History UsefulNotes / Alchemy

Producing gold from lead was considered possible ([[ArtisticLicenseEconomics and economically desirable]]) by the ancient alchemists[[note]]And indeed, it has at last been done with particle accelerators (albeit from mercury), [[CoolButInefficient although the process costs more money than the gold you get will pay for]],[[/note]] but for them this was only a worthless parlor trick. The ''panacea'' could cure any disease and extend life. But what alchemists worldwide were truly looking for was AppliedPhlebotinum that would grant life eternal and perhaps nigh-omnipotence. In Dar-al-Islam, it was known as the ''elixir''. Indian alchemists sought it as ''soma ras''. In Christendom, it was called the ''philosopher's stone.'' This was the ''Great Work''.[[note]]notably, they considered the transmutation of gold and the achievement of immortality to be connected. Because gold does not tarnish or mix with other metals, it is pure and immortal.[[/note]] Some of the alchemists were even rumored to have succeeded -- there are occultists who will inform you that Le Comte de Saint Germain, born in the 18th century, still walks the streets among us. The same is said for the alchemist Nicolas Flamel and his wife, who lived in Paris in the 15th century.

Let's get something straight. The alchemists, as a whole, were not stupid. They were not crazy, they were not ignorant, and they were not charlatans (for the most part). Alchemists were at the forefront of science and technology, and they essentially invented modern chemistry and discovered important laws of physics such as EquivalentExchange during their unorthodox experiments. This was, however, nothing more than a side effect of their true research, which was something altogether more ambitious...

Producing gold from lead was considered possible ([[ArtisticLicenseEconomics and economically desirable]]) by the ancient alchemists[[note]]And indeed, it has at last been done with particle accelerators (albeit from mercury), [[CoolButInefficient although the process costs more money than the gold you get will pay for]],[[/note]] but for them this was only a worthless parlor trick. The ''panacea'' could cure any disease and extend life. But what alchemists worldwide were truly looking for was AppliedPhlebotinum that would grant life eternal and perhaps nigh-omnipotence. In Dar-al-Islam, it was known as the ''elixir''. Indian alchemists sought it as ''soma ras''. In Christendom, it was called the ''philosopher's stone.'' This was the ''Great Work''.[[note]]notably, they considered the transmutation of gold and the achievement of immortality to be connected; because gold does not tarnish or mix with other metals, it is immortal and pure.[[/note]] Some of the alchemists were even rumored to have succeeded -- there are occultists who will inform you that Le Comte de Saint Germain, born in the 18th century, still walks the streets among us. The same is said for the alchemist Nicolas Flamel and his wife, who lived in Paris in the 15th century.

Producing gold from lead was considered possible ([[ArtisticLicenseEconomics and economically desirable]]) by the ancient alchemists[[note]]And indeed, it has at last been done with particle accelerators (albeit from mercury), [[CoolButInefficient although the process costs more money than the gold you get will pay for]],[[/note]] but for them this was only a worthless parlor trick. The ''panacea'' could cure any disease and extend life. But what alchemists worldwide were truly looking for was AppliedPhlebotinum that would grant life eternal and perhaps nigh-omnipotence. In Dar-al-Islam, it was known as the ''elixir''. Indian alchemists sought it as ''soma ras''. In Christendom, it was called the ''philosopher's stone.'' This was the ''Great Work''.[[note]]One notes that they considered the transmutation of gold and the achievement of immortality to be connected. Because gold does not tarnish, rust, corrode, etc., it is immortal.[[/note]] Some of the alchemists were even rumored to have succeeded -- there are occultists who will inform you that Le Comte de Saint Germain, born in the 18th century, still walks the streets among us. The same is said for the alchemist Nicolas Flamel and his wife, who lived in Paris in the 15th century.

'''Medieval'''

It should also be noted that the PhilosophersStone is not a MacGuffin where PossessionEqualsMastery. ''If'' one is skilled enough to create one at any time, then they can do the other things as well. {{A Master Makes Their Own Tools}}. It's like how originally a Black Belt in martial arts was blackened by the dirt of experience; or more accurately, how a master programmer could make a program that others could use; but others would just be script kiddies unless they understand as well.

In real life, the publishing of "The Sceptical Chymist" by Robert Boyle in 1661 is considered the point in which Alchemy and Chemistry split off as a Mysticism and a Science respectively. However, the twentieth century brought with it the advent of nuclear engineering, which is widely regarded as a restoration of alchemy as a science, forsaking the associations with mysticism. Irene and Frederick Joulet-Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering the first artificial transmutation of one element into another. Ironically, it's much easier to turn gold into lead than vice versa, not to say there aren't other nuclear transmutations that are profitable.