Nicolas Flamel

Japanese: フラメル（英語表記）Nicolas Flamel

Around 1330 - 1418
A French alchemist born in Pontoise and died in Paris. It is said that after twenty-plus years of hard work, relying on the Book of Abraham the Jew, which he came into possession of by chance, he succeeded in producing gold three times. He wrote an autobiographical work, The Book of Hieroglyphics (1413), but there is a strong theory that it is a forgery. In addition to claiming to have attained immortality through the power of alchemical potions, he left behind various legends for posterity. The mythical nature of these works attracted the attention of the public, and among modern literary scholars, A. Breton was particularly interested in them. [Arita Tadao]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

1330ころ‐1418
ポントアーズに生まれ，パリに没したフランスの錬金術師。偶然入手した《ユダヤ人アブラハムの書》を頼りに，二十数年の苦心の末，3度にわたって黄金造成に成功したと伝えられる。自伝的な著《象形寓意図の書》(1413)があるが，偽書説も強い。錬金薬の効力で不死の生を得たというほか，各種の伝説を後世に残した。その神話的性格が世人の注目をひき，現代の文学者ではA.ブルトンがとくに関心を寄せた。【有田忠郎】

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