraved stone upon it, and different versions have different descriptions of the engraving. Probably the most common is the pentagram. The F. C. Conybeare translation from 1898 states this specifically:

“Take, O Solomon, king, son of David, the gift which the Lord God has sent thee, the highest Sabaoth. With it thou shalt lock up all demons of the earth, male and female; and with their help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. [But] thou [must] wear this seal of God. And this engraving of the seal of the ring sent thee is a Pentalpha.” (All quotes from the F. C. Conybeare translation, available online at the Esoteric Archives)

Solomon gives the ring to the workman’s child, who hurls it at the demon and captures him. Solomon interrogates the demon, then forces the demon to bring him other demons. Solomon interrogates each and forces them to help build his Temple. Today I believe that would be against union regulations.

Who’s Who Among the Damned

Pullquote: “The twenty-ninth said: “I am called Anostêr. I engender uterine mania and pains in the bladder. If one powder into pure oil three seeds of laurel and smear it on, saying: ‘I exorcise thee, Anostêr. Stop by Marmaraô,’ at once I retreat.”

The bulk of the Testament are these interrogations, and it is this that makes the story a work of magic. Solomon forces each demon to state the sort of evil he or she performs, and how they can be repulsed. Here’s a good one:

And I at once bade another demon to be led unto me; and instantly there approached me the demon Asmodeus, bound, and I asked him: “Who art thou?” But he shot on me a glance of anger and rage, and said: “And who art thou?” And I said to him: “Thus punished as thou art, answerest thou me?” But he, with rage, said to me: “But how shall I answer thee, for thou art a son of man; whereas I was born an angel’s seed by a daughter of man, so that no word of our heavenly kind addressed to the earth-born can be overweening. [...]

And I Solomon, on hearing this, bound him more carefully, and ordered him to be flogged with thongs of ox-hide, and to tell me humbly what was his name and what his business. And he answered me thus: “I am called Asmodeus among mortals, and my business is to plot against the newly wedded, so that they may not know one another. And I sever them utterly by many calamities, and I waste away the beauty of virgin women, and estrange their hearts.”

[...]

And I adjured him by the name of the Lord Sabaôth, saying: “Fear God, Asmodeus, and tell me by what angel thou art frustrated.” But he said: “By Raphael, the archangel that stands before the throne of God. But the liver and gall of a fish put me to flight, when smoked over ashes of the tamarisk.” I again asked him, and said: “Hide not aught from me. For I am Solomon, son of David, King of Israel. Tell me the name of the fish which thou reverest.” And he answered: “It is the Glanos by name, and is found in the rivers of Assyria; wherefore it is that I roam about in those parts.”

One Ring …

Pullquote: “I then, wretch that I am, followed her advice, and the glory of God quite departed from me; and my spirit was darkened, and I became the sport of idols and demons. Wherefore I wrote out this Testament, that ye who get possession of it may pity, and attend to the last things, and not to the first.”

You can start to see how the book was intended to be used. Various demons are associated with various social problems and medical afflictions, and each provides a means of chasing them off. Of course, humans being as they are, a lot of attention fell on the ring itself. Protection is nice, but wouldn’t it be cool to command the demons instead?

According to the story, Solomon began worshiping Moloch in order to please his wife and the “spirit of God departed” him. No word on what happened to the ring. But this work started a whole genre of similar works, all hearkening back to Solomon and his demons. Later versions gave Solomon multiple rings, probably so that more symbols could be crammed in.