Fulcanelli

Fulcanelli (fl. 1920s) was the name used by a French alchemist and esoteric author, whose identity is still debated.[1] The name Fulcanelli seems to be a play on words: Vulcan, the ancient Roman god of fire, plus El, a Canaanite name for God and so the Sacred Fire.[2]

The appeal of Fulcanelli as a cultural phenomenon is due partly to the mystery of most aspects of his life and works, and his disappearance. In particular, he is reputed to have twice performed a transmutation of lead into gold. The first was in 1922, together with his most devoted pupil Eugène Canseliet, when the two supposedly performed a successful transmutation of 100 grams of lead into gold in the presence of Julien Champagne and Gaston Sauvage. This demonstration took place in a laboratory of the gas works of the Georgi company at Sarcelles, and was achieved with the use of a small quantity of "Projection Powder" (also known as the Philosopher's Stone) prepared by Fulcanelli.[3][4] The second was in 1937 at the Château de Léré, when Fulcanelli supposedly performed a transmutation of 225 grams of lead into gold and 100 grams of silver into uranium before witnesses including a chemist, two physicists and a geologist.[5] After this, Fulcanelli disappeared completely.[6]

  1. ^ Patrick Riviere Fulcanelli, p. 29, Red Pill Press Ltd, 2006 ISBN 978-1-897244-21-0
  2. ^ Mark Stavish The Path of Alchemy, p. 171, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2006 ISBN 978-0-7387-0903-1
  3. ^ Geneviève, Dubois (2005). Fulcanelli and the Alchemical Revival. The Man Behind the Mystery of the Cathedrals. Rochester: Destiny Books. p. 5.2. ISBN 9781594770821.
  4. ^ Rivière, Patrick (2006). Fulcanelli: His True Identity Revealed. London: Red Pill Press. p. 59. ISBN 9781897244210.
  5. ^ Geneviève, Dubois (2005). Fulcanelli and the Alchemical Revival. The Man Behind the Mystery of the Cathedrals. Rochester: Destiny Books. p. 5.4. ISBN 9781594770821.
  6. ^ Geneviève, Dubois (2005). Fulcanelli and the Alchemical Revival. The Man Behind the Mystery of the Cathedrals. Rochester: Destiny Books. p. 5.4. ISBN 9781594770821.