A concise history of the Philosopher's Stone (as by Potter/Fanfiction canon: aka me!) This was also partially inspired by the manga/anime Fullmetal Alchemist. I HIGHLY recommend reading the manga or watching FMA: Brotherhood.
A battle waged for the worlds, for glory, greed, pride and perfection,
Boiled the blood of those bled in crimson splattered days,
And on the battle field congealed into a blood red stone,
For all to wield its powers as indiscriminately and passionately,
As those who died for it.
- Lady Esther Abel: Paris, 1792, Second-class Alchemist under the French Ministry of Magic
The moment humanity came to understand the meaning of mortality was also the moment humanity began to strive for something to prolong their lives with any means possible. Like all precious resources and powers, the ability to extend life was fought over continuously for centuries. Unlike other resources and powers, there was yet to be any identifiable source for this ability, or at least, one not transferable to humans. For quite a long time wizards and muggles alike hunted beasts said to have life giving blood or preserving flesh; in this way Unicorn blood was discovered to have similar life giving properties, though with disastrous consequences. It was not until the end of the Crusades that wizards began to settle down and look more carefully at the world around them for magical flora and fauna to suit their needs. It was also at this time that a document surfaced from long buried archives and restored by magical processes to reveal an element capable of granting immortality, wealth and perfection. From here the legend of the Philosopher's Stone was born.
Though the document was restored by magic, the writing was nearly illegible and needed to be translated from ancient Greek. The document was apparently labeled as Gi Tou Filosófou (The Earth of the Philosopher). This is most likely the origin of the name lapis philosophorum (philosopher's stone). The document was found hidden in a shrine in the mountains of present day island of Crete. It is in journal form, dated back during the Bronze Age of the Minoan civilization, also located on present day island of Crete. The narrator appears to be an intellectual and/or follower of a man called Ήλιος (Helios: Sun). The journal describes brief periods of time with the man called Helios, the start of primitive alchemy in the area, and the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, the sole goal and life ambition of every alchemist in history.
The first entry only depicts the man called Helios coming from a land off of the island. It gives little description of the man himself. The tone and information given suggests the entry was written after several occasions with Helios.
I remember he came by a small floating vessel unlike any I had ever seen. He came nearly naked, with no tools or food of any kind, yet he was as well fed as the wealthiest merchant. He also came with no name and so in time he was deemed Helios, for he was as grand and as otherworldly as the sun itself.
The next legible entry seems to occur several months after the first, and depicts the narrator's village after the arrival of Helios. The narrator's last words may be the first instance of Helios' use of alchemical transmutation.
The crops do not cease, but grow perpetually as they are harvested. The animals are full and fattened and produce in ever-growing number. The village is without illness or injury and if any such should appear, it is to disappear within the moon's flight. The marble of the villa and square never crack or wear, but shine illustriously. No man is poor, homeless or hungry. Helios turns water into wine. Helios turns lead into gold. No resource is so rare or so precious to Helios, for as long as he hath the earth, he may conjure a bounty.
The next entry describes the first alchemical principles, still used today as the foundations of modern alchemy, being taught to the narrator.
He holds a long stick to the earth and drew a circle. "This is the Earth. It is also the Sun. It is also the Stars. It is also the heavens that hold the Earth and the Sun and the Stars. It is also you, and your children and your children's children… It is everything that is cyclic. Life, death and rebirth; the flow of energy that guides everything we know."
He drew a triangle inscribed by the circle. At each point he drew a strange symbol unlike any I hath ever seen. He pointed to the top symbol. "This is Sulfur, or the Soul. It is the volatile principle. It is the identity of every life in our know universe. You have a soul, the cattle you raise has a soul, even the wheat you grow has a soul…" I looked at him with incredulity and he gave a great laugh. "I am no fool, let me explain further. A soul gives identity and therefore existence. It is a unique energy. Wood contains energy, and is transferred into heat and light when burned. You eat food and you can work. Those forms of energy can be transformed and transferred into one another and to different places, but none of them can be created or destroyed. The soul is different; it is energy of tremendous magnitude, more powerful than light or heat or other and cannot be transformed into any other form of energy. It is however finite, just like the other energies, and can neither be created nor destroyed."
He pointed to the left symbol. "This is Salt, or the Body. It is the stable principle. All matter is a body, whether organic or inorganic. A soul is simply a hallow existence; it needs a body to house itself. However, when a soul enters a body, it is limited to the functions of that body and must acclimate to it. If every life has a soul, than why does a human act differently from an ewe or a bird? It is because the soul changed to suite its vessel."
He pointed to the right symbol. "This is Mercury, or the Spirit. It is the bonding principle. It is the force that binds the soul to the body. Everyday you consume meat and vegetation in order to replenish the spirit, or energy that keeps you alive and moving. If you were to starve, you would eventually lose too much of your spirit and the volatile soul would escape from your body. You would not die, but you would not be able to regain life either. Without the soul, a person loses all self interest and will not eat, further depleting the spirit until it has entirely left the body. That is death."
He drew another triangle inscribed by the circle and when the two triangles overlapped, they became a hexagram. "This hexagram represents the four elements: Fire, Air, Water and Earth. These elements together make an organic body and, when combined with spirit and a soul, create life. Life cannot exist without the three principles and the four elements, and the seven of them must all be balanced correctly in order to preserve life. The four elements and the three principles are also used in different quantities to create all that surrounds us."
"By using a transmutation circle like this one I have drawn, you can channel the natural flow of energy in the Earth and channel it to transmute materials into different shapes and forms. The transmutation must follow the natural laws as well, such as Equivalent Exchange. Input must equal output; one object of a certain mass can be transmuted into another of the same mass; one object of a certain substance can be transmuted into another of the same substance. Grains of sand into a mountain, grass into bread, so long as there is the correct amount of the correct materials, transmutation is possible.
The last narrative entry describes the narrator learning of the lapis philosophorum as well as Helios' apparent death. From the description of the dead body, it appears that Helios may have been lengthening his time with the Elixir of Life. It is unknown what happened to the narrator or the Philosoper's Stone.
He held his hand out to show me a round blood red stone. "I have found the breaker of Equivalent Exchange, and I show it to you. Water should be water, not wine. Alchemy can change water's form, move it between spaces, but cannot change its mass or composition. Lead should be lead, not gold. Lead can be broken into parts, melted together, formed into new forms, but cannot be changed to another element. Yet with this stone I can achieve these feats no other can. It can bring great good and great evil. It can give life and steal life, despite the laws of Equivalent Exchange. It is red like the blood that gives life and the blood seen at death. It is a neutral substance that only the user can guide. My teacher gave it to me, and his teacher and his teacher. I give to you." I woke the next light, and he was cold in the bed that I lent him, shriveled and aged beyond time.
The next entry is a list of materials needed to make the Philosopher's Stone. However, the narrator has used placeholders in the stead of the actual ingredients. It is believed that the narrator memorized these ingredients to be passed on orally to the next owner of Helios' Philosopher's Stone.
πρωτογενές υλικό(primary material): The source of energy that gives the stone its seemingly infinite power and is necessary to break the laws of equivalent exchange.
καθαρό υλικό (pure material): The substance that comprises of the positive half of the stone.
σάπιος υλικό (putrid material): The substance that comprises of the negative half of the stone.
καταστολέα υλικό (suppressor material): Suppresses the power of the stone so as to be handled by the bare hands without injury.
θρομβωτική υλικό (coagulative material): Turns the ingredients from liquid to stone and back, according to the users will.
The Philosopher's Stone, The Celestial Stone, The Great Elixir, The Red Tincture, The Fifth Element; its many names are as diverse as the possibility of ingredients it may have originated from. Using this newfound knowledge, many wizards pursued the elusive and mysterious ingredients that may combine to create the stone. These wizards whom spent generations looking for the materials came to be know as alchemists, for experimenting with muggle sciences, magic and alkaloids. These alchemists travelled the world and found many of the materials found in the current stone used by the Flamels. These materials are incredibly hard to obtain due to the danger involved in finding them or the time it takes to obtain them. Because of this, it has been deemed impossible to acquire all the materials of the stone from their original sources within one's lifetime without tampering with time or the laws of reality. Nicholas Flamel came to have all the ingredients by borrowing, being gifted, and/or possibly stealing the ingredients from other wizards whose families had gather them over time. Below is a list of the necessary materials to make Flamel's version of the Philosopher's Stone, in order of importance.
Lion Turtle Fruit
Three things happen to a being when it dies. First, the body is returned to the earth. Second, the spirit is released to the environment with other energy. And third, the soul of the being is dispersed. Souls are collected in the oceans and circulate around the globe, entering new bodies of life, such as offspring. Some souls end up in the lungs of continental lion turtles, the same creatures that pull the tectonic plates. The souls circulate in the blood to the shell of the turtle where a large forest grows. The souls end up in the fruit of these trees where it can be used to make the stone. The stone derives its blood red color from the red skin of the fruit. These fruit naturally fall off under water and decompose, returning the souls to the oceans circulation and to living creatures.
Each fruit is said to contain 100,000 souls that provide the immense energy stored in the stone; it takes 5 or a multiple of 5 parts of fruit (i.e. Using either five fruits, twenty fruits, one fruit split into 5, etc.) in order to create the stone. Bluntly speaking, this means 100 thousand to 500 thousand or more beings must die in order to create the stone. Once made, about a quarter of a soul is used in each transmutation, depending on the complexity of the transmutation, meaning the stone has the possibility of being used 400 thousand to 2 million times or more, making the stone seem infinite. The stone apparently does not physically erode; when the stone is completely used up it will simply disappear. Due to the migration patterns of the turtles, and the low frequency they surface to breathe (30 years), the fruit is very difficult to obtain.
[Editors Note: Another shorter lived but readily accessible source of souls is to use five or a multiple of five live humans as fuel. Though all beings have the same quantity of souls (one), humans have the most similar composition to the fruit in comparison to other animals/plants. However, five humans will only yield 20 uses of the stone.]
Unicorn Blood
Unicorn blood is used in the purification process of the stone. This process is as equally important as the putrefaction process, as the stone must be balanced in positive and negative forces in order to contain its massive energy. It is not very dangerous to obtain Unicorn blood, but it is very difficult. The unicorn is the fastest equine creature on the planet, moving at speeds close to 80mph (≈128km/h), and cannot be slowed by a stunning or slowing spell due to its magical coat. Killing the unicorn would taint the blood, so the blood must be taken while the unicorn is alive, and not under stress, as this also taints the blood.
The only known way to take blood is to have a muggle veterinarian withdraw the blood, as wizard healers are notorious for botching simple muggle procedures. Using drugs to calm the unicorn also taints the blood, and unicorns are extremely frightened by sharp objects such as needles, inducing more stress. Only witches and female muggles can sooth the animal enough for the procedure to be done. When the blood is collected, the muggle's memory is erased. Five quarts of blood is needed to make the stone.
Dementor's Third Eye
The Dementor's third eye is used in the putrefaction process of the stone. The eye is actually a large bundle of nerves lodged into the skull of the Dementor; these nerves are what allow the Dementor to sense human emotion. Fifty eyes are needed to make the stone. There are two types of Dementors: the Common Dementor, found in the prison Azkaban, and the Higher Dementor. A Common Dementor becomes a Higher Dementor by eating one of its brethren, which is extremely rare; this is also the only way to kill a Common Dementor. A Higher Dementor then transforms into a large, muscular, humanoid creature with smooth gray skin and black hair. For reasons unknown, they are all male, and gain a conscience upon transformation. They can easily summon large medieval weapons, though they favor bladed weapons such as axes and scythes. Higher Dementors eat all but the eye of the Common Dementors, as they taste bitter. A wizard must be very cautious when asking for the eyes from the Higher Dementors, as most encounters with them are fatal. Only three encounters have ever been recorded. The first was of a wizard that attempted to kill the Higher Dementor with Avada Kedavra. He was chopped to pieces and eaten. The second was of a pair of wizards that wanted to exchange a branch of Gubraithian fire for the eyes. The fire is the only way to make the Dementor's weapons, so it was accepted. The third encounter involved a witch promising to feed the Dementor her emotions for a year, in exchange for a years worth of eyes. The eyes were given to the witch's family, but she and the Dementor were never seen again.
Serpent Glory's Tears/Folly's Tears
The tears of a two-headed serpent called Dóxa Tréla, after the Glory head and Folly head, are needed to suppress the immense powers after the Lion Turtle fruit has been subjected to purification and putrefaction. Ten tears are needed. Dóxa is the glory head, the devastatingly ugly head, while Tréla, the folly head, is the devastatingly beautiful head. Their names come from their interactions with humans. The glory head is the friendliest, most merciful, and most helpful of the two heads, willing to spare tears for a wizard. However, many travelers are terrified of Dóxa's deadly appearance and voice and instead approach Tréla for tears. This, like the name suggests, is a folly. Tréla will snap up the approaching wizard quickly and mercilessly before the wizard realizes it. Many have gone into the underground lake where Dóxa Tréla lives, very few have come back out.
Qilin Antlers
Qilin antlers are the last ingredient used to make Flamel's stone and is used as a coagulating agent to solidify the liquid into stone, or any form the user wishes. A Qilin is a legendary beast native to China that is said to represent prosperity and serenity. Muggles have depicted the Qilin in various ways and forms, but the accurate form is a creature with the head of a dragon, antlers of a deer, body of a tiger and tail of an ox. Despite its fierce appearance, the Qilin is friendly to all except sinners. The antlers fall off naturally, so it is easy to gather them without conflict, though rare to find. However, many wizards believe that fresh antlers would be a stronger coagulating agent, and have attempted to hunt the Qilin, with disastrous consequences.
The steps to make the stone are as follows.
1. A transmutation circle must be drawn to channel the five ingredients together into the stone. A large, room sized circle, or one large enough to fit a cauldron in the middle, is recommended. The circle is composed of a circle, a pentagon inscribed into the circle, a second circle inscribed into the pentagon and a second pentagon inscribed into the second circle, both pentagons aligned. Before activating the circle at the end of set up, check to make sure the lines are not damaged. If the circle is broken in any way, the consequences are fatal.
2. Place a caldron in the exact middle of the transmutation circle. A stand is not required, as fire is not needed to heat the ingredients. Pour five quarts of Unicorn blood into the cauldron. The blood should be pure silver. If dull gray, then the blood is tainted, and should be discarded.
3. One by one, carefully drop the 50 Dementor eyes into the cauldron. Putting them in all at once will create a violent reaction and will cause the cauldron to explode, and severe acid burns. When all the eyes have been dissolved in, the liquid should be pure black.
4. Pour in the 10 Dóxa Tréla tears to the cauldron. The liquid should now be canary yellow.
5. Place the five fruits on the transmutation circle, one fruit for each point of the largest pentagon (Or place one human being at each point.)
6. LEAVE THE TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE AND ACTIVATE THE CIRCLE FROM AT LEAST TEN FEET AWAY. BEING NEAR THE CIRCLE MAY CAUSE YOUR SOUL TO JOIN WITH THE STONE. The circle is activated by shooting Avada Kedavra at the cauldron. The circle will light up and possibly blind you for a few seconds. During this time the fruit is combined alchemically with the liquid in the cauldron, the forces of life and death mingling together. The liquid should now be blood red.
7. When the light has gone and the transmutation circle has vanished, it is safe to approach the cauldron. Grind the Qilin antlers in a mortar to a powder, and add ten ounces of the powder to the cauldron.
8. Let the liquid sit for five hours. At the end of the five hours, a spherical stone wide will have solidified. The size of the stone depends on the number of souls locked in it.