In terms of human body, it represented the soul. In alchemy, it could also represent evaporation, expansion, and dissolution. Sulfur represents properties such as dryness, heat, and masculinity. It’s mentioned in both the Torah and the Bible, the latter of which states that Hell smells like sulfur. In antiquity, it was used as traditional medicine in places ranging from China to Egypt to Europe. Sulfur, also known as brimstone, is the active male counterpart to mercury’s passive female representation. Its symbol is a circle bisected by a horizontal line. Salt is often impure when first collected, but through chemical processes it can be dissolved and purified, which some alchemists compared to purification processes the human body can undergo. Salt represents the body, as well as physical matter in general, crystallization, and condensation. Salt is now known to be a chemical compound comprised of sodium and chloride, but alchemists believed it was a single element. You can see the standard “female” sign within its symbol. Mercury is also sometimes said to represent the passive female principle, as well as wetness and cold. Mercury is often represented by a serpent/snake, and its symbol is said to resemble a cosmic womb.

Therefore, in alchemy, mercury was believed to shift between life and death. In ancient times, mercury was known as quicksilver, and it was believed to be able to shift between liquid and solid states. In either case, this alchemy symbol represents the mind, as well as a state that could transcend death.

Mercury (which is also one of the seven planetary metals) can mean both the element and the planet. He also believed the tria prima defined humans, and he assigned each of the elements to a different part of the human identity. He believed the tria prima contained all the poisons that caused disease, and that by studying them, alchemists could learn how to cure disease. The three primes, also known as the tria prima, were named by Paracelsus, a Swiss philosopher, in the 16th century. Today, people enjoy alchemy symbols for their history, interesting shapes, and connection to a different way of thinking about the world.īelow are the four main groups of alchemy element symbols, along with their meanings. Alchemy symbols continued to be used until the 18th century, becoming more standardized as time went on. Using symbols helped alchemists keep their work, much of which was carefully guarded, secret from non-alchemists who wouldn’t recognize the symbols.īecause early alchemy also drew much of its information from astrology, many alchemy element symbols are connected to planets or other celestial bodies. Alchemy symbols sometimes contain hints of the qualities the element was thought to have, as well as the history of the element.

Since the beginning of alchemy, alchemists have used symbols to represent different elements. Improved scientific knowledge, particularly in chemistry, also lead to alchemy’s decline in the 18th and 19th centuries as scientists learned many of the goals of alchemy weren’t possible. Transmute metals (specifically into gold)Īchieving any one of these goals would cause the alchemist to become incredibly rich and famous and, as a result, many would-be alchemists used trickery or outright lied about their findings, eventually tarnishing the concept of alchemy and linking it to the idea of fraud. Alchemy originated in the early centuries AD, primarily in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but eventually spread as far as India, China, and England by the 12th century.Ĭreate the Philosopher’s Stone (a legendary substance said to be capable of transforming lead into gold and giving the user eternal life)Ĭreate an elixir of eternal youth and health Have you seen images of alchemy symbols and want to know more about what they mean? Alchemy element symbols have been around for centuries, and people are often interested in them because they contain some of the mystique the field of alchemy does.īut what do those symbols mean? And how were the elements they represent used by alchemists? In this guide we’ll give a background on alchemy and alchemy symbols, then we’ll cover every major alchemy symbol, including what it stood for, the properties it was associated with, and any interesting facts that go along with the alchemy symbols and meanings.Īlchemy is an area of study, sometimes described as a science, sometimes described as a branch of philosophy, that was practiced in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Sigil chart