Abraxas

Abraxas is a name used in late antique Gnosticism and in later magical texts to designate a divine or semi-divine figure that stands above conventional categories. The term has been read as both a proper deity and as a magical word invoked for protective or transformative power. The exact origin of the name is uncertain; it appears in Greek-script inscriptions and inscriptions on amulets and papyri. Some scholars see it as a composite symbol representing the unity of opposites, such as light and darkness, good and evil, male and female.

In many Gnostic systems Abraxas is described as a supreme principle or archon who governs the cosmos, sometimes with a demiurge-like authority over lower powers. Iconography associated with Abraxas is best known from the Abraxas stone, a 2nd-century engraved gem depicting a roosters-headed man with wings and serpents, often holding a shield and a weapon, with the word ABRAXAS inscribed nearby; other depictions vary. The symbol has been adopted in later occult and esoteric traditions to express the paradox of unity in multiplicity.

In modern times, Abraxas has appeared in various cultural contexts. Carl Jung discussed Abraxas as a symbol for the integration of opposites in the psyche. The term also entered popular culture, notably as the title of Santana’s 1970 album Abraxas.