The Real Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone

We've all heard of Nicholas Flamel, the famous character from J.K. Rowling's first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Nicholas Flamel was the wizard who possessed the Sorcerer's Stone containing an elixir that gave one eternal life.

But there is nothing mythical about Nicholas Flamel. He was an alchemist born near Paris, France in 1330. He was the only known person to have created what is known as the Philosopher's Stone. He was a bookseller by trade and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn to read and write. He married a widow who was older than him named Pernelle.

It is said that the Philosopher's Stone was made of a mythical material called carmot. Carmot was deep red in color and was used to facilitate transformations while practicing alchemy. Alchemy is the study of spiritual discipline and the philosophical examination of nature. The stone contained a liquid that would give one eternal life and was believed at one time to be the Holy Grail. It was said that the creator of the stone would be spiritually enlightened. Carmot is no longer believed to exist according to modern science.

Nicholas Flamel had a dream one night that an angel had come to him. The angel held a book, the book of Abraham the Jew, and said these words to Flamel, "Look well at this book, Nicholas. At first you will understand nothing in it three-quarters, neither you nor any other man. But one day you will see in it that which no other man will be able to see." Not long after having this dream a man came into Flamel's bookstore carrying a book. Flamel recognized it to be the same book that the angel had held out to him. He purchased the book from this man and vigorously studied it's mysterious twenty-one pages in search of the fundamental secrets of nature for twenty-one years. In his hands he held a book that he believed contained perfect wisdom.

In 1410 Nicholas Flamel designed his own tombstone that was carved with symbols and signs of alchemy. Historical records indicate that Flamel lived well into his late eighties but there is some controversy over his death. It is said that his coffin was opened as some believed that the Philosopher's Stone was buried with him. Upon opening his coffin no trace of his body was found. Mysteriously in years to come there were several books published in his name. Is it possible that Nicholas Flamel did in fact create an elixir that gave him immortality?