The Star of David

The Star of David is a six-pointed star made up of two triangles superimposed over each other. In Judaism it is often called the Magen David, which means the "shield of David" in Hebrew. It doesn't have any religious significance in Judaism but it is one of the symbols most commonly associated with the Jewish people. Many Jews wear jewelry with the Star of David as part of the design and the flag of Israel has a blue Star of David in the center. The symbol has been used extensively in Judaism, Christianity and Islam during the first millenium CE. During some periods, it was associated with Christianity or Islam more than with Judaism. Sometimes the symbol was even associated with King Solomon instead of King David. The Star of David is not mentioned in rabbinic literature until the middle ages. It was during the latter part of this era that Kabbalists(Jewish mystics) began to associate the symbol deeper spiritual meaning. Some Kabbalists thought that the six points represented God's absolute rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east west, up and down. They though that the star could be used as protection against evil spirits. The structure of the star with two overlapping triangles, has also been thought to represent the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The star that points up symbolizes God and the star that points down represents us here on earth. Yet others have noticed that there are twelve sides on the triangle, perhaps representing the Twelve Tribes.
The symbol's associationwith King David comes mostly from Jewish legend. David fought with King Nimrod. David's shield was composed of two interlocking triangles attached to the back of a round shield and at one point the battle became so intense that the two triangles were fused together. David won the battle and the two triangles were henceforth known as the Shield of David. This story is just on of many.