![]() Long before the alchemists, the ancient Greeks believed that the world and everything in it was made up of these four elements. The four classical elements held great importance in the ancient world. Here’s a look at some of the most popular symbols used in alchemy, how they were depicted and what they represented. As new elements were discovered, they were added to this growing list. The Mundane Elements – All other elements explored by alchemy such as antimony, arsenic, bismuth, and others.The Seven Planetary Metals – Lead, tin, iron, gold, copper, mercury, silver, the seven pure metals alchemist associated with the seven days of the week, certain parts of the human body, as well as the seven planetary objects in the Solar system they could observe with a naked eye.The Three Primes – Mercury, salt, and sulfur, the three elements believed by alchemists to be the cause of all disease and illnesses.The Four Classical Elements – Earth, wind, water, and fire, the elements that alchemists believed made up everything on Earth.Generally, most alchemy symbols are divided into four categories: Many are based on astrology and are connected to or inspired by various celestial bodies. Famous Alchemy SymbolsĪlchemy symbols can be simple or more complex, depending on what they represent. The goal of these symbols was to describe the metals and processes alchemists used while keeping their secrets safe from any and all non-alchemists. So, how do alchemy’s bizarre but beautiful symbols play into how alchemy works? Did alchemist actually write their symbols with chalk on the ground and try to summon magical powers like the heroes of Fullmetal Alchemist or The Rithmatist?Īlchemy symbols were merely the secret language alchemists used to describe their experiments and findings. Newton’s belief that metals could be transformed into each other on a chemical level may have been wrong, but it didn’t make him any less of a scientist, evident from his revolutionary invention of Newtonian physics. One famous alchemist, for example, was Sir Isaac Newton who lived in the late 17 th and early 18 th centuries. For its time, this mystic art represented most of what educated people knew about the world around them. However, this doesn’t mean that we should necessarily look down on alchemy. Thus, as the collective understanding of physics and chemistry started advancing beyond alchemy in the 18 th century, this ancient art began to die out. However, all alchemists believed that metals can be transmuted into each other and so creating gold out of other metals for profit was on most alchemists’ minds.Īll in all, alchemy can be described as an early attempt at chemistry but mixed with mysticism and astrology instead of actual science. Whether all alchemists sincerely believed the latter two were possible isn’t clear – it’s possible they were just legends. Discover the elements of the elixir of eternal youth.The Philosopher’s Stone was believed to be able to transform lead into gold as well as to grant eternal life to its user. Create the mythical Philosopher’s Stone by smelting and mixing different metals and elements.Find a way to transmute low-value metals into gold.The main goals of most alchemists were the following: This belief likely stemmed from people’s observation of mixed metal alloys in nature and how metals can change properties when they get smelted. In particular, alchemists were fascinated by metals and believed there were ways for one metal to be transmuted into another one. In essence, alchemy is the attempt of people in the ancient and Medieval times to understand chemistry and how chemical compounds interacted with each other. These symbols have existed for hundreds of years and continue to fascinate and intrigue people with their association to the mysterious art of alchemy. Later on, the practice became popular all across Europe, the Middle East, India, and the Far East.Īlchemists used various symbols to represent natural elements. Originating in the early centuries, alchemy first emerged in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Viewed as a science by its practitioners, as a mystic art by the uninitiated around them, and as impractical pseudo-science by scientists of the last 3 centuries, alchemy is a fascinating attempt at studying nature.
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