Encyclopedia

Achaia

A region in the northern Peloponnese of Greece, which in Roman times became a province encompassing much of the Greek mainland. It is frequently cited in classical history, biblical geography, and architectural treatises.

9 books · 125 mentions

Almansor

A Latinized name referring to several historical figures, most notably the Abbasid Caliph or the physician-astrologer Al-Mansur, frequently cited in medieval and Renaissance astrological and medical texts.

9 books · 119 mentions

Arnaldus de Villa Nova

A 13th-century Catalan physician and alchemist whose works on the 'Elixir of Life' and medical theory were foundational to late medieval occult philosophy.

9 books · 119 mentions

Ammianus Marcellinus

A 4th-century Roman soldier and historian whose work Res Gestae is a primary source for the late Roman Empire. He is often cited in early modern scholarship for his accounts of ancient magic, Egyptian obelisks, and Julian the Apostate.

9 books · 117 mentions

Antaeus

A giant in Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and Gaia, who was invincible as long as he remained in contact with the earth. He is famously depicted in literature being defeated by Heracles, often serving as an allegory for the struggle between earthly strength and divine intellect.

9 books · 112 mentions

Art of memory

9 books · 112 mentions

Atalanta

A heroine of Greek mythology known for her swiftness; in alchemy, she represents the volatile spirit that must be 'caught' and fixed by the alchemist.

9 books · 108 mentions

Atropos

One of the three Fates in Greek mythology, the 'inflexible' one who cuts the thread of life, signifying the inevitability of death.

9 books · 107 mentions

Accidents

In Aristotelian and scholastic philosophy, these are attributes or qualities of a substance that do not belong to its essential nature and can change without the substance ceasing to exist. This distinction was crucial in alchemical debates regarding the transformation of matter and the nature of transubstantiation.

9 books · 107 mentions

Absalom

The son of King David known for his beauty and rebellion; in early modern theology, he served as a cautionary figure regarding political ambition and filial impiety.

9 books · 102 mentions

Aries (Zodiac sign)

9 books · 97 mentions

Archetypal World

In Neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy, the highest level of reality containing the divine ideas or forms upon which the physical world is modeled. It is often identified with the Kabbalistic world of Atziluth.

9 books · 92 mentions

Athenaeus

A Greek rhetorician and grammarian, best known for the Deipnosophistae, an encyclopedic work that preserves vast amounts of information on ancient Greek life and literature.

9 books · 71 mentions

Animal Magnetism

8 books · 358 mentions

Annie Besant

8 books · 307 mentions

Andrew

One of the twelve apostles of Jesus, often invoked in early modern religious and magical texts as a figure of apostolic authority and martyrdom.

8 books · 239 mentions

Arno River

A major river in Tuscany, Italy, flowing through Florence and Pisa, central to the cultural and economic life of the Italian Renaissance.

8 books · 199 mentions

Al-Battani

A medieval Arab astronomer whose refined observations of the solar year and obliquity significantly influenced the Copernican revolution.

8 books · 195 mentions

Aphorisms

A literary form of concise, authoritative statements used by figures like Hippocrates and Francis Bacon to communicate scientific and philosophical principles.

8 books · 167 mentions

Arachne

8 books · 159 mentions

Anubis

The ancient Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife, often identified with Hermes in the syncretic figure of Hermanubis within Western esoteric traditions.

8 books · 147 mentions

Active Life

8 books · 138 mentions

Analogy

8 books · 135 mentions

Aristotle (referred to as 'The Philosopher')

8 books · 134 mentions

Aegina

An island in the Saronic Gulf of Greece, historically significant as a rival to Athens and the birthplace of the philosopher Plato according to some traditions. It appears frequently in classical histories and geographical descriptions.

8 books · 128 mentions

Absolution

8 books · 127 mentions

Anatomical dissection

8 books · 120 mentions

Alkali Salt

8 books · 113 mentions

Anthropomorphism

The attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, particularly the divine. In Western theology, it has been a subject of intense debate regarding the literal versus metaphorical interpretation of scripture.

8 books · 111 mentions

Archilochus

An ancient Greek lyric poet from Paros, celebrated for his innovative use of poetic meters and his biting, often satirical, iambic verse.

8 books · 110 mentions

Amulets

8 books · 108 mentions

Arianism

8 books · 108 mentions

Astral Influence

8 books · 106 mentions

Apollodorus

A Greek scholar likely associated with the 'Bibliotheca', a comprehensive compendium of myths that served as a primary source for Renaissance studies of classical genealogy.

8 books · 105 mentions

Arithmetic

A branch of the classical quadrivium concerned with the properties of numbers, often viewed in esoteric traditions as a key to cosmic harmony.

8 books · 98 mentions

Anaximenes

A pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus who proposed that air (aer) was the primary substance (arche) of all things in the universe.

8 books · 92 mentions

Abraham Ibn Ezra

A Spanish Jewish polymath whose works on astrology, mathematics, and philosophy were instrumental in transmitting Arabic and Hebrew science to the Latin West.

8 books · 85 mentions

Antiphon

A name shared by several prominent Athenians, most notably the orator Antiphon of Rhamnus and the character in Plato's 'Parmenides.' In early modern texts, he is often cited in the context of rhetoric and sophistry.

8 books · 63 mentions

Andreas Libavius

7 books · 447 mentions

Air resistance

7 books · 233 mentions

Abiram

A biblical figure who, along with Korah and Dathan, rebelled against Moses and was swallowed by the earth, often cited in theological warnings against heresy or rebellion.

7 books · 176 mentions

Arcana

Secret or hidden knowledge, particularly the mysteries of nature or medicine sought by alchemists and Paracelsian practitioners.

7 books · 175 mentions

Abihu

7 books · 171 mentions

Apollonius of Perga

A Hellenistic mathematician and astronomer whose treatise on conic sections and theories of epicycles profoundly influenced later planetary models.

7 books · 157 mentions

Apoplexy

7 books · 143 mentions

Accident

7 books · 141 mentions

Animated Mercury

7 books · 140 mentions

Arithmetic Proportion

7 books · 134 mentions

Actaeon

A mythological hunter transformed into a stag; in the works of Giordano Bruno, he symbolizes the heroic intellect that is transformed by the divine object of its pursuit.

7 books · 131 mentions

Annihilation

7 books · 128 mentions

Appius Claudius

7 books · 126 mentions

Astringency

A quality of contraction or binding in natural philosophy, identified by Jakob Böhme as one of the fundamental 'source-spirits' or forces of nature.

7 books · 123 mentions

Apollo (Phoebus)

The Greco-Roman god of the sun, prophecy, and music, frequently invoked in Renaissance poetry and alchemical texts as a symbol of the solar principle or gold.

7 books · 121 mentions

Albedo (Whiteness)

7 books · 115 mentions

Augmentation

7 books · 114 mentions

Aleppo

A major Syrian city and trade hub that served as a vital link for the transmission of Eastern knowledge and manuscripts to Europe.

7 books · 111 mentions

Aetius

Refers to Aëtius of Amida, a 6th-century Byzantine Greek physician whose Tetrabiblon compiled the medical knowledge of antiquity. His work was a standard medical textbook during the Renaissance.

7 books · 110 mentions

Ariadne

7 books · 105 mentions