NiKo Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 ....just wanted to let you guys know I'm still alive and breathing... in case you were wondering... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 thanx Niko, come by more often eh? and death isn't the best option to dwell on at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiKo Posted October 16, 2002 Author Share Posted October 16, 2002 Originally posted by Neil Joshi and death isn't the best option to dwell on at the moment. heh, yeah, sorry....i read that topic kinda after i posted this one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al-back from the BigWhoop Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 y do we draw stars in the sky with five points? they are rather dots, we should draw just plain dots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 16, 2002 Share Posted October 16, 2002 actually, i draw them with eight points because i like to be different. and yes, i guess this needed a change of topic considering 'hi, niko's still here in case you were wandering' wasn't really a big conversation starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al-back from the BigWhoop Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 oh, oh, i know a swell convo starter: "y do we draw stars in the sky with five points? they are rather dots, we should draw just plain dots." __________________ its 3 in the morning, and im spamming like a madman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken_Sailor Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 I think the answer here is "poetic license!" Actually, I think the "pointed star" design is meant to represent the sparkling look a star will have during time of air turbulance. Granted, it's not accurate, but then again, a child's room with just dots on the ceiling wouldn't look nearly as cutesy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 dots are used when talking about contellations, but points are used to identify what this thing actually it, a white dot on a black backround could be anything, they could be firefly's, fireflies that got stuck in some big... blueish... black... thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al-back from the BigWhoop Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 good point from both of you. but a more accurated form to show sparkling would b asterisks (sp?) " * * * ** * *" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storken Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 "Why do we draw hearts like we do? And why does it symbolize love?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kjølen Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 maybe because hearts have that crevice in it... and our heart beat when we're in a situation like that... BTW... YOU PEOPLE FORGOT! *sits in the corner and cries* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrion Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 Originally posted by Neil Joshi dots are used when talking about contellations, but points are used to identify what this thing actually it, a white dot on a black backround could be anything, they could be firefly's, fireflies that got stuck in some big... blueish... black... thing. Watching too much Lion King,are we hmmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natty At Work Posted October 17, 2002 Share Posted October 17, 2002 our real hearts dont have that pointy thing at the bottom though. And NiKo I'm glad your still alive *smoochies* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken_Sailor Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 I think the five pointed star comes from ancent Egypt. They used it for some religous reason. I read this in a National Geographic somewhere. Originally posted by Neil Joshi dots are used when talking about contellations, but points are used to identify what this thing actually it, a white dot on a black backround could be anything, they could be firefly's, fireflies that got stuck in some big... blueish... black... thing. And in star charts and software, different sized dots indicate the different magnitudes. Overlapping dots indicate doubles, etc. Originally posted by Al-back from the Big Whoop y do we draw stars in the sky with five points? they are rather dots, we should draw just plain dots. So I've been digging around since I first read your question and have come up with a little info: http://www.earthsky.org/2001/es010127.html talks about where and guesses why the five-pointed star is used with the crescent moon symbol in several cultures, mostly Middle Eastern. Another site mentioned the eight-pointed star was on Solomon's shield, and the 6-pointed star as the Star of David, so maybe some of our Jewish friends can enlighten us on that historical point. This next one (in keeping with the season) is a Witch/Wiccan site and gives a history of the pentagram and five-pointed star symbol from that standpoint (you have been warned ... !): http://www.witchvox.com/basics/pentacle.html It says the "pentacle" (five-pointed star with crossed lines in the middle showing) is the symbol of witchcraft. I did not know it was called a pentacle, or that it symbolized witchcraft. This link leads to a discussion thread on this very point: http://www.triplemoon.com/pathways/messages/15457.html A very interesting article on the Jewish News site: http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/000310/why.shtml Lots of different star symbols described here, including 6, 7, 8, and even 9-pointed ones: http://www.byzant.com/symbols/stars.asp And, I apologize: after all that and more reading, I still don't know the answer ... but the search is fascinating. Moving on: In grade school, they always draw stars with the five points and crossed lines. However, I think the witchcraft pentacle is the regular star upside down with one point on the bottom and two on the top. Ok, before I'm done, I would like to correct an error that I made: This is actually a major point of contention among Wiccans and other new age quacks. The upside down star is actually called a pentagram, and with point up is a pentacle. They are both usually encircled to represent a power circle, a symbol of protection, and containment. But pay no mind, because both of these are borrowed from older, more arcane religions. I believe the 5 points are meant to represent the 4 elements, and an extra one - either spirit, or the soul, I can't remember. To the modern jokers, the pentacle is a symbol of white magic, and goodness, and the pentagram represents evil and the devil. But again, pay no mind to these. So, in my best reckoning, the 5 pointed star is just a symbol so old, that it's original meaning has probably been lost to the ages, and only shadows of memory remain to explain. In other words, somewhere in all the different meanings there is probably a grain of the original truth, or purpose, but it has evolved into many different forms, to suit those who now use it, and who came after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannar85 Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Good to see you're still here... Welcome back, kinda:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tall Guy Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Originally posted by NiKo ....just wanted to let you guys know I'm still alive and breathing... in case you were wondering... hey man, aint heard from you in a while! hows it goin? get over to the GF Forums...NOW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Originally posted by Kjølen YOU PEOPLE FORGOT! *sits in the corner and cries* whoops, um happy birthday! sorry for the lateness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadmeat_X Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 Is it cause I have slept enough, cause I missed a week of escapemi, or cause you're just confusing? I'm so lost. Maybe next time I should start with the hottest topic, then work my way down instead of up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brief Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Originally posted by Al-back from the BigWhoop y do we draw stars in the sky with five points? they are rather dots, we should draw just plain dots. It's quite simple, really... Stars appare small to us, therefore it is typically difficult to draw a small, white, dot... because people don't usually have white ink. In drawing, the points are added to the stars to emphasize the effect of the stars being shiney. For the same reason, when we draw the sun, we don't draw just a big, yellow circle. We add flares to the sun, which almost resemble a lion's mane. Why five points? Well, as stated, it can be more than five points. But usually no less than five. Actually, it would be difficult to illustrate athe shining effects of a star with anything less than five points. What happens when you connect three points? You get a triangle. Doesn't look like a star. With four, you get just an X or a rectangle. And since people are lazy by nature, they typically will use the least amount of points required to make it look like something they want, ergo, five points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 good answer. also, the six point star is easy to draw is it is only two triangles, but it is mainly associated with the start of david and such. the five point star is associated with the more pagen traditions which have come down to us as the basic drawing of a star. i personally draw a star with eight points as it is just my style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken_Sailor Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Interesting stuff. However, in art class (grammar school and high) they have drawing paper of all colors including black and dark blue and consequently they have ink of all colors too, including white. Never thought to draw any stars though. LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brief Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Anthropologically speaking, most ancient people do not have easy access to white paint... Remember, we're talking about the origins of such drawings, so what you see in modern life need not apply. We must consider the resources available to the people who first started such endeavors, not what we have now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 you must also remember that although the ancient egyptians weren't the first to come up with the pointy star system, just the five point star system. neanderthal man did cave drawing with stars ni it using white chalk on pretty dark cave walls. so why not just dot, well, these would have to actually be carved into the rock using the chalk otherwise it would just wash off, and it's very hard to carve a simple dot into stone, much harder than simply dragging the chalk across the wall which is why they used more lines than dots and therfore had to make it pointy to give the impression of a star. also, the native americans used to navigate using the moon and the stars and differerent sized stars were drawn on paper as most of there navigations took place using the north star, which is of course much bigger than the rest. a simpl dot couldn't portray this, so they used points, often about eight points though, instead of five, with the top and bottom point being much longer than the horizontal or diagonal ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken_Sailor Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 Actually, I find it hard to believe that the native Americans were drawing star charts on paper...and also that they were primarily using the North Star due to its size. There are several stars that are MUCH brighter than Polaris. However, I can imagine that it was used for much the same reason we use it as a point of reference--it's relatively stationary in the sky, so there's no calculations to work out in order to figure direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshi Posted October 23, 2002 Share Posted October 23, 2002 okay, first of all, i didn't say anything about paper (although after the english and spanish came along, they could have easily got hold of the stuff), but they grenrally used the wall or oral methods. also, when i said they drew the north star bigger, it wasn't because it was the biggest, but at the time (we have to think about time here, this was a good 200 years ago, many stars have come and gone since then) it was teh brightest. plus, they may not have been using the north star as that is not what they were calling it, but it was found in the north (and so could be used to distinguish wher north was) and was very bright. they could also tell the time with the stars and the moon if they wanted to at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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