The pentagram, perhaps the most well-known esoteric symbol of all time, may also be traced back to ancient Sumeria. It was an ideogram used to characterize Merovingian Kings as “lofty ones” or “shining ones” in Sumerian pictographic writing, and it was portrayed inverted. The pentagram’s link with dark magic is most likely due to the fact that these kings were supposed to have magical abilities, making it both a symbol of their dynasty and a symbol of their doctrine. This explains why the Cathars placed such a high value on a supposedly Satanic symbol, and why it appears prominently in images related with the Grail mystery, Rennes-le-Chateau, and so on.