Saturday, November 26, 2005

i found this for you,,it isn't 100% right,,i say that, for i know all about this , but alot of it is right, so,,,,,i hope you like it
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Alchemy. When you hear this word, what is probably the first thing you think of? That's it. Fullmetal Alchemist. But what really is alchemy? Some of you may think that this science is very fake, just made up by the creator's imagination. And yet, it has been in this world for centuries. Some of you may think that it is the transformation of a substance into another substance, but it is clearly more than that.

According to my vocabulary, there are three meanings for alchemy.

1. the science of transforming base metals into gold
2. the science of making a remedy to all disease, or the elixir of life
3. the science of transmuting, or turning a substance into another substance

In a way, Fullmetal Alchemist uses the vocabulary of all of these.

Alchemy was dated back to ancient Egypt, around 1900 B.C. It was studied to try to turn metals into gold, and to cure people of all diseases, but that meant little to some of them. Some of them wanted to turn people into gods, free from sin and the limitations of regular people. Alchemic symbols are believed to be found in the documents of the Emerald Tablet, being the primary document of alchemy, the Asclepian Dialogues, and the Divine Pymander, and yet, there are only found fragments of these works.

Alchemy was also found in Arabian culture. This practice was mainly used in the third century A.D., when the practice was common. It teaches that everything is came from one root, or everything had the same origin. The anime states that "in order to gain something, you must give up something equal in value", but this idea seems to claim that everything is equal in value.

Chinese alchemy is used greatly in Chinese myths and legends. In historical records, Lao Tzu, a Chinese alchemist was given instructions on how to make the elixir of life.

Alchemy was used in Europe also. In the twelth century, Artephius, an alchemist, wrote The Art of Prolonging Human Life. In this document, he states that he has already lived a thousand lives, thanks to God's work. But some alchemists were claimed to be "possessed", or received this information from the devil, and many were accused with practicing these magical powers. Many books of alchemists were burned, being called satanic bibles. In the anime, only books that contained information on how to make humans or bring them back from the dead were considered illegal.

But during the fourteenth century, alchemy was seen as a good way to become rich, since most alchemists claim that they can turn metals into gold. Merchants gave these alchemists gold, silver, and jewels to have them multiplied. But the Acts of Parliament were passed in England by the Pope saying that anyone who practiced alchemy would be persecuted. (And yet, some people believed that the Pope at that time practiced alchemy himself.)

The second definition, "the science of making a remedy to all disease" probably was used in the Philosopher's Stone. (Yes, even in real alchemy, people even tried to find the Philosopher's Stone.) In one episode, it was used to cure fossil disease, a disease that turned the body of a person infected into a rocky, "spike" protruding mutilation. This is an example of the elixir of life, or a cure to all diseases.

In England, on 1471, Sir George Ripley, an alchemist, claimed to have created a Philosopher's Stone. But in the sixteenth century, a monk wrote that to create the elixir of life, you need to take the elements earth of earth, water of earth, fire of earth, and water of wood, lie them together, and then part them. To create alchemic gold, you need three pure souls, and turn them into crystal. The body and the spirit of people will create the Philosopher's Stone, but only if the body and spirit are pure. If you pour this onto mercury, it shall become gold. In the anime, the information is basically the same, only they could've used any type of souls, not just the pure ones.

All throughout history, people have claimed to practice alchemy, such as creating the Philosopher's Stone, making alchemic gold, and even finding the recipe to make the elixir of life. But with all this talk of spirits, such as God giving them this information, and sacrificing pure souls, it would seem like alchemy wouldn't be considered a real science in today's modern world.

And yet, if it's not considered a science, why was alchemy practiced for almost 4,000 years?





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