Nicholas Flamel

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For the Harry Potter character, see Historical characters in Harry Potter.
This allegedly is a portrait of Nicholas Flamel- from the nineteenth century.
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This allegedly is a portrait of Nicholas Flamel- from the nineteenth century.
The house of Flamel in Paris.
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The house of Flamel in Paris.

Nicholas Flamel (c. 1330-1410) was a French alchemist who lived in the 14th century. He is alleged to have been the most accomplished of the European alchemists, with many references to him or his writings appearing in alchemical texts of the 1500s. It is claimed that he succeeded at the two magical goals of alchemy -- that he made the Philosopher's Stone which turns lead into gold, and that he and his wife Perenelle achieved immortality.

Many accounts of his life are taken as mythical, since he is often referred to in fictional works such as the Harry Potter books and movies and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. However, evidence attests to the truth of his existence: he funded many building projects around Paris, including a 1407 house which still stands, at 51 rue de Montmorency (IIIe arrondissement), though the building has been converted into a restaurant.

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[edit] Life

Flamel was born near Paris, France around the year 1330. He initially worked as a public scrivener, making copies of documents, and this developed into a career as a bookseller, as he bought and sold manuscripts. In this way he is said to have purchased a mysterious book of 21 pages, which was filled with encoded alchemical symbols and arcane writing, including some texts in Hebrew.

In 1612, a book published in Paris, on the subject of Egyptian hieroglyphics, claimed to be a copy of a Flamel book, in which Flamel's search for the Philosopher's Stone was described. According to it, Flamel made it his life's work to understand the text of the mysterious 21-page book he had purchased, and around 1378, he traveled to Spain for assistance with translation. On the way back, he reported that he met a sage, who identified Flamel's book as being a copy of the original Book of Abraham. With this knowledge, over the next few years Flamel and his wife allegedly decoded enough of the book to successfully replicate its recipe for the Philosopher's Stone, producing first silver in 1382, and then gold.

Whatever the source of his wealth, Flamel provably had more means than the typical poor scrivener. He funded the construction of several buildings around Paris, opened several Parisian poorhouses, and according to a biography written in 1761, his will donated large quantities of money to various charities. Many people believed that his wealth came from successes in alchemy. Others pointed out that he was a shrewd businessman who had made some astute deals, and that his wife also contributed to the fortune, with property from her previous two marriages.

Flamel lived into his 80s, and in 1410 designed his own tombstone, which was carved with arcane alchemical signs and symbols. Some believe that he died shortly after the tombstone was created. Others claim that he faked his own death, and they cite as proof the fact that long after 1410, several books were published in his name. The tombstone is preserved at the Musée de Cluny in Paris.


[edit] Allusions

Flamel had these mysterious alchemical symbols carved on his tomb in the Church of the Holy Innocents in Paris.
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Flamel had these mysterious alchemical symbols carved on his tomb in the Church of the Holy Innocents in Paris.

[edit] References

  • Decoding the Past: The Real Sorceror's Stone, November 15, 2006 History Channel video documentary
  • The Philosopher's Stone: A Quest for the Secrets of Alchemy, 2001, Peter Marshall, ISBN 0330489100
  • Creations of Fire, Cathy Cobb & Harold Goldwhite, 2002, ISBN 073820594X

[edit] External links

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