Athanor
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
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Ath·a·nor
n.
[F., fr. Ar. at-tannūr, fr. Heb. tannūr an oven or furnace.]
A digesting furnace, formerly used by alchemists. It was so constructed as to maintain uniform and durable heat. Chambers.
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According to Philostratus in his Life of Apollonius, Athanor is an occult hill surrounded by mist except on the southern side, which is clear. It has a well, which is four paces in breadth, from which an azure vapor ascends, which is drawn up by the warm sun. The bottom of the well is covered with red arsenic. Near it is a basin filled with fire from which rises a livid flame, odorless and smokeless, and never higher or lower than the edge of the basin. Also there are two black stone reservoirs, in one of which the wind is kept, and in the other the rain. In extreme drought the rain cistern is opened and clouds escape, which water the whole country.
This description should be interpreted as alchemical symbolism, since the Athanor was also the furnace supplying heat for the alchemical process. The term Athanor is also employed to denote moral and philosophical alchemy.
Obscure Words:
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athanor
[ad. Arab. attannur, the furnace] /ATH en or/
also, formerly, athenor
an alchemist's furnace designed to maintain uniform heat
Word Tutor:
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athanor
IN BRIEF: n. - A furnace that feeds itself so as to maintain a uniform temperature.
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Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Athanor
In alchemy, an athanor is a furnace used to provide heat for alchemical digestion. An athanor is a self-feeding furnace, designed to maintain a uniform temperature.
The athanor was also called Piger Henricus ("Slow Harry"), because it was chiefly used in slower operations, and because when once filled with coals, it keeps burning a long time. For this reason the Greeks referred to it as "giving no trouble", as it did not need to be continually attended. It was also called the Philosophical furnace, Furnace of Arcana, or popularly, the Tower furnace. [1]
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Other references
In the work Life of Apollonius by Philostratus the Athenian, an allegorical description is given of an occult hill. The author gives this hill the name "Athanor".
Athanor is also the name of a work by Anselm Kiefer, which is currently displayed in the Toledo Museum of Art.
Athanor is also the title of a 1968 book of poetry by the Romanian author Gellu Naum
Athanor is also the name of a musical work for orchestra by French composer Joël-François Durand, written in 2001 and premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra (cond. Pierre-André Valade), in 2003.
Athanor is also the name a series by American author Jane Lindskold. The titles in this series are Changer, published in 1996, and Legends Walking, published in 1999.
The review
Athanor is now a review of language philosophy, history, and international politics. It is published once or twice a year. Its latest issue has been No. 13 (new series), November, 2009.
References
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This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
External links
- Athanor as an occult hill
- The Life of Apollonius of Tyana - by Philostratus; selection of extracts from the translation of F. C. Conybeare, including translator's introduction (1912)
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Gale Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology
Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Copyright © 2001 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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