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Alchemy Academy archive
February 2003

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Subject: ACADEMY : Looking for some alchemy books
From: Mike Dickman
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003

'Wasserstein der Weisen' is available in a bilingual facsimile
edition from Gutenberg Reprints... Takea look at:

http://www.contrepoints.com/gutenberg/accueil.html

Hope this helps,

Mike Dickman

Subject: ACADEMY : Looking for some alchemy books
Date: Sun, 02 Feb 2003
From : Johann Plattner

Dear Joern,

> -- Max Retschalg, "Von der Urmaterie zum Urkraft-Elixier" (1926) preferably
> in German, but any language welcome.

it is fully contained in "Moderne Alchemisten, Alchemie im 20. Jahrhundert -
Sammlung alchemistischer Texte", published by AAGW - ARCHIV FUER ALTES
GEDANKENGUT UND WISSEN, H. Frietsch-Verlag, Sinzheim (streng limitierte und
nummerierte Auflage, 500 Stück).

Kindly,
Johann Plattner

Subject: ACADEMY: Speculum metallorum
X-Attachments: G:\speculum_metallorum1.jpg;
From: Adam McLean
Date: 11 Feb 2003

Has anyone seen or know of the manuscript by Martin Sturtz
'Speculum metallorum' of 1575, which I believe is in the
Austrain National Library in Vienna ?

It has some very fine illustrations some of which link the
formation of the metals in the earth to various spiritual
themes.

Any information on this item would be very much
appreciated.

I attach one of the illustrations.

Adam McLean

Subject: ACADEMY: Speculum metallorum
From: Guy Ogilvy
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003

Many, possibly all, of the illustrations in the Speculum Metallorum
were, I believe, taken from the unpublished manuscript of the
Mining Book of Schwaz or Schwazer Bergbuch (c. 1556), which
contains 120 colour miniatures. A recent facsimile edition was
published by Adeva, Vienna with a commentary by Erich Egg,
which discusses the Speculum Metallorum.

Check out this web page for further information: http://www.finns-books.com/schwaz.htm

Guy Ogilvy

Subject: ACADEMY : A few more questions about Maier's Atalanta
From: Gleb Butuzov
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003

Dear colleagues,

I would be much grateful to anybody, who could help me to clarify the
following questions:

1.. Who is Battus, mentioned in Discourse XXII?
2.. Who is Pontanus, mentioned together with latin poet Ausonius in
Discourse XXXIII?
3.. Who is Buchannan and his "Book of Sphere" from Discourse XLV?
4.. What is known about "Divining Fountain named Cassietis" from the
Discourse XLVI?

Thank you in advance and best regards.

Gleb Butuzov.

Subject: ACADEMY : A few more questions about Maier's Atalanta
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Dear Gleb,

Here are some answers:

> 1.. Who is Battus, mentioned in Discourse XXII?

A shepherd who saw how Hermes stole Apollo's cattle and told
others about it, for which he was turned into stone.

Ovid's Metamorphoses:

http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/Ovid/00000029.htm

There was another Battus, founder of Cyrene, but this is not
this one, apparently.

> 2.. Who is Pontanus, mentioned together with latin poet Ausonius in
> Discourse XXXIII?

Ioannes Iovianus Pontanus (1426-1503)
vir doctus, poeta, politicus,
natus anno 1426 in Umbria, obit anno 1503 Neapoli

De amore coniugali, published 1505.

> 3.. Who is Buchannan and his "Book of Sphere" from Discourse XLV?

George Buchanan (1506/7-1582), great Scottish Latin poet and historian.

The work in question is "De Sphaera", inspired by the famous work of
Joannes de Sacrobosco of the same title, and defending the Ptolemaic
wordl-view against that of Copernicus.

Georgii Buchanani Scoti Franciscanus et Fratres. Elegiarum liber 1,
Silvarum liber 1, Hendecasyllabon liber 1, Epigrammaton libri III,
De Sphaera fragmentum. G[eneva], 1584.

His portrait is here:

http://www.clanstirling.org/Main/lib/photos/GeorgeBuchanan-1840sPrint.html

> 4.. What is known about "Divining Fountain named Cassietis" from the
> Discourse XLVI?

It should be Fons Castalius or Castalian Fountain - near Delphi.
Pylgrims seeking advice from Pythia first went there for purification.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Gohory's La Fontaine Perilleuse
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003
From : Pat Aakhus

Could anyone please direct me to the text of the medieval French poem "La
Fontaine Perilleuse?" Apparently Jacques Gohory made commentaries on the
poem, which he considered an alchemical allegory. I'm working on alchemical
motives in Chretien de Troyes work, in which a perilous fountain is a central
image.

Many thanks

Pat Aakhus

Subject: ACADEMY : Question on Postel
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003
From: Rafal T. Prinke

Is anyone acquainted with the Guillaume Postel corpus of studies
by Francois Secret and her disciples? I would be grateful for
suggesting the places where I could find more detailed
analysis of Postel's use of the pseudonym/nickname "Cosmopolite".

I know the 1981 monograph by Marion Kuntz but she only mentions
it in passing.

The recent volume of papers presented to Francois Secret
(Documents oubliés sur l'alchimie..., Droz 2001) contains:

Jean-François Maillard, "Postel le cosmopolite : quelques
documents nouveaux"

but I am not sure it is what I am looking for.

Best regards,

Rafal

Subject: ACADEMY : Sophia figure in alchemy
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003
From: David Borgmeyer

Mr. McLean and Colleagues,

I am currently writing a dissertation that explores the function of the
personified, feminine figure of Sophia (Sapientia, Divine Wisdom) in
pre-revolutionary Russian art, literature, and culture. Frankly, I am
not a specialist in alchemy or related esoteric fields. I am working
on background material to trace trajectories of the transmission
of ideas about Sophia from Western Europe, and possible connections
with alchemy intrigue me. I know that Wisdom was an important
(or at least relevant) concept, but I am having a difficult time locating
scholarship that deals specifically

1) with the figure of Sophia (which surprises me, given my impression
of the penchant of alchemy for metaphorical and allegorical
discursive techniques),

2) with representations of femininity more generally in alchemy, and

3) with alchemy in Russia.

Could anyone offer some bibliographic suggestions, preferably
of works in English, Russian, or French?

Gratefully Yours,

David Borgmeyer

Subject: ACADEMY : Sophia figure in alchemy
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003
From: Peter Grund

Dear David,

>3) with alchemy in Russia.

Perhaps the following book might be of interest to you:

Ryan, W. F. 1999. "The Bathhouse at Midnight: An Historical Survey of Magic
and Divination in Russia." Stroud: Sutton Publishing.

All the best,

Peter Grund