Magical Star Symbols

About as magical and starry as it gets.

"A pentacle is a symbol of order," I said quietly. "Five points, five sides. It represents the forces of air, earth, water, fire, and spirit. It's contained within a circle, the points touching the outer ring. It represents the forces of magic bound within human control. Power balanced with restraint." I gestured at the symbol. "See here? The points of the star fall far outside the ring."
[...]
I shrugged. "Off the top of my head? This looks uncomfortably like a combination of the pentacle and the anarchy symbol. Magic unrestrained."

— The Dresden Files: Small Favor

Humanity has been fascinated by space for thousands of years, and it's often associated with the unknown. Thus, magic is often associated with stars as a symbol, usually the traditional five-pointed star. Use of these symbols can range from starry patterns on the Robe and Wizard Hat to pentagrams being used in Satanic rituals.

Related to Star Power and Space Is Magic when stars themselves are magical, Star-Shaped Coupon when a plot coupon is star-shaped, and Star-Spangled Spandex and Celestial Body for starry wizard robes. Also see Wish Upon a Shooting Star for wishing on stars. Subtrope of Cosmic Motifs and Geometric Magic.

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Examples:

Films — Animation

• Fantasia: The sorcerer's hat in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" has a star and crescent moon pattern.
• Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf - Moon Castle: The Space Adventure: Wandi, a Rabbit Magician who lives on the moon, has stars on his magician vest.

Films — Live-Action

• In the Onmyōji films, the pentagram is the symbol of the magician Abe no Seimei, as with his historical namesake, and often shows up in his spells. Astronomical instruments and motifs can also been seen at his house.

Literature

• The Belgariad: When summoning a demon, the summoner stands within a pentacle as an extra level of protection. If they leave it or it's disrupted — or if they draw it on water to show off and don't notice it washing away — the demon is free to take revenge before returning to Hell.
• The Dresden Files: Pentagrams are a symbol of magic, by representing its five elements.
• In The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk, "Starred One" is an epithet for witches. They can bequeath their Soul Power to each other upon death, which shows to Aura Vision as a star floating by their head, called witchmarks, or "soulstars" to be polite. Miles ends up with a fairly intimidating crown of thirteen.

Live-Action TV

• Supernatural frequently uses star symbols as Protective Charms against supernatural creatures:
  • A pentagram-and-flame tattoo protects the bearer from Demonic Possession.
  • Star-and-circle "Devil's Traps" are frequently used to confine demons who step into them. Their first appearance is as an elaborate heptagram design from the Seal of Solomon, but the main characters later make do with spray-painted pentagrams surrounded by a few symbols. One dormant Hellgate is sealed by a hundred-mile-wide trap made from churches and railway lines.

Myths & Religion

• Modern witchcraft commonly uses a five-pointed star, or pentagram, to represent magic and it's frequently incorporated into sigils and spell circles. There's much debate as to how old it is, what it originally meant, and whether it matters whether there's a point facing straight up or down.

Tabletop Games

• Chronicles of Darkness: In Mage: The Awakening, the pentagram represents the five Supernal Realms, each of which sustains an aspect of the material world and generates a Path of magic for the human souls attuned to it: Fate and Time from Arcadia; Mind and Space from Pandemonium; Death and Matter from Stygia; Prime magic and Forces from the Aether; and Spirit and Life from the Primal Wild.
• Fantasy Flight's games set in the Cthulhu Mythos, including Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, and Elder Sign, depict the Elder Sign as an off-kilter pentagram with a central eye. It usually acts as a powerful Protective Charm against otherworldly forces.
• Pathfinder: A major symbol in The Magocracy of ancient Thassilon is the Sihedron Rune, a seven-pointed star representing the power of magic, the seven disciplines of Thassilonian magic, and their associated Runelords. The original Sihedron is also a powerful Dismantled MacGuffin.
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Daemon Summoning Rituals use a star symbol inscribed on the ritual space to contain the creature. First Edition uses a Hollywood Satanic pentagram in a bit of Early-Installment Weirdness, but later editions use the octagram of Chaos.
• In the game of Dungeon Dice Monsters (defictionalized from the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and anime), Summon Crests are five-pointed stars with the power level of the given monster inside. You must roll two matching Summon Crests to summon a monster. In addition Magic Crests are star-shaped symbols formed by stacking four triangles on each other, each rotated a bit from the others.

Video Games

• Divinity: Original Sin: The symbol for the Witchcraft skill, which governs Non-Elemental magic, is a purple pentagram inscribed in a circle.
• The Elder Scrolls:
  • One of the recurring symbols of the Mages Guild is an eight-pointed starburst, representing the different schools of magic (though the specific breakdown varies from source to source).
  • In Morrowind, the symbol of the ancient Dunmeri (Dark Elven) hero Lord Nerevar is a the Moon-And-Star ring, featuring a golden star and silver crescent moon on a platinum colored ring. Crafted by the Dwemer (during their ally phase) and blessed by Nerevar's Daedric patron, Azura, (whose own symbol is Azura's Star, which is only visible in the sky during twilight hours) to kill anyone other than Nerevar who tries to wear it, it serves as a symbol in the game that the Player Character really is Nerevar's reincarnation.
• The Epic Battle Fantasy series: Used in multiple games:
  • In all games, a starting spell of Natalie is Lucky Star, summoning a 5-pointed star on her enemies.
  • Epic Battle Fantasy 1: Magic Potions, which "Boosts magic", have a 5-pointed star as their stopper.
• Kingdom of Loathing: One of the items needed for the Deep Fat Friars' Gate Quest is the dodecagram, a play on pentagrams as a symbol of magic, especially in reference to demons.
• Kirby: Stars are frequently associated with magic.
  • Kirby's Warp Stars are big, flying stars that transport Kirby between worlds. They also usually leave a trail of smaller stars behind them.
  • Kirby's Adventure: The Dream Rod, which runs on the power of dreams, is topped with a star and shoots stars. The evil Nightmare is covered with stars in his Ball form, and in his Wizard form, wears a cloak decorated with stars.
  • Kirby Super Star: In "Milky Way Wishes", Kirby must collect stars from different planets to summon NOVA, a wish-granting space robot.
• Okiku, Star Apprentice: The room for Summon Magic has a 5-pointed star in a circle.
• Pokémon: Several Pokemon and moves are associated with star symbols and magical or unknown powers.
  • Staryu and Starmie are starfish with psychic powers that supposedly communicate with stars.
  • Cleffa is classified as the Star Shape Pokemon, and its evolutionary line are described as mysterious, supposedly coming from space, and being associated with shooting stars.
  • Jirachi is a Mythical Pokemon based on wishing upon stars. It can grant wishes, and its head resembles a 5-pointed star.
  • Several magical or otherwise unusual moves use stars in their animations, including Swift and Cosmic Power.
  • Of all the Types, Fairy is usually the most "magical" (along with Psychic) and in the 8th generation its Type symbol was represented by an 8-pointed star.◊
• PsyCard: Star symbols are used for Mana Meter gradations for Psychic Powers.
• Shantae: Half-Genie Hero: The Mana Meter has star symbols going from top to bottom repeatedly.
• Skylanders: The Magic element's symbol is that of an 8-pointed star.

Webcomics

• 180 Angel: Lilith has a pentagram right above her collarbone. Fitting, for the daughter of Lady Wrath and Satan, and the bearer of Wrath's magic.
• The Handbook of Heroes: From "High Stakes Bluff": Fairy Godmother with star circlet and star-tip wand.
• The Order of the Stick: When Elan the Bard considers branching out into wizardry, he dresses up in a star-patterned Robe and Wizard Hat, among other dubiously magical accouterments. The team wizard is deeply offended.
• Sleepless Domain: Rue's Icon / Sigil (combination Power Tattoo and Distinguishing Mark), is a blast over a star, fitting her magical potion / alchemist / explosion maker Magical Girl theme / powers.

Websites

• Neopets: Several magical characters are Starry pets or have star motifs on their clothing or equipment.
  • The Spellseeker Wizard, Shop Wizard, and Lenny Conundrum Wizard all have stars on their robes. The Lenny Conundrum Wizard even has a star on the tip of his wand.
  • Kauvara, the Neopia Central Magic shop shopkeeper, is a Starry Kau and has stars on her hat.
  • Altadorian court wizard Jerdana's robes feature the sun, moon, and stars.

Western Animation

• The Fairly OddParents!: The fairies' magic wands have star-shaped tips.
• My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Several characters are associated with magic and have stars in their Cutie Marks, combination Power Tattoos and Distinguishing Marks which indicate a pony's skills and goals in life.
  • Twilight Sparkle is a unicorn mage and the bearer of the Element of Magic. Her cutie mark is a six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller stars, and she also wears a blue dress spangled with stars to the Grand Galloping Gala.
  • Trixie Lulamoon is a unicorn Stage Magician whose cutie mark is a magic wand trailing sparkles in the shape of a crescent moon.
  • Starswirl the Bearded is a legendary unicorn mage who has stars and crescent moons on his robe.
  • Starlight Glimmer has magical powers and her Cutie Mark features a four-pointed star.

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