The search for the philosopher's stone for many alchemists was, in fact, a search for the meaning of life and the very existence of man. It is to this reagent, necessary to create the elixir of life and the transformation of any metal into gold, that medieval alchemy was devoted. Later, on the basis of practical experience accumulated by generations of alchemists, chemistry was born - a modern science of substances. The philosopher’s stone itself has long been considered a fiction, a semi-mythical reagent that turns base metals into gold bullion, until in the twentieth century it was found that in the process of operating a nuclear reactor it is really possible to get gold from other substances, albeit at 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 unclear whether this esoteric alchemist actually existed, or was only fiction. The name of a man who has devoted himself to the search for the secrets of eternal life and a way to mine gold from other elements is still shrouded in a mystical fog. Many historians sincerely doubt its existence, while others believe that Flamel existed in reality, moreover, he even unraveled the secret of immortality and is still alive today. The grave of the esoteric was empty, and, according to eyewitnesses, he himself was seen several times after the "death".
Be that as it may, the question of the existence of a philosopher's stone has troubled the minds of noble scientists for thousands of years. Many tried to unravel the secrets of the French alchemist before that. But as a reward for all his labors, all Nicolas’s predecessors received only disappointment. Finally, in the fourteenth century, Nicolas Flamel publicly declared that he had achieved the goal. They say that he not only did not go broke on the experiments that he conducted in the process of searching for the notorious stone, but also was able to increase his capital.
The Book of Judea Abraham
A Parisian notary, collector, alchemist, and copyist of books Nicolas Flamel was born in the first half of the fourteenth century (1330), and died at the beginning of the fifteenth (1417 or 1418, according to reports). 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, we believe that he really found a way to turn metals into gold and the elixir of life.
Being the owner of a small bookstore, in 1357 the alchemist acquired a very voluminous old folio. Many alchemical treatises passed through his hands through the nature of activity, but it was this instance that attracted Flamel's attention. First, the beggar, who sold him a book, asked too much. Secondly, a rare volume was written on the bark plates taken from young trees, and this was an indicator of value at a time when everyone had already written on plain paper. Thirdly, something told Nicholas Flamel that the volume was really special.
“The Book of Judea Abraham” - only this was able to decipher the alchemist. The title of the book was known, but it was not possible to read the manuscript completely, because the text was written in ancient characters that no one in Paris knew. The first page of the manuscript, by the way, contained a curse addressed to anyone who decides to read the volume further, except for clerks and clergy.
The secret of the philosopher's stone
The key to the ancient text, which explained how to turn metals into gold, Nicholas Flamel unsuccessfully tried to find twenty years. He began to consult with scientists, clerks, collectors and just knowing people all over Europe, but the search did not bring any results until the alchemist decided to go to Italy. There he did not find the answer, but the fateful meeting took place on the way back from Santiago de Compostela.
On the way, Nicolas Flamel met a certain Canchez, who, in his own words, possessed the same magic as the biblical magi. The stranger knew ancient Jewish symbolism, so he could be useful in deciphering the text. Just learning about the manuscript, Canchez hit the road with the French alchemist. While traveling, the magician discovered Flamel the meaning of most of the symbols and deciphered the description of the process of obtaining the elixir of life. True, Kanchez never saw the oldest volume for 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 is already close to revealing the main secret. The biography of Nicholas Flamel says that his life has made a sharp turn.
Subsequent events showed that perhaps Nicholas was still able to reveal the eternal secret of alchemy. The philosopher's stone today seems red, translucent, like a crystal.
The most successful alchemist
Be that as it may, Nicholas soon became rich. This fact has been documented by many French historians, so there should not be an error in the dates. Within a few months, he acquired about thirty houses and plots of land, began to engage in charity work, invested significant amounts in the development of art, financed the construction of chapels and the construction of hospitals. His identity 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, simply having moved to a neighboring town.
Own works
True, the scribe could get rich for another reason. Around the same time, he wrote four books that sold well. It was a kind of memoir. In the first part of “Hieroglyphic figures”, the alchemist talked about his life and how the “Book of the Jew of Abraham” fell into his hands, during the study of which he learned the secret of obtaining a philosopher's stone. Further, the author gave an interpretation of the engravings on the arch of the Paris cemetery in theological and alchemical senses. The text of the ancient manuscript Flamel completely refused to translate, in his works the alchemist referred to the fact that God would punish him for such evil.
True, historians argue that of the four texts attributed to Nicholas, two were certainly not written by himself, two more were in doubt. For example, the part with the analysis of cemetery symbols is a retelling of the works of Khalid, Pythagoras, Razes, Morien, Hermes and other famous scholars.
Tombstone of Flamel
The life of such a famous alchemist ended in 1417, if we talk about official data. There is, of course, the version that he cheated death with the help of the philosopher’s stone, staged a funeral, and then moved somewhere to Asia, for example, to Tibet. But the interest of historians and followers around Flamel's tombstone did not fade. 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 a plate as a cutting board.
Testament of the Alchemist
Another interesting topic is the will of Nicolas Flamel. The text of the 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 composed in the form of a cipher, the key to which Flamel passed to his nephew during his lifetime. It is known that the cipher consisted of 96 characters, and each letter had four options for writing on paper. This version of the will was deciphered in 1758 by the owners of the copies. One of them later said that there is another work by Nicholas - still unknown to the public. The original will is lost.
In the mid-twentieth century, a manuscript was discovered in the National Library of Paris, compiled by a follower and student of Nicholas Flamel. In the will, the alchemist reveals the stages of the creation of the philosopher's stone. A testament was sent to Nicholas's nephew, the author says that he will take the ingredients for the preparation of the reagent with him to the grave, in the same way he advises the relative to do the same.
Further history of the "Book ..."
The further history of the Book of the Jew of Abraham is also interesting, because after the death of Flamel the oldest manuscript was never found. Searches were conducted not only in the house of the alchemist, but also in churches and hospitals built at his expense - wherever it was possible to hide the volume. Later, they allegedly saw some cardinal studying a valuable book marked with Nicholas 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 prosperous over time. For example, in the fifteenth century, an English alchemist named George Ripley donated the Order of John 100 thousand pounds, or about a billion dollars for today's money, and the Catholic Pope John later decided to familiarize himself with the content of “harmful” books, after which he himself began to study alchemy . He received two hundred gold bars of one hundred grams each.
The “Gold Rush” engulfed Emperor Rudolph II, Danish astronomer T. Brahe, Scottish alchemist A. Seton, a Dutchman J. Haussen, a chemical scientist Girin, an English physicist Rutherford and his colleague F. Soddy.
Appearances after Death
“It is completely possible that Nicholas Flamel was destined to live several tens of centuries,” some researchers say. The famous alchemist was allegedly seen more than once after his official death. The first time this happened in the seventeenth century, when the traveler Paul Luc met a man who claimed to be a friend of Nicholas Flamel and saw him literally three months later in India. According to this man, the alchemist staged death and went to Switzerland.
A century later, clergyman Sir Morseille with full confidence claimed that he had watched Nicholas work in a certain underground laboratory in Paris. In 1761, a couple was seen in the opera, they were accompanied by their son. In 1818, a man walked around Paris who called himself Flamel and promised for 300,000 francs to reveal the secret of immortality, although it was most likely a charlatan.
Literary image
The image of Nicholas Flamel was also reflected in literature. His name is found not only in the famous Harry Potter saga, but also in the whole list of other works:
- "Notre Dame Cathedral".
- "The Da Vinci Code".
- "Joseph Balsamo."
- "My second self."
- "Alchemy of the Unicorn."
- "White Dominican."
- The Book of Secrets.
- "The Key to Immortality", etc.
One can only guess whether Nicholas Flamel really existed and whether he actually managed to discover the secret of eternal life and wealth.