Rebis_Theoria_Philosophiae_Hermeticae_1617

The Rebis (from the Latin ''res bina'', meaning dual or double matter) is the end product of the

alchemical Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, ...

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

'' or great work. After one has gone through the stages of

putrefaction Putrefaction is the fifth stage of death, following pallor mortis, algor mortis, rigor mortis, and livor mortis. This process references the breaking down of a body of an animal, such as a human, post-mortem. In broad terms, it can be view ...

and purification, separating opposing qualities, those qualities are united once more in what is sometimes described as the divine hermaphrodite, a reconciliation of spirit and matter, a being of both male and female qualities as indicated by the male and female head within a single body. The sun and moon correspond to the male and female halves, just as the Red King and White Queen are similarly associated. The ''Rebis'' image appeared in the work ''

Azoth Azoth was considered to be a universal medication or universal solvent, and was sought for in alchemy. Similar to another alchemical idealized substance, alkahest, azoth was the aim, goal and vision of many alchemical works. Its symbol was the Ca ...

of the Philosophers'' by

Basil Valentine Basil Valentine is the Anglicised version of the name Basilius Valentinus, ostensibly a 15th-century alchemist, possibly Canon of the Benedictine Priory of Saint Peter in Erfurt, Germany but more likely a pseudonym used by one or several 16th-c ...

in 1613.

In popular culture

* The ''Rebis'' is a central element in the fourth season of the television series '' Castlevania''. * A perfect being of both masculine (sun) and feminine (moon) qualities, brought about by an eclipse, is used in the manga and 2009 anime of ''

Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine '' Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected th ...

''. * The angelic antagonist of the first season of 2008 anime Black Butler is a rebis, whose two forms initially appear as separate characters. * In Gomorrah the series, Genny Savastano wears a t-shirt with a rebis illustration in the second and third season. * In the

Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayS ...

video game, the ''Rebis'' is a recurring cosmological theme. The game heavily references the alchemical

, especially as depicted in Ripley's scroll. * In

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' ( pl, Wiedźmin ) is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. In Sapkowski's works, "witchers" are be ...

action video game trilogy, ''Rebis'' is an alchemical ingredient. * One of the versions of

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

Negative Man Negative Man is a superhero from DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Haney, Arnold Drake, and Bruno Premiani and made his first appearance in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963). Negative Man has appeared in numerous cartoon telev ...

, a member of the

Doom Patrol Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appe ...

, was a fusion of a male and a female called ''Rebis.'' * In the Moebius/ Jodorowski graphic novel series

The Incal ''The Incal'' (; French: ''L'Incal'') is a French graphic novel series written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and originally illustrated by Jean Giraud. ''The Incal'', with first pages originally released as ''Une aventure de John Difool'' ("A John Di ...

, a major character is a "perfect androgynous" called Solune (Sunmoon in the English translation)

Sources

* Robert Allen Bartlett, ''Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical Alchemy'', Hays (Nicolas) Ltd, 2009, * Barbara DiBernard, ''Alchemy and Finnegans Wake'', Suny Press, 1980, p. 71, * Kathleen P. Long, ''Hermaphrodites in Renaissance Europe'', Ashgate, 2006, p. 131, * Alexander Roob, ''Alchimie et mystique: le musée hermétique'', Taschen GmbH, 2006, p. 494, {{ISBN, 978-3-8228-5037-4 * Murray Stein, ''Transformation: Emergence of the Self'', Princeton University Press, 1989, p. 101 * Heinrich Nollius, ''Theoria philosophiae hermetica'', Hanau, 1617 * Heinrich Jamsthaler, ''Viatorum spagyricum'', Frankfurt a. M, Germany, 1625 * Lazarus Zetzner, ''

Theatrum Chemicum (''"Chemical Theatre"'') is a compendium of early alchemical writings published in six volumes over the course of six decades. The first three volumes were published in 1602, while the final sixth volume was published in its entirety in 1661. re ...

'', Strasbourg, 1661

External links

Basil Valentine 'Azoth' images

Alchemical substances Personifications Transgender topics and religion Androgyny

In popular culture

See also

Sources

External links