Philosopher's stone

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For other uses, see Philosopher's stone (disambiguation).
The Alchymist, In Search of the Philosopher’s Stone by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1771.
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The philosopher's stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum; Greek: chrysopoeia) is a legendary alchemical tool, supposedly capable of turning base metals into gold; it was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy. In the view of alchemists like Sir Isaac Newton and Nicolas Flamel, familiarity with the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work.[1]

Contents

[edit] In alchemy

Alchemists once thought a key component in the creation of the stone was a mythical element named carmot.[2][3]

The 8th-century Arab alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan (Latinized as Geber) analyzed each classical element in terms of the four basic qualities of hotness, coldness, dryness, and moistness. Fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air hot and moist. He further theorized that every metal was a combination of these four principles, two of them interior and two exterior. From this premise, it was reasoned that the transmutation of one metal into another could be affected by the rearrangement of its basic qualities. This change would presumably be mediated by a substance, which came to be called al-iksir in Arabic (from which the Western term elixir is derived). It is often considered to exist as a dry red powder (also known as al-Kibrit al-Ahmar الكبريت الأحمر—red sulphur) made from a legendary stone—the philosopher's stone.[4][5]

In the 11th century, there was a debate among Muslim chemists on whether the transmutation of substances was possible. A leading opponent was Avicenna (Ibn Sina), who discredited the theory of transmutation of substances:

“ "Those of the chemical craft know well that no change can be effected in the different species of substances, though they can produce the appearance of such change."[6] ”

According to legend, the 13th-century scientist and philosopher Albertus Magnus is said to have discovered the philosopher's stone and passed it to his pupil Thomas Aquinas, shortly before his death circa 1280. Magnus does not confirm he discovered the stone in his writings, but he did record that he witnessed the creation of gold by "transmutation".[7]

The 16th-century Swiss alchemist Philippus Paracelsus believed in the existence of alkahest, which he thought to be an undiscovered element from which all other elements (earth, fire, water, air) were simply derivative forms. Paracelsus believed that this element was, in fact, the philosopher's stone.

Jabir's theory was based on the concept that metals like gold and silver could be hidden in alloys and ores, from which they could be recovered by the appropriate chemical treatment. Jabir himself is believed to be the inventor of aqua regia, a mixture of muriatic (hydrochloric) and nitric acids, one of the few substances that can dissolve gold (and which is still often used for gold recovery and purification).

Gold was particularly valued as a metal that would not rust, tarnish, corrode or otherwise grow corrupt. Since the philosopher's stone would turn a corruptible base metal to incorruptible gold, it would similarly transform human beings from mortal (corruptible) to immortal (incorruptible). One of many theories was that gold was a superior form of metal, and that the philosopher's stone was even purer and superior to gold, and if combined with lesser metals, would turn them into superior gold as well.[citation needed]

A mystical text published in the 17th century called the Mutus Liber appears to be a symbolic instruction manual for concocting a philosopher's stone. Called the "wordless book", it was a collection of 15 illustrations.

[edit] In art and entertainment

The philosopher's stone has been a subject, inspiration, or plot feature of innumerable artistic works: novels, comics stories, movies, animations, and even musical compositions. It is also a popular item in many video games. The following is a very incomplete list.

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[edit] Literature

[edit] Comics, movies, TV, and animations

Philosopher's stone as depicted in the first Harry Potter film.
  • The Fabulous Philosopher's Stone (1955), an Uncle Scrooge story by Carl Barks
  • The Philosopher's Stone (1958), a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray
  • The Flash (1958), a rogue known as Doctor Alchemy used a philosopher's stone as his main weapon in crime.
  • The Slayers (1995). The version of the stone that was depicted in this series varied quite substantially from traditional depictions of it. The stone was of a dark color and appeared to have a metamorphic-rock-like consistency. It was said to be part of the "Staff of the Gods" that supported the Slayers' world and increased a magic user's powers exponentially, to the point of being almost god-like.
  • The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996), episode where a modern alchemist forces the Quest family to join in his experimentation with the philosopher's stone.
  • Rock of Ages (1997-98), a six-part story-arc in DC Comics' JLA comic series.
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001); retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist (2001), a legendary stone is said to allow the holder to completely bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange. As with all things, however, creating a philosopher's stone requires the expenditure of raw materials: in this case human lives on a massive scale.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009), a legendary stone is said to allow the holder to completely bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange. As with all things, however, creating a philosopher's stone requires the expenditure of raw materials: in this case human lives on a massive scale.
  • Justice League (2002). Jason Blood and his alter-ego Etrigan the Demon seek the assistance of the Justice League in preventing the philosopher's stone from falling into the hands of his ancient enemy, the sorceress Morgaine Le Fey.
  • The Philosophers Stone, (2008) a feature length experimental film by director Raymond Salvatore Harmon comparing the Philosopher's Stone to the hallucinogenic LSD.
  • The Venture Bros., (2008). Episode 37 "ORB" With the help of Billy Quizboy, Pete White, Dr. Orpheus, the Alchemist, and his sons, Dr. Venture goes on an old-fashioned adventure to find an object of unspeakable power. When Brock attempts to stop him, he learns the truth about the late Jonas Venture, the Guild of Calamitous Intent, and his nineteen-year old mission to protect the Philosopher's stone.

[edit] Music

[edit] Video games

  • Valkyrie Profile (1999) and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (2006); The antagonist, Lezard Valeth, seeks after and manages to garner the Philosopher's stone and Silmeria's soul in order to create a world that exists outside of Yggdrasil.
  • Shadow of Memories (2001); An alchemist in the past creates a homunculus using the philosopher's stone, although the story turns out later to have multiple twists, involving the homunculus travelling to the future to bring someone back with the stone, so as to have created itself in the first place. Interestingly the person the homunculus brought back turns out to be the alchemist himself, but in an eternally younger form, and with amnesia - both of which were placed upon him by the homunculus after it turned on the alchemist. This is interesting since it shows that the homunculus itself had the power to create eternal youth.
  • Darklands (1992); One of the "magic" systems of the game was alchemy, which required the use of the philosopher's stone which, in the game's universe, is actually a fine mineral powder which serves as a universal catalyst. The quality of the "stone" can be upgraded, which increases the chance of a character successfully creating a potion. A small amount of the "stone" is used in every process, but is never actually consumed, instead being recovered by the alchemist for later use.
  • Zork Nemesis (1996); The story focuses heavily on alchemy, the discovery of the Quintessence, and the philosopher's stone.
  • Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000); The opening level, set in Rome, takes Lara Croft into the catacombs below the Colosseum in search of the Philosopher's stone. The level ends when Lara prizes the stone from where it is embedded in a wall of gold.
  • Devil May Cry (2001); During the course of the game, Dante comes across an item called the Philosopher's Egg, which must be warmed for some time (the time elapsed is actually the duration of the following boss fight), which then turns into the Philosopher's Stone and is used to open the gate into the demon world.
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001).
  • Golden Sun: The Lost Age (2003); The Golden Sun games uses alchemy as a form of psychokinetic magic called 'psynergy' that can create the Stone of Sages (also called the Wisdom Stone), which is the true source of all psynergy. It also grants the holder nearly unlimited life, as well as transmuting lead into gold.
  • Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel (2003); The game's characters Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric both have the purpose to find the Philosopher Stone, as is the goal in the whole franchise. The sequel to the game has the same characters and purpose.
  • World of Warcraft (2004); The game allows players to choose the Alchemy profession. Transmutations require the use of a Philosopher's Stone, which incidentally can be created by the alchemist in varying forms with different benefits to the alchemist when equipped.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Heindel, Max, Freemasonry and Catholicism, ISBN 0-911274-04-9
  2. ^ Burt, A.L. 1885. The National Standard Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Literature, the Sciences and the Arts, for Popular Use p. 150. Available online.
  3. ^ Sebastian, Anton. 1999. A Dictionary of the History of Medicine. p. 179. ISBN 1-85070-021-4. Available online.
  4. ^ Ragai, Jehane (1992), "The Philosopher's Stone: Alchemy and Chemistry", Journal of Comparative Poetics 12 (Metaphor and Allegory in the Middle Ages): 58–77 
  5. ^ Holmyard, E. J. (1924), "Maslama al-Majriti and the Rutbatu'l-Hakim", Isis 6 (3): 293–305 
  6. ^ Robert Briffault (1938). The Making of Humanity, p. 196-197.
  7. ^ Julian Franklyn ans Frederick E. Budd. A Survey of the Occult. Electric Book Company. 2001. p. 28-30. ISBN 1843270870.

[edit] External links

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