Even though the terms pagan and paganism have shifted in meaning to the general public over the years, even though there has never truly been a consensus accepted definition of these terms, we do know that there are many traditional pagan symbols that resonate throughout all forms of paganism, from ancient polytheism to modern neopaganism. Thus it is ironically easier to define their meaning than the meaning of paganism itself!
There are thousands of symbols and one would not be able to list them all in a book let alone one short essay. That said, there are some which stand above the rest in terms of importance and frequency of use and it is those I have come to write about here.
The most well known of the pagan symbols is the pentagram. Unfortunately it is also the most misunderstood. It is the symbol people who are against pagan concepts use to distort paganism into glorified Devil Worship. The horror movies do not help matters. Seeing as how pagan concepts predate all forms of Catholicism and Christianity this view is patently false.
That is not to say this symbol is not used in Black Mass and other forms of Satanism. It is. But it is turned upside down and for those people symbolizes something entirely different than the pagans they stole it from!
In rituals it is used for protection from evil spirits. It symbolizes with its five points the five elements of life, those being spirit, earth, fire, water and air. The circle that surrounds them is meant to symbolize the never ending circle of life that encompasses these elements, the continuous cycle of dying and being reborn to start anew. This is possibly the most important symbol in the entire pagan belief system, no matter what era.
Another popular pagan symbol is the ankh. This is a cross which is often simple and sometimes with a circular head instead of the traditional Christian cross. It was most heavily used by the Egyptians who adopted it from pagan rites. The circular head represents again the circle of life, the cycle of death and rebirth. In many sects it symbolized eternal life. In Egypt it was used often to convey a sense of the power of the sun to breathe life into the earth and was the predominant symbol of those who worshiped Ra the Sun God.
The figure eight was often used as well to convey the eternal circle of life. One specifically pagan variation of this is called the Celtic Oval. It looks like two eights placed over and perpendicular to each other, like a cross with each piece a circle instead of a rectangle. It is quite beautiful and still used in jewelry today. It symbolizes the everlasting nature of love.
The Triskele is another popular symbol. It is shaped like a triangle but accomplished through four half circles overlapping. It is also beautiful but not seen as often in jewelry, though it can still be found easily if one goes looking specifically for it. The meaning of this symbol is very clear to all aspects of paganism. It was used to worship the goddess and revere her in her three stages of life, the beautiful youth, the loving mother, and the wisdom of the elder.
An interesting fact is that Easter Eggs were originally a pagan concept. The symbols listed above and countless others would be painted on eggs under the premise that the life inside them gave the egg magical properties. Though many are under the impression that this is a Christian concept this is not the case.
Paganism has become a sort of attack word that religious extremists use to demonize any sect they disagree with on a personal level. The sad truth is that hardly any of these vocal hate mongers know much about the subject at all! Pagan symbols above all have been distorted and their beauty turned to ugliness through films and attack rhetoric that have been bought hook, line and sinker by the general public. Now you are well on your way to knowing better and seeing their true beauty. Thanks for reading.