Thursday 1:30-3:00 Session 57
Sometimes those emergent trends do work in your favor. Here I am, doing the revisions on a novel involving alchemy and the magical properties of gemstones and there are sessions planned on both topics. Who knows? Details of some of these papers may work their way into the story.
Frauds, Charlatans, and Alchemists: Discerning Deceit in Medieval Magic Sponsor: Institute for Medieval Studies, Univ. of New Mexico; Societas Magica Organizer: Michael A. Ryan, Univ. of New Mexico
Presider: Marla Segol, Univ. at Buffalo
“Cristoforo di Parigi” and the Issues Surrounding Alchemy in Late Medieval Venice Michael A. Ryan
1476, a Ventian alchemist exiled to Paris wrote home to give advice to a student in Venice, lamenting his rejection by Venetians for his alchemy, but still standing ready to serve the ruling families of Venice. The paper covers the broader context of magic in Venice prior to the rise of the inquisition there. Documents of the time chronicle magical and folk traditions and rituals, but they viewed them hrough the critical lens of the time. Early modern persecution of magical practices belong solidly to the early modern esthetic but grew out of late medieval attitudes. Hybrid Christian-Jewish-Islamic tradition. Records often occur in the context of crimes and feuds where the magical issues were secondary. Proliferation of manuscript collections of alchemical rituals, recipes, along with properties of plants, minerals, etc. But also include ordinary medical recipes. Texts combine topics of interest to "practical" alchemists, spiritual alchemists, and outright charlatans. "Craft precious stones and claim to be able to transmute metals" as a fraudulent practice. Also associated popularly with demonology. Secular authorities were turning their attention to alchemy and other magical practices for the purpose of civic protection. Christoforo's exile pre-dated the major campaigns against alchemists and magicians. The paper's author is working on a book on the same topic as his paper. Venice considered unique among Mediterranean lands for its tolerance and acceptance of alchemists and magicians -- or was this just part of the "myth of a progressive and tolerant Venice"? Cristoforo considered his exile to have been the result of jealousy not theology, but Ryan concludes there were issues of civic stability behind it, as part of a general crackdown on "fraud and deceit".
The Alchemical Cipher of Martin Roesel of Rosenthal Agnieszka Rec, Yale Univ.
Alchemy and secrecy always closely connected. Use of allegory and symbolism. Religious imagery might be "code" as well as spiritual practice. Elements associated with planets, astronomical symbols, mythological characters. Used to shut out the "ignorant and unworthy". Literal codes (codes, ciphers, secret alphabets, etc.) were popular in alchemical writing. Paper focuses on one particular alchemical manuscript and its cipher. Alchemical ciphers are generally (all?) letter-substitution ciphers. Sometimes symols stood for specific alchemical processes or materials. Alternately, may use symbols substituted for letters. Generally ciphers not used for extensive text but for key words and phrases. Text under consideration is a standard collection of the usual suspects, e.g., the pseudo-Albertus Magnus, but the Latin is riddled with errors. The purpose of using ciphers was not necessarily to keep the texts secret from those outside the field, but often to conceal specific recipes from competitors within the field. The allegorical references (e.g., "the green lion" as a specific substance) are more for the prior purpose, while the letter codes are more for the latter. (Though paradoxically a key is sometimes given, as when a manuscript's author signs his work in both cipher and Latin letters. Or when entire sections are glossed in Latin letters.) Studying alchemical ciphers sheds light not simply on the alchemical practices themselves, but on the social context in which the knowledge was gathered and recorded, and relationships between practicioners.
Processing Abramelin: Imagining the Ancient and Forging the Medieval in an Early Modern Grimoire Jason Roberts, Univ. of Texas–Austin
Book of Abramelin has become famous modern grimoire due to translation/use by Order of the Golden Dawn in late 19th century. The book superficially appears to be an instruction book in 4 parts from a father to son on the topic of magical practice. The narrator identifes himself as Abraham, a 14th c. German Jew from Wurms, claims to have been initiated in Egypt during his travels by a man named Abramelin. Claim is: medieval book of Jewish tradition recording ancient Egyptian secrets. However this appearance can be challenged. Earliest copy survives from a century after alleged composition. All the component parts can be supported (Jewish community in 14th c. Wurms, existence of medieval magical manuals, early Egyptian papyri with magical texts). Can we determine if the text predates the general dissemination of medieval Hermetical texts? Or is it derived from them? Paper's author will argue that nothing about the book's claim is true. Belongs to a tradition of esoteric Protestantism, similar to the roots of Rosicrucianism. Only 1 of the 7 mss, from 1750, is accessible for study and accessible translations were all produced by people active in esoteric traditions who have a stake in the work's authenticity. Questions of "authenticity" depend on one's focus. Is the actual existence of Abraham of Wurms the key? Or placing it in the context of Jewish tradition? Or connecting it with Egyptian origins?
If the author can be determined not to be Jewish, then the text can solidly be concluded to be a forgery, but if the author is established as Jewish, it may still represent a medieval Jewish tradition even if the name of the "author" is fictitious. But establishing textual "Jewishness" is difficult working solely from the text itself due to cross-fertilization of Jewish and Christian traditions of medieval magic. Similarly, identifying medieval elements in the text does not "prove" a medieval origin, as medieval texts could have been plagiarized. Addressing medieval composition via textual/linguistic grounds is sounder. Making solid thematic connections with the founding Rosicrusian texts is another confident way of disproving medieval origins (though one might see them as products of the same root traditions and texts). The framing story of Abramelin and the Rosicrucian texts is suspiciously similar. Corpus Hermeticum brought to the attention of European scholars in the 15th c. and attributed to an Egyptian figure (Hermes Trismagistus), which makes it an odd coincidence that the Abramelin is said to have been composed at very much the same time. Faustian motifs (selling of soul to the devil) are another clue: medieval devils bargain stories always end with redemption, early modern version result in damnation. But the version appearing in Abramelin has a damnation ending which would be anachronistic to the alleged date of composition. Early known manuscript of the Abramelin dates exactly to the beginning of the Rosicrucian movement, a time when a fair amount of Rosicrucian "fan fiction" (the paper-author's term) was popular.
So You Want To Be an Alchemist? A Mountebank’s Guide to Alchemical Patronage in Early Modern England Jason Underhill, Univ. of Saskatchewan
Most academic studies of alchemy focus on the sincere purposes of the esoteric art. More recent studies focus on alchemy as one of the origins of modern chemistry. But a third thread is the use of alchemy as a blind for charlatans, either by deliberate fraud or by ignorant practicianers who couldn't deliver as promised. Why were these fraudulent alchemists successful? Sometimes moreso than the sincere ones? Paper compares 2 alchemists who sought patronage at Elizabeth's court: Thomas Charnock, a sincere scholar who failed to obtain patronage, and ? Alneto who despite obviously shaky bona fides, gained support and was set up in practice. Both men avoided use of the term "alchemy", Charnock calling his work "natural philosopher" and produced his own alchemical text, while Alneto used the term "Voarcadumia" (from Johannes Pantheus's work using this term, which was part of the genuine alchemical tradition). The two men made vastly different claims for what they could produce. Both asked for similar funding, but Charnock promised to approximately triple the funds in 14 years, while Alneto promised to multiply it by about 30-fold as well as producing limitless precious gems in the space of about 4 years. Alneto's promises were more attractive to a money-hungry government and his provided as well a copy of his recipe for review, using transparent chemical terms. Charnock stuck to the traditional use of allegorical and symbolic language to describe his process and materials. The two also differed in how they presented their education. Charnock advertised himself as an "unlettered scholar" and used awkward Latin and idiosyncratic spelling but puffed himself up in his writing. Alneto's writing had a much more polished style that showcased a more traditional education, using classical and philosophical quotations and letting his style speak for itself. Sidenote on female problems: Charnock rarely mentions his wife and daughters except when he blamed them for delays and failures in his work. Alneto had his own woman problems, having fallen into a dalliance with Princess Cecilia of Sweden (who was in England supposedly to make a match between Elizabeth and her brother). [Note: anybody looking for a subject for a historical fiction adventure might want to look into these people more closely!]
Alneto's success rested in part on the general acceptance of alchemy as true science. This, combined with his charisma and PR skills brought him the success that Charnock, despite his sincerity, failed to find.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
