Premium Essay

Why Do Alchemists Want To Turn Cheap Metals Into Gold?

Submitted By
Words 241
Pages 1
Turning cheap metals into gold is an idea created from the teachings of an old science that dates back to around 2500 years ago. The historical science, known as alchemy, is a precursor to modern chemistry. In reference to Egyptians and Babylonians, “Although they made many innovations, such as the refinement of metal ores and in the applications of dyes, little real science had been done. For instance, Egyptian alchemists once attempted to make gold by painting the surface of lead with egg yolk, so that it appeared yellow” (The History of Alchemy). Since pure gold is worth a lot of money, the alchemists want to turn the cheap metals into a more fine and profitable metal, or gold. Although alchemists want to turn cheap metals into gold, alchemists

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Eternity

...is lifted to smite the lips of the metal monster—the vast lips inscribed with Buddhist texts from the sacred Fa-hwa-King, from the chapters of the holy Ling-yen-King! Hear the great bell responding!—how mighty her voice, though tongueless! KO-NGAI! All the little dragons on the high-tilted eaves of the green roofs shiver to the tips of their gilded tails under that deep wave of sound; all the porcelain gargoyles tremble on their carven perches; all the hundred little bells of the pagodas quiver with desire to speak. KO-NGAI—all the green-and-gold tiles of the temple are vibrating; the wooden goldfish above them are writhing against the sky; the uplifted finger of Fo shakes high over the heads of the worshippers through the blue fog of incense! KO-NGAI!—What a thunder tone was that! All the lacquered goblins on the palace cornices wriggle their fire-coloured tongues! And after each huge shock, how wondrous the multiple echo and the great golden moan, and, at last, the sudden sibilant sobbing in the ears when the immense tone faints away in broken whispers of silver, as though a woman should whisper, “Hiai!” Even so the great bell hath sounded every day for well-nigh five hundred years—Ko-Ngai: first with stupendous clang, then with immeasurable moan of gold, then with silver murmuring of “Hiai!” And there is not a child in all the many-coloured ways of the old Chinese city who does not know the story of the great bell, who cannot tell you why the great bell says Ko-Ngai and Hiai...

Words: 3206 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Devil and Miss Prym

...Coelho 2000 English translation © Amanda Hopkinson and Nick Caistor Paulo Coelho asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 00 711605 5 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Omnia Books Limited, Glasgow All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, Hail Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to Thee for help. Amen. ALSO BY PAULO COELHO The Alchemist The Pilgrimage The Valkyries By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept The Fifth Mountain Veronika Decides to Die And a certain ruler asked him, saying, 'Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said unto him, 'Why callest thou me good? None is good, save one, that is God.' Luke 18: 18-19 Author's note The first story about division comes from ancient Persia: the god of time, having created the universe, sees harmony all around him, but feels that there is still something very important missing - a companion with whom to share all this beauty. For a thousand years, he prays for a son. The story does not say to whom he prays, given that he is omnipotent, the sole, supreme lord; nevertheless, he prays and, finally, he becomes pregnant. When he realises he has achieved his heart's desire, the god of...

Words: 20343 - Pages: 82

Free Essay

Daenerys

...near. Black tiles covered the palace roof, many fallen or broken; the mortar between the stones was dry and crumbling. She understood now why Xaro Xhoan Daxos called it the Palace of Dust. Even Drogon seemed disquieted by the sight of it. The black dragon hissed, smoke seeping out between his sharp teeth. “Blood of my blood,” Jhogo said in Dothraki, “this is an evil place, a haunt of ghosts and maegi. See how it drinks the morning sun? Let us go before it drinks us as well.” Ser Jorah Mormont came up beside them. “What power can they have if they live in that?” “Heed the wisdom of those who love you best,” said Xaro Xhoan Daxos, lounging inside the palanquin. “Warlocks are bitter creatures who eat dust and drink of shadows. They will give you naught. They have naught to give.” Aggo put a hand on his arakh. “Khaleesi, it is said that many go into the Palace of Dust, but few come out.” “It is said,” Jhogo agreed. “We are blood of your blood,” said Aggo, “sworn to live and die as you do. Let us walk with you in this dark place, to keep you safe from harm.” “Some places even a khal must walk alone,” Dany said. “Take me, then,” Ser Jorah urged. “The risk-” “Queen Daenerys must enter alone, or not at all.” The warlock Pyat Pree stepped out from under the trees. Has he been there all along? Dany wondered. “Should she turn away now, the doors of wisdom shall be closed to her forevermore.” “My pleasure barge awaits,...

Words: 92277 - Pages: 370

Free Essay

Dan Brown

...FOR BLYTHE Acknowledgments My profound thanks to three dear friends with whom I have the great luxury of working: my editor, Jason Kaufman; my agent, Heide Lange; and my counselor, Michael Rudell. In addition, I would like to express my immense gratitude to Doubleday, to my publishers around the world, and, of course, to my readers. This novel could not have been written without the generous assistance of countless individuals who shared their knowledge and expertise. To all of you, I extend my deep appreciation. To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books. The Secret Teachings of All Ages ———————————— FACT: In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document is still there today. Its cryptic text includes references to an ancient portal and an unknown location underground. The document also contains the phrase “It’s buried out there somewhere.” All organizations in this novel exist, including the Freemasons, the Invisible College, the Office of Security, the SMSC, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real. ———————————— Prologue House of the Temple 8:33 P.M. The secret is how to die. Since the beginning of time, the secret had always been how to die. The thirty-four-year-old initiate gazed down at the human skull cradled in his palms. The skull was hollow, like...

Words: 164451 - Pages: 658

Premium Essay

Rich Dad Guide to Investing

...www.read.forumsplace.com This publication is designed to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. However, it is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or other professional advice. Laws and practices often vary from state to state and if legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a professional should be sought. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability that is incurred from the use or application of the contents of this book. Although based on a true story, certain events in the book have been fictionalized for educational content and impact. RICH DAD’S GUIDE TO INVESTING. Copyright © 2000 by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published in association with CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc. “CASHFLOW” is the trademark of CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc. For information address Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. A Time Warner Company ISBN 0-7595-8139-8 A trade paperback edition of this book was published in 2000 by Warner Books. First eBook edition: February 2001 Visit our Web site at www.iPublish.com ACKNOWLEDGMENTS On April 8,...

Words: 134661 - Pages: 539

Free Essay

Overlord

...Chapter 1: The End and Beginning Prologue Facing the young girl and her little sister, the armored knight raised his sword. To have mercy was to take away a life in a single strike. Struck by the sunlight, the sword glistened high up in the air. The girl shut her eyes and bit down on her lower lip. Her expression showed that she never wished for this situation. She was simply accepting it since there was nothing she could do. If the girl had power of some sort, she would have used it on the man before her eyes and ran away. But— the girl had no such power. Thus there existed only one conclusion. The girl would surely perish here. The sword struck down — —Yet she did not feel any pain. The girl opened her tightly shut eyes. The first thing that the girl saw in her world was the sword that had stopped in its path downward. The next thing that entered her sight was its wielder. He had stopped in motion as though he were encased in ice. The knight’s attention was no longer on the girl. The completely defenseless state of the knight clearly revealed the shock that surged inside him. As though led by the knight’s gaze, the girl also turned her face toward the same direction. Then— she saw despair. There was darkness. Pure darkness as thin as paper, yet of an unfathomable depth. It had emerged from the ground in an ovoid shape with its lower section cut. A scene that evoked mystique with indescribable apprehension. A...

Words: 79265 - Pages: 318

Premium Essay

As English

...AS English Language [pic] [pic] [pic] Fiction style models and tasks – 2012/2013 Style Model Workbook Style models are examples of a type of writing used to give you an idea of the features used when adapting a particular style and form. As you will be required to include a fiction and non-fiction annotated style model as part of your coursework folder we have compiled a selection of materials to give you a head start. The two booklets (one fiction, one non-fiction) will contain the type of extracts you should be looking for and the questions that accompany them will help you to annotate the materials appropriately. You will be given some of the extracts to study in class and some to complete as homework tasks. There may be some materials that you haven’t been directed to by your teachers, these will make very good additional preparation and you should look at these in your own time. All the resources, and some additional style models, can be found in the AS Language section of Moodle. AS LANGUAGE COURSEWORK You must keep all work during the production of the coursework in your folder. You will need all drafts and style models for part of your final grade. Criteria • Two pieces of your own writing • Each piece must have a different audience and purpose • You should write with a specific genre in mind • Pieces should be designed with a real publication in mind • Two...

Words: 28420 - Pages: 114

Free Essay

A Book of Fantasy

...C DESIGN ERS R E D I STACY LONGSTREET T S SE N IOR A RT DI REC TOR R P G R& D A RT DI REC TOR S GWENDOLYN F.M. KESTREL , JENNIFER CLARKE WILKES, KOLJA RAVEN LIQUETTE DEVELOPMENT TEAM KARIN JAQUES, STACY LONGSTREET C OV E R A RT I S T BRUCE R. CORDELL , ANDY COLLINS, ROB WATKINS EDITORS STEVE PRESCOTT I N T E R IOR A RT IST S MICHELLE LYONS, CHRIS SIMS EDITI NG MANAGER KIM MOHAN DESIGN MANAGER STEVEN BELLEDIN, ED COX, DAARKEN, WAYNE ENGLAND, EMILY FIEGENSCHUH, CARL FRANK, DAN FRAZIER, BRIAN HAGAN, RALPH HORSLEY, CHRIS MALIDORE , JIM NELSON, ERIC POLAK CA RTOG R A PHE R CHRISTOPHER PERKINS DEV ELOPMEN T MANAGER MIKE SCHLEY GRAPHIC DESIGN ER JESSE DECKER DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D DEE BARNETT G R A P H IC P RODUC T ION S P E C I A L I S T BILL SLAVICSEK P RODUC T ION MA NAGE R S ERIN DORRIES IMAGE T ECHN ICIAN JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS CHRISTINA WILEY Playtesters: Kraig Horigan, Jason H. Haley, Richard Hughes, Richard Stephenson. Some information in this book is taken from or derived from Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons by Andy Collins, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision. This WIZARDS OF THE COAST® game product contains no Open Game...

Words: 124422 - Pages: 498

Free Essay

Paulo Coelho

...Eleven Minutes, by Paulo Coelho Also by Paulo Coelho The Alchemist The Pilgrimage The Valkyries By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept The Fifth Mountain Veronika Decides to Die The Devil and Miss Prym Manual of the Warrior of Light ELEVEN MINUTES TRANSLATED FROM THE PORTUGUESE BY MARGARET JULL COSTA 4u HarperCollins Publishers HarperCollinsPublishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London w6 8jb The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk Paulo Coelho's website address is: www.paulocoelho.com First published in English by HarperCollinsPublishers 2003 13579 10 8642 © Paulo Coelho 2003 Paulo Coelho asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN o 00 716604 4 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to you. Amen. Dedication On 29th May 2002, just hours before I put the finishing touches to this book, I visited the Grotto in Lourdes, in France, to fill a few bottles with miraculous water from the spring. Inside the Basilica, a gentleman in his seventies said to me: 'You know, you look just like Paulo Coelho.' I said...

Words: 71227 - Pages: 285

Free Essay

Project Menagement in Construction Industry

...Eleven Minutes, by Paulo Coelho Also by Paulo Coelho The Alchemist The Pilgrimage The Valkyries By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept The Fifth Mountain Veronika Decides to Die The Devil and Miss Prym Manual of the Warrior of Light ELEVEN MINUTES TRANSLATED FROM THE PORTUGUESE BY MARGARET JULL COSTA 4u HarperCollins Publishers HarperCollinsPublishers 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London w6 8jb The HarperCollins website address is: www.harpercollins.co.uk Paulo Coelho's website address is: www.paulocoelho.com First published in English by HarperCollinsPublishers 2003 13579 10 8642 © Paulo Coelho 2003 Paulo Coelho asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library ISBN o 00 716604 4 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers. O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to you. Amen. Dedication On 29th May 2002, just hours before I put the finishing touches to this book, I visited the Grotto in Lourdes, in France, to fill a few bottles with miraculous water from the spring. Inside the Basilica, a gentleman in his seventies said to me: 'You know, you look just like Paulo...

Words: 71222 - Pages: 285

Free Essay

Magicians Guild

...Registrada, Hecho en U.S.A. HarperCollins® is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers Inc. Printed in the U.S.A. 10 987654321 This book is dedicated to my father, Denis Canavan. He provided the spark that lit the twin fires of curiosity and creativity. Acknowledgements Many people have given me valuable encouragement, support and constructive criticism during the writing of this trilogy. Thank you to: Mum and Dad, for believing I could be whatever I wanted to be; Yvonne Hardingham, the big sister I never had; Paul Marshall, for his inexhaustible ability to reread; Steven Pemberton, for gallons of tea and some very silly suggestions; Anthony Mauriks, for the discussions on weaponry and demonstrations of fighting; Mike Hughes, who foolishly wants to be a character; Shelley Muir, for friendship and honesty; Julia Taylor, for her generosity, and Dirk Strasser, for giving it a go. Also to Jack Dann, for giving me...

Words: 120086 - Pages: 481

Free Essay

Veronica Decides to Die

...realizing it Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents…and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19 Contents Epigraph Begin Reading P.S. Insights, Interviews & More… About the Author Praise Other Books by Paulo Coelho Credits Copyright About the Publisher On November 11, 1997, Veronika decided that the moment to kill herself had—at last!—arrived. She carefully cleaned the room that she rented in a convent, turned off the heat, brushed her teeth, and lay down. SHE PICKED up the four packs of sleeping pills from her bedside table. Instead of crushing them and mixing them with water, she decided to take them one by one, because there is always a gap between intention and action, and she wanted to feel free to turn back halfway. With each pill she swallowed, however, she felt more convinced: After five minutes the packs were empty. Since she didn’t know exactly how long it would take her to lose consciousness, she had placed on the bed that month’s issue of a French magazine, Homme, which had just arrived in the library where she worked. She had no particular interest in computer science, but, as she leafed through the magazine, she came across an article about a computer game (one of those CD-ROMS) created by Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian writer she had happened to meet at a lecture in the café at the Grand Union Hotel. They had exchanged a few words, and she had ended up being invited by his publisher to join them for supper. There were a lot of people...

Words: 55394 - Pages: 222

Premium Essay

Book

...Rashesh Shah did it. Sanjeev Bikhchandani did it. Shantanu Prakash did it. 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish' is the story of 25 such IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose the rough road of entrepreneurship. They are diverse in age, in outlook and the industries they made a mark in. But they have one thing in common: they believed in the power of their dreams. This book seeks to inspire young graduates to look beyond placements and salaries. To believe in their dreams. The Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad aims at fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship through incubation, research and dissemination of knowledge. Rs.125/- - Rashmi Bansal ISBN 978-81-904530-1-1 CONTENTS - THE BELIEVERS - THE OPPORTUNISTS - THE ALTERNATE VISION THE BELIEVERS People who knew entrepreneurship was the Chosen Path. They took the plunge straight after their MBA or after working barely a couple of years. And they persevered until they made it big! p02 THE BOOK OF JOB Sanjeev Bikhchandani (PGP 1989), naukri.com Sanjeev is India's most successful internet entrepreneur. For close to a decade he struggled on the sidelines but never gave up on his Big Idea. In 2006, naukri.com became the first dotcom to IPO on an Indian stock exchange. p18 ROCK WITH IT, ROLL WITH IT Shantanu Prakash (PGP 1988), Educomp Despite a regular middle class upbringing, Shantanu went into business while doing his BCom. The entrepreneurial streak continued after...

Words: 114565 - Pages: 459

Premium Essay

Anonymous

...LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER THE EPISODE OF THE FINANCIAL NAPOLEON THE EPISODE OF THE THEATRICAL VENTURE THE EPISODE OF THE LIVE WEEKLY THE DIVERTING EPISODE OF THE EXILED MONARCH THE EPISODE OF THE HIRED PAST THE EPISODE OF THE LANDLADY'S DAUGHTER First of a Series of Six Stories [First published in _Pictorial Review_, May 1916] When a seed-merchant of cautious disposition and an eye to the main chance receives from an eminent firm of jam-manufacturers an extremely large order for clover-seed, his emotions are mixed. Joy may be said to predominate, but with the joy comes also uncertainty. Are these people, he asks himself, proposing to set up as farmers of a large scale, or do Page 1 This page was created using BCL ALLPDF demo software. To purchase, go to http://www.bcltechnologies.com/allpdf/ a man of means they merely want the seed to give verisimilitude to their otherwise bald and unconvincing raspberry jam? On the solution of this problem depends the important matter of price, for, obviously, you can charge a fraudulent jam disseminator in a manner which an honest farmer would resent. This was the problem which was furrowing the brow of Mr. Julian Fineberg, of Bury St. Edwards, one sunny morning when Roland Bleke knocked at his door; and such was its difficulty that only at the nineteenth knock did Mr. Fineberg raise his head. "Come in--that dashed woodpecker out there!" he shouted, for it was his habit to express himself with a generous strength towards the junior members of his...

Words: 29225 - Pages: 117

Premium Essay

Mr Mazu

...Rashesh Shah did it. Sanjeev Bikhchandani did it. Shantanu Prakash did it. 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish' is the story of 25 such IIM Ahmedabad graduates who chose the rough road of entrepreneurship. They are diverse in age, in outlook and the industries they made a mark in. But they have one thing in common: they believed in the power of their dreams. This book seeks to inspire young graduates to look beyond placements and salaries. To believe in their dreams. The Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad aims at fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship through incubation, research and dissemination of knowledge. Rs.125/- - Rashmi Bansal ISBN 978-81-904530-1-1 CONTENTS - THE BELIEVERS - THE OPPORTUNISTS - THE ALTERNATE VISION THE BELIEVERS People who knew entrepreneurship was the Chosen Path. They took the plunge straight after their MBA or after working barely a couple of years. And they persevered until they made it big! p02 THE BOOK OF JOB Sanjeev Bikhchandani (PGP 1989), naukri.com Sanjeev is India's most successful internet entrepreneur. For close to a decade he struggled on the sidelines but never gave up on his Big Idea. In 2006, naukri.com became the first dotcom to IPO on an Indian stock exchange. p18 ROCK WITH IT, ROLL WITH IT Shantanu Prakash (PGP 1988), Educomp Despite a regular middle class upbringing, Shantanu went into business while doing his BCom. The entrepreneurial streak continued after...

Words: 114565 - Pages: 459