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Alchemical Symbol Lexicon.
We mean for this to be an organic lexicon, growing as more is found. If we can gather all the symbols, and attempt to find their meaning, and apply that to the PGM, it could crack the PGM wide open.
Marcellin Berthelot - Collection Des Anciens Alchemistes Grecs
The below is an attempt to gather all the symbols from Marcellin Berthelot's Collection Des Anciens Alchemistes Grecs Tome 1 and hopefully apply it to the PGM symbols.
“Signes de la Science, qui se trouvent dans les écrits techniques des philosophes : ce sont surtout les signes de ce que ceux-ci appellent la Philosophie mystique.”
- From Mercellin Berthelot’s “Collection Des Anciens Alchemistes Grecs, Vol. 1” originally taken from the St Marc manuscripts
“Signs of Science, which are found in the technical writings of philosophers: these are above all the signs of what they call Mystical Philosophy.”
 | ἥλιος - Sun, Helios, gold |
 | σελήνη - Moon, Selene, silver |
 | κρόνος Φαίνων - shining Saturn, Kronos, lead |
 | Ζεύς φαέθων - radiant Jupiter, Zeus, electrum |
 | Ἄρης πυρόεις - fiery Mars, Ares, iron |
 | Ἀφροδίτη φώσφορος - light bringing Venus, Aphrodite, copper |
 | Ἑρμῆς στίλβων - glittering Mercury, Hermes, tin |
 | χρυσός - gold |
 | χρυσοῦ ῥίνημα - filings of gold |
 | χρυσοῦ πέταλα - leaf of gold |
 | χρυσός κεκαυμένος - calcined gold |
 | χρυσήλεκτρον - gold-electrum |
 | χρυσόκόλλα - gold “glue” (welding) |
 | μάλαγμα χρυσοῦ - mixture of gold |
 | ἄργυρος - Silver |
 | ἀργυροῦ γῆ - silver ore |
 | ἀργυροῦ ῥίνημα - filings of silver |
 | ἀργυροῦ πέταλα - leaf of silver |
 | ἄργυροχρυσόκόλλα - silver & gold glue, (welding) |
 | ἄργυρος κεκαυμένος - Calcined Silver |
 | χαλκός κύπριος - Cyprian Copper |
 | χαλκοῦ γῆ - copper ore |
 | χαλκοῦ ῥίνημα - filings of copper |
 | χαλκοῦ πέταλα - leaf of copper |
 | χαλκός κεκαυμένος - calcined copper |
 | ἰος χαλκοῦ - ios or “rust” of copper |
 | ὀρείχαλκος - orichalcum, mountain-copper, perhaps a bronze alloy |
 | σίδηρος - iron |
 | σιδηροῦ γῆ - iron ore |
 | σιδηροῦ ῥίνημα - filings of iron |
 | σιδηροῦ πέταλον - leaf of iron |
 | σιδηροῦ ἰος - ios or “rust” of iron |
 | μόλιβος - lead |
 | μολίβδου γῆ - lead ore |
 | μολίβδοχαλκος - copper-lead alloy (used to make the κηροτακίς, or “hot plate”) |
 | μολίβδου ῥίνημα - filings of lead |
 | μόλιβδος κεκαυμένος - calcined lead |
 | κασσίτερος - tin |
 | κασσιτέρου γῆ - tin ore |
 | κασσιτέρου ῥίνημα - filings of tin |
 | κασσιτέρου πέταλα - leaf of tin |
 | κασσίτερος κεκαυμένος - calcined tin |
 | ὑδράργυρος - mercury, quicksilver (extracted from cinnabar ore) |
 | νεφέλῃ - cloud, vapor, or sublimate |
 | λευκήν παγεισαν - white congealment, white residue |
 | ξανθήν παγεισαν - yellow congealment, yellow residue |
 | λιθάργυρος - lead monoxide, litharge |
 | θεῖον ἄπυρον - “native” sulfur |
 | θεῖον, θεῖα - sulfur |
 | θεῖον ἄθικτον - virgin sulfur |
 | αφροσεληνον - some say “selenite”, Zosimos says its quicksilver, “moon foam” |
 | χάλκανθος - copper sulfate, Dioscurides “De Materia Medica” 3-94 |
 | χαλκίτης - pyritic copper ore |
 | λίθοι - stones |
 | ἐλύδριον - celandine, Chelidonium majus, Dioscurides “De Materia Medica” 2-211 |
 | θαλάσσια ὕδατα - Sea water |
 | ὀμβρία - rain water |
 | ὕδωρ - water |
 | ἥμεραι - days |
 | νύκτες - nights |
 | ἡμερονυχθήμερα - 1 day and 1 night |
 | πέταλα - leaves |
 | κλαυδιανόν - copper lead alloy |
 | κιννάβαρις - cinnabar, mercury sulfide |
 | κρόκος - saffron, egg yolk |
 | ὤχρα - yellow ochre, clay |
 | ἀρσενικόν - yellow orpiment, yellow arsenic sulfide |
 | σιρικόν - red pigment from Syria |
 | ἄγχουσα - alkanet, Alkanna tinctoria (root used for dye) |
 | σανδαράχη - σανδαράκη, red sulphide of arsenic, realgar |
 | μίσυ - another name for the island of Cyprus, Copiapite |
 | σῶρι/ σῶρυ - iron sulfate, used to make black dye/ ink |
 | λαχας/ λακχά - ἄγχουσα, alkanet |
 | ψιμύθιον - white lead |
 | λευκά - “the whites”, egg whites |
 | ὀφθαλμός - eye |
 | ὤα - eggs |
 | ὄστρακον ὠῶν - egg shells |
 | κυανὸν - dark blue/ cyan |
 | ὕελος - glass |
 | ὄβρυζωσις - assaying/ testing of gold |
 | λαβών - having taken, taking |
 | στημη/ στίμμι - powdered antimony, black eye paint, eye liner? |
Examples in Use
PGM - Greek magical papyri
todo: cite the source's location, pull a text transcription, translate this
- first line:
- χρυσός κεκαυμένος (calcined gold)
- χρυσοχόλλα (gold solder or gold flux for welding)
- χρυσούμάμμα (gold mass or lump - μάμμα means “mother” or “breast,” but also in late Greek a mass or lump)
- second line:
- ἀργύρουγῆ (electrum where it's either silver/gold (gold = γῦ shorthand for χρυ) or silver/gold ore (earth = γῆ))
- αργυρουχρυσόκόλλα (electrum welding)
- αργυρο (Silver)
- comet symbols:
- χρυσός κεκαυμένος - calcined gold
- χρυσόκόλλα - gold “glue” (welding)
- χρυσός - gold
χρυσήλεκτρον - gold-electrum. - ἄργυρος - Silver
- χρυσός - gold
- NOTE: electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver
welding with electrum- χρυσόκόλλα - gold “glue” (welding) gold solder or gold flux used to join gold
- ἄργυρος - Silver
see also Alchemical Symbols