So, while researching for and writing my essay on alchemy for my extended project, I came across this guy called Nicolas Flamel. I'd always thought that Flamel was a name made up by Rowling in the first Harry Potter but then again, she took the idea of the Philosopher's Stone.
The story of Nicolas Flamel is that he and his wife Perenelle lived in Paris, they found a 21 page book written in a foreign language, presumably Spanish because they travelled to Spain for a translation. I man told them that it was the Book of Abraham the Mage, an ancient book containing the secrets of alchemy, namely the transmutation of common metals to gold and the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone.
Flamel's obsession with the Stone began when he witnessed his wife's death. He wished to invent the Stone to bring his wife back to life and grant them both immortality. In 1418 he was registered dead, but when his tomb was visited, he'd pulled a Jesus and disappeared.
The legend is that he discovered the secret of the Stone and still lives to this day, travelling the world with many aliases. There have been several alleged sightings including at an opera in 1761, the latest spotting of him was in 2006 when he was seen entering a restaurant below his former house.
What do you think of the story then? I'm sceptic, but to be honest, I would sooner believe that a man achieved prolonged life through science, than the theory of Creationism.
The story of Nicolas Flamel is that he and his wife Perenelle lived in Paris, they found a 21 page book written in a foreign language, presumably Spanish because they travelled to Spain for a translation. I man told them that it was the Book of Abraham the Mage, an ancient book containing the secrets of alchemy, namely the transmutation of common metals to gold and the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone.
Flamel's obsession with the Stone began when he witnessed his wife's death. He wished to invent the Stone to bring his wife back to life and grant them both immortality. In 1418 he was registered dead, but when his tomb was visited, he'd pulled a Jesus and disappeared.
The legend is that he discovered the secret of the Stone and still lives to this day, travelling the world with many aliases. There have been several alleged sightings including at an opera in 1761, the latest spotting of him was in 2006 when he was seen entering a restaurant below his former house.
What do you think of the story then? I'm sceptic, but to be honest, I would sooner believe that a man achieved prolonged life through science, than the theory of Creationism.
