Pentagrams were used as an important religious symbol by the Babylonians and by the Pythagoreans in ancient Greece. Pentagrams are used today as a symbol of faith by many Neopagans, akin to the use of the cross by Christians and the Star of David by Jews, and may be found in jewelry incorporating the symbol. Several faiths also associate the pentagram with magic. Christians in the past commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus, and it has associations with Freemasonry.

The pentagram is commonly seen inverted due to the association with undesirable elements as the upside down star more closely resembles certain deities.