What is the philosopher’s stone?
The philosopher’s stone is the legendary substance sought in European alchemy. It was believed to have the power to turn metals such as lead and mercury into gold and silver, to cure any disease, and to become the “elixir” that grants immortality. In Latin it was called lapis philosophorum (“stone of the philosophers”) and was often depicted as a red stone or powder.
Alchemy and the philosopher’s stone
Alchemy was born in ancient Egypt and Greece and reached medieval Europe by way of the Islamic world. Alchemists believed that all matter is made from the same root, and that by bringing it closer to a “perfect state” in the right way, even base metals could be turned into gold. The key to causing that change was the philosopher’s stone.
Repeating experiments in dissolving, burning, distilling and crystallizing substances, alchemists recorded their secrets in symbolic pictures of dragons, birds, the sun and moon. The alchemical scroll the Ripley Scroll depicts the process of making the philosopher’s stone. Some, like the 16th-century physician Paracelsus, tried to put alchemy to use in medicine.
The legend of Nicolas Flamel
The most famous figure said to have made the philosopher’s stone is Nicolas Flamel, a 14th-century scribe in Paris. Legend says Flamel obtained a mysterious book and, after years of study, finally made the philosopher’s stone, became rich, and gained immortality together with his wife. The real Flamel was a wealthy man who donated to many churches and hospitals, but the story that he was an alchemist is thought to be a legend created after his death.
The philosopher’s stone today
In the end, no one ever made the philosopher’s stone. But the alchemists’ accumulated experiments led to the later development of chemistry. Today it appears in many works, starting with the novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as well as manga and games, as an item with mysterious powers. Together with the homunculus, the artificial human made in a flask, it is a symbol of alchemy.
