DrawingonSymbolicAnthropologytoInterprettheSymbolsofRenaissanceEuropean

Alchemy,forANTH5403Course,FacilitatedbyDr.BrianGiven,byChristtoffSchulz
Alchemyisoneoftheoldestartsofhumankinditsbeginningcoincideswiththedawnof
civilisations.Itseemstobeaparticularmythaboutmatterinparticular,andhumans,andthe
cosmosingeneral.China,EgyptandIndiawerethemostimportantcentresofalchemical
thoughtandpracticeintheancientworld.AlchemylikelyspreadtoEuropethroughHellenistic
EgyptoneoftheearliesttreatisesonalchemywaswritteninAlexandriaatthebeginningof
theChristianera.Withinthisessay,alchemistswillbeconsideredasadistinctsociety,having
theirownparticularculture.Itseemsthatanunderlyingpremiseofalchemy,isthebeliefinthe
possibilityofthetransmutationofmetals.Thispaperisanattempttoapplysomeofthecategor
iesoftheanthropologyofsymbols,inordertostudythesymbolsofEuropeanRenaissance
alchemy,andperhapsgainaglimpseintothecultureofthedistinctsocietyofalchemists.
Duetothepapalbanonalchemyinthe14thCentury,alchemybecameanartpracticedin
SecretinCentralEurope.Thus,MedievalandRenaissancealchemistsalsopracticedtheirartin
secret.TheperiodofhistoryknownasRudolfinePrague,meaningthePragueduringthereignof
HolyRomanEmperor,RudolfII,wasanotableexception,becauseRudolfIIsupportedthe
alchemistswhoflockedtohiscourt,forpatronageandprotection.(Marshall2006:105)And
RudolfIIhimselfevenopenlypracticedalchemy.
Inthe20thCentury,SwisspsychologistC.G.Jungwasalmostsinglehandedlyresponsible,for
themodernrevivalofinterestinalchemy.Jungwasinitiallyturnedontoalchemybyhis
patient,protege,andmistress,SabinaSpielrein,whountilrecentlyhadbeenwrittenoutof
thestory.INSERTcritiquebyMetznerhere.
Alchemyisamaterialistandspiritualphilosophy.Andthealchemistisanatheistwhobelieves
inthefundamentalunityofthecosmos,andheorshebelievesinthepossibilityoftransmuting

oneelementintoanother.Notacceptingthemetaphysicalanddualisticfracturebetweenacreator
andthecreation,thealchemistworkstoestablishsomesortofdialecticalrelationshipbetween
thetwoaspectsoftheconflictingpolarity,ofcreatorandcreation.Withinthisdialecticalrelation
ship,onetransformsitselfintotheother:naturingnaturetransformsitselfintonaturednature.
(Schwarz1980:57)UnderlyingtheartofalchemyistheancientHermeticnotionofnatureasan
organicinterdependentbeing.(Marshall2006:241)
Itstandstoreasonthatthealchemistsofeveryageweremouldedbythecultureinwhichthey
wereenculturated.Whichalchemistisspeaking,andthecontextinwhichthetextorpractice
exists,needbekeptinmindwhileconsideringanytext.Speakingevenmorebroadly,contextis
everything.(Cotnoir2006:17)Thisiswherethecrossculturalunderstandinginherentto
Anthropologycomesinsohandyforincomparingapractice,acrosscultures,Anthropology,of
alltheacademicdisciplines,canwellassistintheunderstandingoftheartofalchemy,anart
practicedacrossculturesandages.
H.J.Sheppard,anhistorianofalchemyexplainsthatintheabsenceofanyaccuratedatingof
authorsandtexts[]itappearsthattheproblemissimilartomanyofthosewhichconfrontthe
studentofculturalanthropology,orethnology.Ifalchemyisregardedasaculturetraitofany
societyinwhichitwasoperativeitseemsreasonabletosupposethatsomethingmaybelearnt
fromthemethodsadoptedbyanthropologists[].(Sheppard1970:69)
Tointerpretthesymbolsofalchemy,anthropologistSherryOrtnerscategoryofkeysymbols
offersassistance.AccordingtoOrtner,keysymbolsmaybediscoveredbyvirtueofanumberof
reliableindicatorswhichindicateaculturalfocusofinterest.Andshefurthercategoriseskey
symbolsintotwomaincategories,namely,summarizingsymbolsandelaboratingsymbols.
Summarizingsymbolsaremainlyobjectsofattentionandofculturalrespect,whichsynthesise

complexexperience.Theyincludesacredsymbolsespecially,inthetraditionalsense.Elabora
tingsymbols,ontheotherhand,aresymbolsvaluedfortheircontributiontotheorderingor
sortingoutofexperience.Withinthisaresymbolsvaluedprimarilyfortheorderingofconcep
tualexperience,i.e.,forprovidingculturalorientations,andthosevaluedprimarilyforthe
orderingofaction,i.e.,forprovidingculturalstrategies.(Ortner1973:1344)
Keysymbolsinstudyingtheartofalchemyarethosewhichrepresenttransmutation,fireand
metals.Therearemanyalchemicalsymbolsformetals,andtherearesomeforfireand
transmutation.Transmutationimplieschange,instability,andevenunpredictability,dueto
change.Transmutationalsoimpliesanabilityonthepartofthemanorwomanwhoiseffecting
thetransmutation.
OneofthesymbolsRenaissancealchemistsusedtorepresenttheiruseandmasteryofthe
elementoffirewasadragon.Thedragonsymbolimpliesthedangerinvolvedinworkingwith
fire.Otherspecialistsofothersocietieshavesimilarlyalsoneededtomastertheapplicationof
fire,inordertopracticetheirart.Religioushistorian,MirceaEliade,wrotethatalchemistshad
masteredtheelementoffireinordertotransmutethemetalstheystartedwith:Thealchemist,
likethesmith,andlikethepotterbeforehim,isamasteroffire.Itiswithfirethathecontrols
thepassageofmatterfromonestatetoanother.(Eliade1978:79)Masteringtheelementoffire
impliesapassageinvolvesinbecomingadept.Andapassageimpliesaliminalstage,something
whichanthropologist,VictorTurnerwroteabout.

Thehistoryofalchemyisintimatelyconnectedwiththehistoryofthesocalledsecretsocietiesofthe
EuropeanMiddleAges.Thesecrecyofthesegroupswasinpartapoliticalsurvivalnecessity.Their
teachings,whichinvolvedliberationfromfalseconceptsandpreprogrammeddesigns,ifopenly
declared,wouldhavearousedtheoppositionoftheestablishedchurch.Inpart,also,theneedfor
secrecyisinherentinthenatureoftheworkofschoolsofinnertransformation,aswehaveseen.Itisthe

secrecyofatechnicallanguage,notthesecrecyofanattempttogainpoliticalorcommercialadvantage,
althoughthatwaspreciselytheaccusationleveledagainstthem.
Thesecrecyfactormakesitdifficulttoreconstructthehistoryofthesepsychologicalschoolswithany
accuracy,especiallysincemuchoftheinformationaboutthemderivesfromthedefamatorydistortions
ofthechurchlyopposition.ItseemsreasonablycertainthoughthatthroughouttheperiodwhenEurope
wasdominatedbythepowerofthechurchtheseschoolsofpsychologicaltransformationcontinuedto
arise.(Metzner1971:83)

WorksCited:
Foucault,Michel
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Gardner,Laurence
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2006TheMagicCircleofRudolfII.NewYork:WalkerandCompany.
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1973OnKeySymbols.InAmericanAnthropologist,NewSeries.(75)5:13381346.
Schwarz,Arturo
1980Alchemy,AndrogynyandVisualArts.Leonardo.Vol.13:5762.(byPergamonPress)
Warlick,M.E.
2001MaxErnstandAlchemy:AMagicianinSearchofMyth.Austin,Texas:Universityof
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