Alchemy | Magic and Medicines #17
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Show notes
On this month's episode of Magic and Medicines, Eleanor is guiding us through the history of Alchemy, from turning base metals into gold to the truth behind the Philosopher's Stone to much more besides!
We start off talking about how several traditions we might recognise as 'Alchemy' grew up in isolation in the ancient world, including in Ancient China, Ancient Greece, and across the Middle East.
From the supposed works of Hermes Trismigestus via Zosimus of Panopolis (who may actually be a hippopotamus in disguise) and other influential forefathers of Alchemy, including Mary The Copt - whose inventions are still being used today - we dig into the core principles of Alchemy: using Materialist magic to reshape reality.
Through the Renaissance, via John Dee, Cornelius Agrippa, and absolutely not Nicolas Flamel, it is not until the Enlightenment that the entire tradition hits the skids.
But why?
And how did 'Chemistry' split off from 'Alchemy,' forcing its forebear into obscurity?
Then, what about those people who still advocated for Alchemy through the 20th century and into the modern day? Could they possibly be believing in scientific processes that are only now being proved possibly principally correct?
It's a fascinating topic, and one of the 'Big Ones' in the story of magic, so let's reorder some elemental nodes together, bring the humours into alliance, and see if we can't maybe all get filthy stinking rich with the knowledge theoretically gifted to us by our ancestors' angel husbands...
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Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history.
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