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Alchemical Symbol - Wikipedia
Alchemical Symbol - Wikipedia
Alchemical symbol
Alchem ical sy m bols, originally dev ised as part of alchemy , were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century . Although notation like this was mostly
standardized, sty le and sy mbol v aried between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.
Contents
Three primes
Four basic elements
Seven planetary metals
Mundane elements
Alchemical compounds
Alchemical processes
Units
Unicode Alchemical symbols in Torbern Bergman's
1775 Dissertation on Elective Affinities
Other symbols commonly used in alchemy and related esoteric traditions
References
External links
Three primes
According to Paracelsus (1493–1541), the three primes or tria prima – of which material substances are immediately composed – are:[1 ][2 ]
Mercury (Mind) ☿
Sulfur (Soul) 🜍
Air 🜁
Earth 🜃
Fire 🜂
Water 🜄
Mundane elements
Antimony ♁
Arsenic 🜺
Bismuth 🜘
Boron =
Lithium
Magnesium ⊛
Phosphorus
The Squared Circle: an
Platinum ☽☉ Alchemical Symbol (17th
Potassium century) illustrating the
interplay of the four
Sulfur 🜏 🜍 elements of matter
symbolising the
Zinc philosopher's stone
Alchemical compounds
Sal ammoniac (Ammonium chloride) 🜹 *
Aqua fortis (Nitric acid) 🜅 A.F.
Aqua regia (Nitro-hydrochloric acid) 🜆 A.R.
Spirit of wine (also called aqua vitae)(Concentrated ethanol) 🜈 S.V.
Amalgam (Alloys of a metal and mercury) 🝛
Cinnabar (Mercury sulfide) 🜓
Vitriol (Sulfates) 🜖
Alchemical processes
The alchemical magnum opus was sometimes expressed as a series of chemical operations. In cases where these numbered twelv e, each could be assigned one of the Zodiac signs as a form of cry ptography .
The following example can be found in Pernety 's 17 58 My tho-Hermetic Dictionary :[3 ]
Calcination (Aries )♈
Congelation (Taurus )♉
Fixation (Gemini )♊ A table of alchemical symbols
from Basil Valentine's The Last
Dissolution (Cancer )♋
Will and Testament, 1670
Digestion (Leo )♌
Distillation (Virgo )♍
Sublimation (Libra )♎
Separation (Scorpio )♏
Ceration (Sagittarius )♐
Fermentation (Capricorn ) ♑ (Putrefaction)
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Multiplication (Aquarius )♒
Projection (Pisces )♓
Units
Sev eral sy mbols indicate units of v olume, weight, or time. An extract and symbol key from Kenelm
Digby's A Choice Collection of Rare
Hour 🝮 Secrets, 1682
Dram ʒ , Half-Dram 🝲
Ounce ℥ , Half-Ounce 🝳
Scruple ℈
Pound ℔
Unicode
Unicode 6.1 adds support for an Alchemical Sy mbols block.
Alchemical Symbols[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F700.pdf) (PDF)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
U+1F70x 🜀 🜁 🜂 🜃 🜄 🜅 🜆 🜇 🜈 🜉 🜊 🜋 🜌 🜍 🜎 🜏
U+1F71x 🜐 🜑 🜒 🜓 🜔 🜕 🜖 🜗 🜘 🜙 🜚 🜛 🜜 🜝 🜞 🜟
U+1F72x 🜠 🜡 🜢 🜣 🜤 🜥 🜦 🜧 🜨 🜩 🜪 🜫 🜬 🜭 🜮 🜯
U+1F73x 🜰 🜱 🜲 🜳 🜴 🜵 🜶 🜷 🜸 🜹 🜺 🜻 🜼 🜽 🜾 🜿
U+1F74x 🝀 🝁 🝂 🝃 🝄 🝅 🝆 🝇 🝈 🝉 🝊 🝋 🝌 🝍 🝎 🝏
U+1F75x 🝐 🝑 🝒 🝓 🝔 🝕 🝖 🝗 🝘 🝙 🝚 🝛 🝜 🝝 🝞 🝟
U+1F76x 🝠 🝡 🝢 🝣 🝤 🝥 🝦 🝧 🝨 🝩 🝪 🝫 🝬 🝭 🝮 🝯
U+1F77x 🝰 🝱 🝲 🝳
Notes
Miscellaneous Symbols[1]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2600.pdf) (PDF)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
U+260x ☀ ☁ ☂ ☃ ☄ ★ ☆ ☇ ☈ ☉ ☊ ☋ ☌ ☍ ☎ ☏
U+261x ☐ ☑ ☒ ☓ ☔ ☕ ☖ ☗ ☘ ☙ ☚ ☛ ☜ ☝ ☞ ☟
U+262x ☠ ☡ ☢ ☣ ☤ ☥ ☦ ☧ ☨ ☩ ☪ ☫ ☬ ☭ ☮ ☯
U+263x ☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷ ☸ ☹ ☺ ☻ ☼ ☽ ☾ ☿
U+264x ♀ ♁ ♂ ♃ ♄ ♅ ♆ ♇ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏
U+265x ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓ ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ ♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟
U+266x ♠ ♡ ♢ ♣ ♤ ♥ ♦ ♧ ♨ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯
U+267x ♰ ♱ ♲ ♳ ♴ ♵ ♶ ♷ ♸ ♹ ♺ ♻ ♼ ♽ ♾ ♿
U+268x ⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅ ⚆ ⚇ ⚈ ⚉ ⚊ ⚋ ⚌ ⚍ ⚎ ⚏
U+269x ⚐ ⚑ ⚒ ⚓ ⚔ ⚕ ⚖ ⚗ ⚘ ⚙ ⚚ ⚛ ⚜ ⚝ ⚞ ⚟
U+26Ax ⚠ ⚡ ⚢ ⚣ ⚤ ⚥ ⚦ ⚧ ⚨ ⚩ ⚪ ⚫ ⚬ ⚭ ⚮ ⚯
U+26Bx ⚰ ⚱ ⚲ ⚳ ⚴ ⚵ ⚶ ⚷ ⚸ ⚹ ⚺ ⚻ ⚼ ⚽ ⚾ ⚿
U+26Cx ⛀ ⛁ ⛂ ⛃ ⛄ ⛅ ⛆ ⛇ ⛈ ⛉ ⛊ ⛋ ⛌ ⛍ ⛎ ⛏
U+26Dx ⛐ ⛑ ⛒ ⛓ ⛔ ⛕ ⛖ ⛗ ⛘ ⛙ ⛚ ⛛ ⛜ ⛝ ⛞ ⛟
U+26Ex ⛠ ⛡ ⛢ ⛣ ⛤ ⛥ ⛦ ⛧ ⛨ ⛩ ⛪ ⛫ ⛬ ⛭ ⛮ ⛯
U+26Fx ⛰ ⛱ ⛲ ⛳ ⛴ ⛵ ⛶ ⛷ ⛸ ⛹ ⛺ ⛻ ⛼ ⛽ ⛾ ⛿
Notes
Astrological symbols
Planet symbols
Suns in alchemy
Circled dot
Monas Hieroglyphica
Rub el Hizb
Seal of Solomon
Rosy Cross
Eye of Providence
Sigils, as used by Hermetic theurgists
Sigillum Dei
References
1. Eric John Holmyard. Alchemy. 1995. p.153
2. Walter J. Friedlander. The golden wand of medicine: a history of the caduceus symbol in medicine. 1992. p.76-77
3. Antoine-Joseph Pernety. Dictionnaire mytho-hermétique, dans lequel on trouve les allégories fabuleuses des poètes, les métaphores, les énigmes et les termes barbares des philosophes hermétiques expliqués. 1758. p.99
External links
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