View source for Star (heraldry)

{{short description|In heraldry, any pierced or unpierced star-shaped charge with any number of straight or wavy rays}}
[[File:Wapen 1545 Mastricht (Maastricht).jpg|thumb|200px|upright|1545 depiction of the flag of the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands (''gules, a six-pointed mullet, argent'')]]

In heraldry, the term '''star''' may refer to any [[Star polygon|star]]-shaped [[Charge (heraldry)|charge]] with any number of rays, which may appear straight or wavy, and may or may not be pierced. While there has been much confusion between the two due to their similar shape, a star with straight-sided rays is usually called a '''mullet''' in English heraldry while one with wavy rays is usually called an '''estoile'''.<ref name="Fox-Davies">{{Cite book
|last = Fox-Davies
|first = Arthur Charles
|author2=Graham Johnston |year = 1909
|title = A Complete Guide to Heraldry
|pages = 295–296}}</ref>

While a mullet may have any number of ''points'', it is presumed to have five unless otherwise specified in the blazon, and pierced mullets are common; estoiles, however, are presumed to have six ''rays'' and (as of 1909) had not been found pierced.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />  In Scottish heraldry, an estoile is the same as in English heraldry, but ''mullet'' refers only to a mullet pierced (also called a ''spur revel''), while one that is not pierced is called a '''star'''.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />

== Terminology ==
The use of the word ''star'' in blazons, and how that charge appears in coat armory, varies from one jurisdiction to another. 
In Scots heraldry, both ''star'' and ''mullet'' interchangeably mean a star with five straight rays;{{cn|date=July 2017|reason=This is actually misleading. In Scottish, mullets are necessarily pierced and usually six-pointed, though the latter point is not mandatory.}} 
the official record from 1673 gives Murray of Ochtertyre ''azur three Starrs argent ...'' (Public Register, vol 1 p 188), while the Ordinary of Arms produced by a late 19th century Lyon King of Arms 'modernizes' the original as ''Az. three mullets arg. ...''. In Canadian heraldry the usual term is ''mullet'', but there is also the occasional six-pointed ''star'' (e.g. in Vol. IV, at p.&nbsp;274 and in online version of the Canadian Public Register), which is what others would blazon as a six-pointed ''mullet''.  The United States Army Institute of Heraldry, the official heraldic authority in the {{wipe|United States}}, uses the term ''mullet'' in its blazons,<ref>{{Cite web |title=172D Support Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia |url=http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=4486&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026001627/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=4486&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services |archive-date=October 26, 2017 |website=The Institute of Heraldry}}</ref> but elsewhere, as in US government documents describing the flag of the United States and the Great Seal of the United States, the term ''star'' is constantly used, and these nearly always appear with five straight-sided points.

The term ''mullet''  or ''molet'' refers to a star with straight sides, typically having five or six points, 
but may have any number of points specified in the blazon. If the number of points is not specified, five points are presumed in Gallo-British heraldry, and six points are presumed in German-Nordic heraldry.{{cn|date=July 2017}}
 
Unlike estoiles, mullets have straight (rather than wavy) rays and may have originally represented the rowel of a [[Engineering:Spur|spur]], rather than a celestial [[Astronomy:Star|star]].<ref name="Volborth">{{Cite book
|last = Volborth
|first = Carl Alexander
|year = 1981
|title = Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles
|publisher = Blandford Press
|location = Poole, England
|isbn = 0-7137-0940-5
|page = 48}}</ref> 
The term is said to be derived from [[Social:French language|French]] ''molette'', a spur-rowel,<ref name="Volborth" /> although it was in use in heraldry even before rowel spurs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-03-12 |title=Mullet |url=http://www.luz-herald.net/free/pimbley/Pimbley%27s%20Dictionary%20of%20Heraldry%20-%20M.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=2008-02-07 |work=Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry |archive-date=2012-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405060657/http://www.luz-herald.net/free/pimbley/Pimbley%27s%20Dictionary%20of%20Heraldry%20-%20M.htm }}</ref>

The term ''estoile'' refers to wavy-sided stars, usually of six points, though they may also be blazoned with a different number of points, often eight (e.g. "Portsmouth County Council" pictured [http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/cornwall_wessex.html here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120205725/http://civicheraldry.co.uk/cornwall_wessex.html |date=2016-11-20 }}), and many variants feature alternating straight and wavy rays (e.g. "Honford" pictured [http://cheshire-heraldry.org.uk/vale_royal/VRE13.html here]).  The term derives from [[Social:Old French|Old French]] ''estoile'' 'star', in reference to a [[Astronomy:Star|celestial star]] (cf. [[Social:French language|Modern French]] ''étoile''), from [[Social:Latin|Latin]] ''stella'' 'star'.

<gallery class="center">
File:Étoile d'or.svg| Mullet (English type)
File:Marian star four-tenths.svg| Mullet (German type)
File:Héraldique meuble Molette.svg| Mullet of six points pierced
File:Héraldique meuble Estoile.svg| Estoile
</gallery>

== Classical heraldry ==
[[File:Washington coat of arms.jpg|thumb|upright|The Washington coat of arms at Selby Abbey (mid 15th century)]]
Stars are comparatively rare in European heraldry during the medieval period. An early reference of dubious historicity is reported by Johannes Letzner, who cites ''Conradus Fontanus'' (an otherwise unknown authority) to the effect that one Curtis von Meinbrechthausen, a knight of Saxony,  in 1169 after committing a murder lost his rank and arms, described as an eight-pointed star beneath a chevron.
In Scotland, the armigers of Clan Murray and Clan Douglas used arms with stars as early as the 12th or 13th century.
Examples of stars in a late medieval heraldry of the Holy Roman Empire include those of Wentz von Niederlanstein (1350), Gemm (attested 1352), Geyer von Osterberg (1370), Enolff Ritter von Leyen (d. 1392).<ref>Christian Friedrich August von Meding, ''Nachrichten von adelichen Wapen'', 1786.</ref>

Under the system of cadency in use in England and Ireland since the late 15th century, a third son bears a mullet (unpierced) as a difference.<ref>Volborth, 1981. p. 80.</ref>

Stars become much more popular as heraldic charges in the early modern era, especially in then-recent family coats of arms of burghers and patricians, as well as in coats of arms of cities (e.g. Maastricht,  Bozen,  Kaufbeuren).<ref>Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605), p. 219-224</ref>
The coat of arms of Valais originates in the 16th century, when seven stars representing its ''Seven Tithings'' were added to the ''party per pale'' coat of arms of the Bishop of Sion.
Of the higher nobility in Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605), the landgrave of Hessen and the counts of Waldeck and Erbach have stars in their coats of arms, as do several Swiss knights.<ref>Siebmachers Wappenbuch (1605) pp.197-204</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Examples of stars in heraldry">
File:Blason thury sous clermont.svg|Municipal arms of Thury-sous-Clermont in France
File:Valgamaa vapp.svg|Coat of arms of Valga County, Estonia
File:ZC 580a 116 crop 03.jpg|Coat of arms from the Zimmerische Chronik
File:Escudo de Alfoz de Quintanadueñas.svg|Arms of Alfoz de Quintanadueñas
File:Blason famille de Béthune (Belgique).svg|Coat of arms of the {{ill|de Béthune family|fr|Famille de Béthune (Belgique)}}
File:Douglas CoA.png|Coat of arms of the Douglas family
File:Coat of arms of Szekely Land.svg|Coat of arms of the Székelys, depicting a "sun-star"
</gallery>

== United States ==
[[File:US flag 13 stars.svg|thumb|The American flag as described in the ''Flag Resolution'' passed by the Second Continental Congress on 14 June 1777.]]
Stars are nearly ubiquitous in United States heraldry and vexillology and nearly always appear unpierced with five straight-sided points. In the flag of the United States, each star represents one state.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=105_cong_documents&docid=f:sd013.105.pdf
| title = Our Flag
| year = 1998
| publisher = United States Government Printing Office
| id = S. Doc 105-013
| access-date = 2009-02-07}}</ref> The flag adopted in 1777 is the attributed origin of the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen United States, appearing on the Great Seal since 1780.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/27807.pdf
| title = The Great Seal of the United States 
| publisher = U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs 
| access-date = 2009-02-07}}</ref>

A mullet "barbed to chief" appears in the arms of the 240th Signal Battalion of the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard United States Army.<ref>{{Cite web
|url = http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=4322
|title = 240th Signal Battalion
|editor = The Institute of Heraldry
|publisher = Department of the Army
|date = 2010-11-01
|access-date = 2010-11-01
}}</ref>

<gallery caption="Examples of stars in US heraldry and vexillology">
File:Coat of arms of the U.S. 16th Field Artillery Regiment with external ornament.svg|Coat of arms of the U.S. 16th Field Artillery Regiment.
File:Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg|The Great Seal of the U.S.
File:Betsy Ross sewing.jpg|A depiction of Betsy Ross sewing her eponymous flag.
File:Flag of El Paso, Texas.svg|Flag of the city of El Paso.
</gallery>

== Modern use ==
{{further|Star polygon|Five-pointed star}}

In the design of modern flags and emblems, the stars (mullets, usually five-pointed) when standing alone often represent concepts like "unity" or "independence". When arranged in groups, they often enumerate provinces or other components of the nation (such as ethnic groups). In the flags of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, this enumeration is done by the points of a single star rather than by multiple number of stars.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}

Some flags of countries on the southern hemisphere show a depiction of the Southern Cross consisting of four or five stars.
The [[Star and crescent|star and crescent]] symbol is found in flags of states succeeding the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]], which used flags with this symbol during 1793-1923.

The twelve stars on the Flag of Europe (1955) symbolize unity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/symbols/flag/index_en.htm|title=The European Flag, Europa (web portal)|date=4 August 2007|access-date=3 August 2014}}</ref>

The [[Green|green]] [[Five-pointed star|five-pointed star]] on the [[Astronomy:Esperanto symbols|Esperanto flag]] (1890) symbolizes the [[Earth:Continent#Number|five inhabited continents]].

The 50 stars of the US flag is the largest number on any national flag. The second-largest is 27, on the flag of Brazil.

The current national flags featuring stars include:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Flag !! Date !! # of stars !! Points !! Stars represent !! Description/comment
|-
| {{flagicon|USA}} United States || 1777; 1960 || 50 || 5 || enumerate US states || originally 13 stars, 50 stars since 1960, see timeline of the flag of the United States
|-
| {{flagicon|Chile}} Chile || 1817 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "The star represents a guide to progress and honor"
|-
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} Brazil || 1822; 1992 || 27 || 5 || enumerate States of Brazil || originally 19 stars, 27 stars since 1992, see Flag of Brazil
|-
|-
| {{flagicon|Turkey}} Turkey || 1844; 1936 || 1 || 5 || [[Star and crescent|star and crescent]] || the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923 and its ''Flag Law'' was passed in 1936, declaring the continued use of the Ottoman flag that had been flown since 1844 (an earlier variant with an eight-pointed star dates to ca. 1793).
|-
| {{flagicon|Cuba}} Cuba || 1849;
1902 
| 1 || 5 || ideal || "The white star in the triangle stands for independence". Based on the flag carried by Narciso López in 1850.
|-
| {{flagicon|Venezuela}} Venezuela || 1859; 1930 || 8 || 5 || enumerate provinces || various arrangement of the stars in design changes since 1859. Twenty stars during 1859–1863.
|-
| {{flagicon|Honduras}} Honduras || 1866 || 5 || 5 || enumerate provinces || based on the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America. The five stars also represent the historical provinces of that state, not subdivisions of Honduras itself.
|-
| {{flagicon|NZL}} New Zealand || 1869; 1902 || 4 || 5 || Southern Cross || used as a governmental ensign since 1869, made the official national flag in 1902. Designed by  Albert Hastings Markham under a request from Governor George Bowen.
|-
| {{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} Puerto Rico || 1895; 1952 || 1 || 5 || ideal || The white star in the triangle represents the island of Puerto Rico. Based on the design of the Cuban flag, see Flag of Puerto Rico
|-
| {{flagicon|Philippines}} Philippines || 1898 || 3 || 5 || enumerate island groups || the three stars represent the three major geographical island groups that compose the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
|-
| {{flagicon|AUS}} Australia || 1901 || 6 || 7; 5 || Southern Cross; [[Commonwealth Star]] || seven-pointed stars for the Commonwealth Star and the main stars of the constellation, plus a smaller five-pointed star representing [[Astronomy:Epsilon Crucis|Epsilon Crucis]]. Based on the winning design in the 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition.
|-
| {{flagicon|Azerbaijan}} Azerbaijan || 1918 || 1 || 8 || [[Star and crescent|star and crescent]] || "the eight-pointed star points to the eight letters of the name ''Azerbaijan'' (in Arabic script<!-- i.e. {{lang|az-Arab| آذربیجان}} = "Azrbycan"? -->)"<ref name="ahmedov">Сабухи Ахмедов, [http://www.irs-az.com/pdf/1277199894570253595.pdf Государственный флаг Азербайджанской Республики] ("The national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan") {{in lang|ru}}, citing Мярданов М., Гулийев Я., Азярбайъан Республикасынын дювлят рямзляри. Б., 2001, pp. 74-75.</ref>
|-
| {{flagicon|Panama}} Panama || 1925 || 2 || 5 || ideal || "the blue star stands for the purity and honesty of the life of the country; the red star represents the authority and law in the country"
|-
| {{flagicon|Jordan}} Jordan || 1928 || 1 || 7 || ideal || "The seven points symbolize the seven verses of the first surah of the Qur’an. The seven points also represent faith in one God, humanity, humility, national spirit, virtue, social justice, and aspiration. The star also stands for the unity of the Arab nation."
|-
| {{flagicon|Vietnam}} Vietnam || 1945 || 1 || 5 || ideal || the Communist Star; "The five-pointed yellow star represents the unity of workers, peasants, intellectuals, traders and soldiers in building socialism"
|-
| {{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan || 1947 || 1 || 5 || ideal || the star represents "light". The crescent and star symbolize progress and light respectively.
|-
| {{flagicon|North Korea}} North Korea || 1948 || 1 || 5 || ideal || the Communist Star
|-
| {{flagicon|PRC}} People's Republic of China || 1949 || 5 || 5 || ideal || "Five-starred Red Flag" (五星红旗, ''Wǔxīng Hóngqí''), one large star representing the Communist Party surrounded by four smaller ones depicting the four then social classes
|-
| {{flagicon|Samoa}} Samoa || 1949 || 5 || 5 || Southern Cross ||
|-
| {{flagicon|Somalia}} Somalia || 1954 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "Star of Unity"
|-
| {{Flagicon|European Union}} European Union
| 1955; 1985
| 12
| 5
| ideal
| "unity among Europeans". Believed to also be a reference to the Catholic iconographic tradition of showing the Blessed Virgin Mary as the [[Religion:Woman of the Apocalypse|Woman of the Apocalypse]], wearing a "crown of twelve stars".<ref name="Gialdino">Carlo Curti Gialdino, ''I Simboli dell'Unione europea, Bandiera – Inno – Motto – Moneta – Giornata''. Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.A., 2005. {{ISBN|88-240-2503-X}}, pp.&nbsp;80–85. Gialdino is here cited after a translation of the Italian text published by the ''Centre Virtuel de la Connaissance sur l'Europe'' ([http://www.cvce.eu/obj/carlo_curti_gialdino_the_symbols_of_the_european_union_origin_of_the_design_for_the_european_flag-en-df9f9dde-98a3-461b-a8a8-8f9c13012343.html cvce.eu]): 
<blockquote>Irrespective of the statements by Paul M. G. Levy and the recent reconstruction by Susan Hood, crediting Arsène Heitz with the original design still seems to me the soundest option. In particular, Arsène Heitz himself, in 1987, laid claim to his own role in designing the flag and to its religious inspiration when he said that 'the flag of Europe is the flag of Our Lady' [''Magnificat'' magazine, 1987].</blockquote>

Secondly, it is worth noting the testimony of Father Pierre Caillon, who refers to a meeting with Arsène Heitz. Caillon tells of having met the former Council of Europe employee by chance in August 1987 at Lisieux in front of the Carmelite monastery. It was Heitz who stopped him and declared "I was the one who designed the European flag. I suddenly had the idea of putting the 12 stars of the Miraculous Medal of the Rue du Bac on a blue field. My proposal was adopted unanimously on 8 December 1955, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I am telling you this, Father, because you are wearing the little blue cross of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima".</ref>
|-
| {{flagicon|Ghana}} Ghana || 1957 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "the lodestar of African freedom"
|-
| {{flagicon|Central African Republic}} Central African Republic || 1958 || 1 || 5 || ideal || The star "guides the steps of the Central African people towards freedom and emancipation."
|-
| {{flagicon|Syria}} Syrian Republic || 1958; 1980 || 2 || 5 || enumerate states || The 1958 flag was that of the [[Place:United Arab Republic|United Arab Republic]]. The two stars originally represented Syria and Egypt as member states of that entity.
|-
| {{flagicon|Mauritania}} Mauritania || 1959 || 1 || 5 || [[Star and crescent|star and crescent]] || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Senegal}} Senegal || 1960 || 1 || 5 ||  || The five points of the star are said to recall the human ideogram which was displayed in the middle of the flag of the former Mali Federation.{{cn|date=December 2016}}
|-
| {{flagicon|Togo}} Togo || 1960 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "hope"{{cn|date=December 2016}}
|-
| {{flagicon|Algeria}} Algeria || 1962 || 1 || 5 || [[Star and crescent|star and crescent]] || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malaysia || 1963 || 1 || 14 || enumerate states || a 14-pointed star alongside a crescent, representing the 13 member states plus the federal government
|-
| {{flagicon|Singapore}} Singapore || 1965 || 5 || 5 || ideal || five stars alongside a crescent, representing "democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality". According to Lee Kuan Yew, the Chinese population wanted five stars (influenced by the flag of the People's Republic of China) and the Muslim population wanted a crescent moon.
|-
| {{flagicon|Burundi}} Burundi || 1967 || 3 || 6 || ideal || "Unity, Work, Progress"
|-
| {{flagicon|Nauru}} Nauru || 1967 || 1 || 12 || enumerate tribes || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Papua New Guinea}} Papua New Guinea || 1971 || 5 || 5 || Southern Cross || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Guinea-Bissau}} Guinea-Bissau || 1973 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "the Black Star of Africa"
|-
| {{flagicon|Grenada}} Grenada || 1974 || 7 || 5 || enumerate parishes || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Angola}} Angola || 1975 || 1 || 5 || ideal || in origin imitating the Communist Star
|-
| {{flagicon|Cameroon}} Cameroon || 1975 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "star of unity"
|-
| {{flagicon|Suriname}} Suriname || 1975 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "The star represents the unity of all ethnic groups"
|-
| {{flagicon|São Tomé and Príncipe}} São Tomé and Príncipe || 1975 || 2 || 5 || enumerate islands || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Tuvalu}} Tuvalu || 1976 || 9 || 5 || enumerate islands || The stars are arranged in imitation of the geographic location of the islands of Tuvalu
|-
| {{flagicon|Djibouti}} Djibouti || 1977 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "The red star signifies the unity of the diverse state."
|-
| {{flagicon|Solomon Islands}} Solomon Islands || 1977 || 5 || 5 || enumerate islands || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Dominica}} Dominica || 1978 || 10 || 5 || enumerate parishes || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Marshall Islands}} Marshall Islands || 1979 || 1 || 24 || enumerate districts || the points of the stars enumerate the electoral districts
|-
| {{flagicon|Federated States of Micronesia}} Federated States of Micronesia || 1979 || 4 || 5 || enumerate states || Based on the Flag of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific, each star represents a constitutional State (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae)
|-
| {{flagicon|Saint Kitts and Nevis}} Saint Kitts and Nevis || 1983 || 2 || 5 || ideal / enumerate islands || "hope and liberty, or Saint Kitts and Nevis"
|-
| {{flagicon|Burkina Faso}} Burkina Faso || 1984 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "the guiding light of the revolution"
|-
| {{flagicon|Croatia}} Croatia || 1990 || 2 || 6 || [[Astronomy:Venus|morning star]] || The stars are part of the coat of arms of Croatia. One star is part of the coat of arms of the Illyrian movement, and the other is part of the coat of arms of [[Place:Slavonia|Slavonia]].
|-
| {{flagicon|Slovenia}} Slovenia || 1991 || 3 || 6 || ideal || "democracy", inspired by the historical coat of arms of the Counts of Celje<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.primorske.si/Priloge/7--Val/Drzavni-simboli-niso-carovnija-so-pa-silen-potenci.aspx |title=Državni simboli niso čarovnija, so pa silen potencial |language=sl |trans-title=National Symbols are not Magic, but Are a Strong Potential |newspaper=Primorske.si |date=26 June 2011 |publisher=Primorske novice, d.o.o. |issn=1580-4747}}</ref>
|-
| {{flagicon|Uzbekistan}} Uzbekistan || 1991 || 12 || 5 || ideal || a crescent and twelve stars, representing the "ancient calendar cycle"
|-
| {{flagicon|Tajikistan}} Tajikistan || 1992 || 7 || 5 || seven stars on heaven's mountains || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Cape Verde}} Cape Verde || 1992 || 10 || 5 || enumerate islands || 
|-
| {{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} Bosnia and Herzegovina || 1998 || 8 ("∞") || 5 || ideal || a diagonal line of seven five-pointed stars, plus two half-stars cut off by the flag boundary. The stars represent "Europe" and are intended to be "infinite" in number.
|-
| {{flagicon|Comoros}} Comoros || 2001 || 4 || 5 || enumerate islands || four stars alongside a crescent
|-
| {{flagicon|Turkmenistan}} Turkmenistan || 2001 || 5 || 5 || enumerate provinces || five stars alongside a crescent
|-
| {{flagicon|East Timor}} East Timor || 2002 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "the light that guides"
|-
| {{flagicon|South Sudan}} South Sudan || 2005 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "the [[Unsolved:Star of Bethlehem|Star of Bethlehem]], represents the unity of the states of South Sudan"
|-
| {{flagicon|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} Democratic Republic of the Congo || 2007 || 1 || 5 || ideal || derived from the flag of [[Social:Congo Free State|Congo Free State]] (1885)
|-
| {{flagicon|Myanmar}} Myanmar || 2010 || 1 || 5 || ideal || "unity"
|}

Not bearing heraldic stars as such, the 1915 Flag of Morocco and the 1996 flag of Ethiopia have a pentagram each, and the 1948 flag of Israel a hexagram or "star of David".
The 1962 Flag of Nepal has what would technically be described as a 12-pointed mullet, but is intended to depict the Sun{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}.

==See also==
*Rayed solar symbol
*[[Star and crescent]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Flags with stars}}
*[http://flagspot.net/flags/k-s-34.htm#star "star" at flagspot.net]
*[https://medium.com/@iris.atlanttida/star-symbol-a5fa8e3bfed Star Symbol] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402031110/https://medium.com/@iris.atlanttida/star-symbol-a5fa8e3bfed |date=2021-04-02 }} Collection


[[Category:Heraldic charges]]

{{Sourceattribution|Star (heraldry)}}