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The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, divine illumination, and heavenly bliss. Efforts to discover the philosopher's stone were known as the Magnum Opus ("Great Work"). [3]
In alchemy and philosophy, prima materia, materia prima or first matter (for a philosophical exposition refer to: Prime Matter), is the ubiquitous starting material required for the alchemical magnum opus and the creation of the philosopher's stone. It is the primitive formless base of all matter similar to chaos, the quintessence or aether.
Flamel has been portrayed in popular fiction as a legendary figure who holds the key to immortality or the philosopher's stone. In Victor Hugo 's novel Notre Dame de Paris (1831), the tragic main character Claude Frollo is a young priest and alchemist who spends much of his time studying the carvings in Les Innocents , trying to fathom Flamel's ...
In alchemy, the Magnum Opus or Great Work is a term for the process of working with the prima materia to create the philosopher's stone. It has been used to describe personal and spiritual transmutation in the Hermetic tradition , attached to laboratory processes and chemical color changes, used as a model for the individuation process, and as ...
Alchemy was a series of practices that combined philosophical, magical, and chemical experimentation. One goal of European alchemists was to create what was known as the Philosopher’s Stone, a substance that when heated and combined with a non precious metal like copper or iron (known as the “base”) would turn into gold.
Phosphorus must have been awe-inspiring to an alchemist: it was a product of man, and seeming to glow with a "life force" that did not diminish over time (and did not need re-exposure to light like the previously discovered Bologna Stone). Brand kept his discovery secret, as alchemists of the time did, and worked with the phosphorus trying ...
In European alchemical tradition, the elixir of life is closely related to the creation of the philosopher's stone. According to legend, certain alchemists have gained a reputation as creators of the elixir. These include Nicolas Flamel and St. Germain. A work by Michael Scot speaks of gold as an elixir of life. [7]
Paracelsus believed that alkahest was, in fact, the philosopher's stone. Dutch chemist and physician Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738), in his textbook Elementa Chymiae (1732), did not think alkahest was the philosopher's stone, but of greater importance and value than the stone. [7] After the 18th century alkahest was taken less seriously over time.