Nicolas Flamel, Alchemist?
Alchemy, the Medieval intoxicating pre-chemistry drew many proclaimed experts and specialists. The main goal of the alchemists, though, was clear: they wanted to convert base metals into gold and, what's more, discover an elixir, or even a cure to aging. One of these alchemists was Nicolas Flamel.
One thing I never really knew until I started looking into the lore of alchemy was if Nicolas Flamel was even a real person. In short, he was a real person. A man named Nicolas Flamel really did exist, and he lived in Paris. His birth records show he was born in 1330 outside of Paris and died in Paris in 1418. One of the reasons he was believed to be an alchemist, perhaps, was the fact that he lived well into his 80s at a time where that wasn’t all that common.
During his known life, he primarily made a living as a scribe and manuscript seller. He was married and played an active role in his community, often being cited as generous, giving freely to churches, and commissioning art by struggling artists. His address was 51 Rue de Montmorency and there is even a street named after him in Marais.
Despite his infamy now (thanks to the Harry Potter series), he was not widely known in his age. However, centuries after his death one of the first alchemical texts ever actively published was attributed to him in 1612 (Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques). Another text went into publication in 1624 in London, and was also attributed to Flamel.
Is it possible that Flamel and his students had kept underground alchemical texts and ideas for centuries? Maybe. Flamel was known in his community for him to openly practice alchemy may have been dangerous, as some believed alchemy practices were associated with witchcraft.
In an introduction penned by the publisher of Livre des figures hiéroglyphiques, he reported that Flamel had purchased a manuscript entitled ‘Book of Abramelin the Mage’ which included, among other things, the chemical recipe for the Philosopher's Stone. After traveling and trying to translate the text, Flamel came across a wise man in Spain who taught him how to decode the book and put it into practice. According to the publisher, Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, tried for their entire lives to create the Philosopher's Stone. He also made claims that Flame’s designs for the Cimetière des Innocents was filed with practicing alchemy.
Unsurprisingly, the validity of this book has been questioned for quite some time. But, that hasn’t stopped Flamel from becoming a popular figure in the history of alchemy.
For example, there is the Flamel Cross. This alchemical symbol depicts a cross with a snake draped around it, above the cross there are wings and a crown. Others, who do not ‘buy into’ the Flamel mythos simply call it the Serpent Cross.
Some people, however, do believe that Flamel and Perenelle created the Philosopher’s Stone and fled to travel the world in a state of immortality.
Thank you ME! (Tess) for this #Blogstonishing suggestion.
The blog image is of Tombstone of Nicolas Flamel, 1418, Paris, Musée de Cluny and is in the Public Domain.