Witchcraft Symbols

Witchcraft symbols are many and varied, and just as there is no agreement about the definition of witchcraft, there is no agreed lexicon of witchcraft symbols. This is a listing of some of the more common witchcraft symbols, and their more generally-accepted meanings.

The Pentagram

The Pentagram has a long and complex history. Found scrawled in caves near ancient Babylon, the five pointed star was copied from the star shaped pattern formed by the travels of the planet Venus in the sky. The emblem remained popular through many cultures and time periods - for example, it was called the pentalpha by the Greeks, who believed it had magical properties.

Among witchcraft symbols, the pentagram symbolizes the five elements - earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. The Wiccan emblematic pentagram faces point upward to symbolize the triumph of spirit over matter.

The Zodiac

The Zodiac plays an important role in the timing of rituals, and the witchcraft symbols for the signs of the Zodiac are often used to refer to related properties of person or spirit.

The Elements

The elements represented by the Pentagram each have their own witchcraft symbols. The witchcraft symbols for air, fire, and earth are based on triangles, while the symbol for water is, unsurprisingly, the Zodiac symbol for Aquarius.

The Crucified Serpent

Shown as a snake wrapped around a cross, or sometimes a knife with a cross-hilt, the witchcraft symbol of the crucified serpent represents "the fixing of the volatile" - the legendary process of creating a powerful healing medicine by removing the deathly element from poisonous substances, such as mercury.

The Triquetra

Popularised by the television show, "Charmed", the witchcraft symbol of the triquetra was likely a Celtic symbol of the Goddess, and in the North, a symbol of the god Odin. Although it is often asserted that the triquetra is a symbol of a tripartite goddess, no such goddess has been identified with the symbol.

Christianity appropriated the Celtic witchcraft symbol to represent the Holy Trinity, and it was many hundreds of years before it was supplanted by the cross as the primary icon of Christianity. Ironically enough, modern day Christians have protested neo-Pagans "stealing" their Christian symbol when using it in modern times to represent the tripartite Goddess (maid, mother and crone).

Other Witchcraft Symbols

There are dozens of witchcraft symbols, if not hundreds. Almost any religious or alchemical symbols may have been witchcraft symbols at various times, given the breadth and scope of the practices we can refer to as "witchcraft". By extension, any symbols used by any tradition we might label "witchcraft" could be considered to be witchcraft symbols.