The search for the philosopher's stone for many alchemists was, in fact, the search for the meaning of life and the very existence of man. It was this reagent, necessary to create the elixir of life and turn any metal into gold, that medieval alchemy was dedicated to. Later, on the basis of practical experience accumulated by generations of alchemists, chemistry was born - the modern science of substances. The philosopher's stone itself was for a long time considered a fiction, a semi-mythical reagent that turns base metals into gold ingots, until in the twentieth century it was found out that during the operation of a nuclear reactor, gold can really be obtained from other substances, albeit in negligible concentrations.
Semi-mythical figure
One of the famous personalities associated with the history of the Philosopher's Stone is Nicholas Flamel. As with the reagent itself, it is not clear whether this esoteric alchemist actually existed, or was just a fantasy. The name of a man who devoted himself to searching for the secret of eternal life and a way to extract gold from other elements is still shroudedmystical fog. Many historians sincerely doubt its existence, while others believe that Flamel actually existed, moreover, he even unraveled the mystery of immortality and is alive to this day. The grave of the esoteric turned out to be empty, and, according to eyewitnesses, he himself was seen several times after his "death".
Be that as it may, the question of the existence of the Philosopher's Stone has troubled the minds of noble scientists for thousands of years. Many tried to unravel the mysteries of this French alchemist before. But as a reward for all their work, all the predecessors of Nicolas received only disappointment. Finally, in the fourteenth century, Nicolas Flamel publicly declared that he had achieved his goal. They say that not only did he not go broke on the experiments that he conducted in the process of searching for the notorious stone, but he was also able to increase his capital.
The Book of the Jew of Abraham
Parisian notary, collector, alchemist, copyist Nicolas Flamel was born in the first half of the fourteenth century (1330) and died in the early fifteenth (1417 or 1418, according to available data). Nicholas was born into a poor family, worked hard for a long time and barely made ends meet. Later, everything changed in an instant, if, of course, you believe that he really found a way to turn metals into gold and the elixir of life.
Being the owner of a small shop with books, in 1357 the alchemist acquired a very voluminous old tome. Many alchemical treatises passed through his hands by occupation, but it was this copy that attracted the attention of Flamel. First, the beggar who soldhim a book, asked too high a price. Secondly, a rare volume was written on plates of bark taken from young trees, and this was an indicator of value in a time when everyone already wrote on plain paper. Thirdly, something told Nicholas Flamel that the volume was really special.
"The Book of the Jew of Abraham" - only this was the alchemist able to decipher. The title of the book was known, but it was not possible to read the entire manuscript, because the text was written in ancient symbols that no one in Paris knew. On the first page of the manuscript, by the way, contained a curse addressed to anyone who decides to read the volume further, except for scribes and clergymen.
The Secret of the Philosopher's Stone
The key to the ancient text, which explained how to turn metals into gold, Nicolas Flamel unsuccessfully tried to find for twenty years. He began to consult with scientists, clerks, collectors and simply knowledgeable people throughout Europe, but the search did not bring any results until the alchemist decided to go to Italy. There he did not find an answer, but the fateful meeting took place on the way back from Santiago de Compostela.
On the way, Nicolas Flamel met a certain Kanches, who, in his own words, wielded the same magic as the biblical magi. The stranger knew ancient Jewish symbolism, so he could be useful in deciphering the text. Only after learning about the manuscript, Kanches set off on a journey with a French alchemist. Even on a journey, the magician revealed to Flamel the meaning of most of the symbols anddeciphered the description of the process of obtaining the elixir of life. True, Kanchez never saw that oldest volume, for the sake of which he went on a long journey. In French Orleans, not far from Paris, he fell seriously ill and died.
Decisive Moment
Nicholas Flamel, however, had enough information to recreate passages of the text. In his diary on January 17, 1382, the alchemist wrote that he managed to get silver from mercury, and he was already close to revealing the main secret. Biography of Nicholas Flamel says that his life took a sharp turn.
Subsequent events showed that, perhaps, Nicholas managed to uncover the eternal secret of alchemy. The Philosopher's Stone today appears red, translucent, like a crystal.
The luckiest alchemist
Be that as it may, soon Nicholas got rich. This fact is documented by many French historians, so there should be no errors in the dates. Within a few months, he acquired about thirty houses and plots of land, began to engage in charity work, invested significant sums in the development of art, financed the construction of chapels and the construction of hospitals. His personality became known to many contemporaries, but soon the alchemist and his wife simply disappeared somewhere. The rumor about him spread far beyond the borders of France, so he could not hide by simply moving to a neighboring town.
Own work
True, the copyist of books could get rich for another reason. Aboutat the same time, he wrote four books that sold well. It was like a memoir. In the first part of the Hieroglyphic Figures, the alchemist talked about his life and how the Book of the Jew Abraham fell into his hands, in the process of studying which he learned the secret of obtaining the philosopher's stone. Further, the author gave an interpretation of the engravings on the arch of the Parisian cemetery in theological and alchemical senses. Flamel completely refused to translate the text of the ancient manuscript, in his writings the alchemist referred to the fact that God would punish him for such evil.
True, historians say that of the four texts attributed to Nicholas, two were definitely not written by him, and two more are in doubt. For example, the part with the analysis of graveyard symbols is a retelling of the works of Khalid, Pythagoras, Rhazes, Maurien, Hermes and other famous scholars.
Flamel's Tombstone
The life of such a famous alchemist ended in 1417, if we talk about official data. There is, of course, a version that he cheated death with the help of that very philosopher's stone, staged a funeral, and then moved somewhere in Asia, for example, in Tibet. But the interest of historians and followers around the tombstone of Flamel did not fade away. When the grave was opened, it turned out that it was empty.
The tombstone, by the way, was found in the mid-nineteenth century by a grocer who used the tablet as a cutting board.
Alchemist's Testament
Another interesting topic is the will of Nicolas Flamel. TextThe document was written down from the words of the alchemist in part by one of his followers. The first version, written personally by the alchemist, was compiled in the form of a cipher, the key to which Flamel passed on to his nephew during his lifetime. It is known that the cipher consisted of 96 characters, and each letter had four variants of writing on paper. This version of the will was deciphered in 1758 by the owners of the copies. One of them later reported that there was another work by Nicholas - as yet unknown to the public. The original will has been lost.
In the middle of the twentieth century, a manuscript was discovered in the National Library of Paris, compiled by a follower and student of Nicholas Flamel. In his will, the alchemist reveals the steps involved in creating the Philosopher's Stone. A will was addressed to Nicholas's nephew, the author says that he will take the ingredients for the preparation of the reagent with him to the grave, and advises his relative to do the same.
Further history of the “Book…”
The further history of the "Book of the Jew Abraham" is also interesting, because after the death of Flamel, the oldest manuscript was never found. Searches were conducted not only in the alchemist's house, but also in churches and hospitals built with his funds - wherever it was possible to hide the volume. Later, some cardinal was allegedly seen studying a valuable book with Nicholas's notes in the margins.
Followers of the Alchemist
Separately, historians identify a number of strange coincidences that happened to those who were engaged in alchemy and the search for a stone after Flamel. Some of them became very we althy over time. For example, a certain English alchemist named George Ripley in the fifteenth century donated 100 thousand pounds sterling to the Order of John, or about a billion dollars for today's money, and the Catholic Pope John later decided to get acquainted with the contents of "harmful" books, after which he himself began to engage in alchemy. He received two hundred gold bars of one hundred grams each.
The "Gold Rush" swept the Emperor Rudolf II, the Danish astronomer T. Brahe, the Scottish alchemist A. Seton, a certain Dutchman J. Haussen, the chemist Girin, the English physicist Rutherford with his colleague F. Soddy.
Death Appearances
"It's entirely possible that Nicholas Flamel was destined to live for several tens of centuries," some researchers say. The most famous alchemist was allegedly seen more than once after his official death. The first time this happened was in the seventeenth century, when the traveler Paul Lucas met a man who claimed to be a friend of Nicholas Flamel and saw him just three months later in India. According to this man, the alchemist faked his death and went to Switzerland.
A century later, the clergyman Sir Morcel claimed with complete certainty that he had observed the work of Nicholas in some underground laboratory in Paris. In 1761, the couple was seen at the opera, accompanied by their son. In 1818, a man who called himself Flamel walked around Paris and promised to reveal the secret of immortality for 300,000 francs, although this was most likely a charlatan.
Literary image
Found the image of NicholasFlamel and in literature. His name is found not only in the well-known Harry Potter saga, but also in a whole list of other works:
- Notre Dame Cathedral.
- The Da Vinci Code.
- "Joseph Balsamo".
- "My other self."
- "Unicorn Alchemy".
- White Dominican.
- "The Book of Secrets".
- "The Key to Immortality", etc.
One can only wonder if Nicholas Flamel really existed and whether he actually managed to discover the secret of eternal life and we alth.
