noun
1
a : the first matter of the philosophers’ stone composed of salt, sulfur, and mercury
b : gripe’s egg
2
: a medicine made of saffron and the yolk of an egg and once considered a cure for plague and poison
Considered to be a form of the Philosopher’s Stone.
(The). A preservative against poison, and a cure for the plague; a panacea. The shell of a new egg being pricked, the white is blown out, and the place filed with saffron or a yolk of an egg mixed with saffron.
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
When today we speak of something being hermetically sealed, we use the name of Hermes Trismegistos, who in a special process cemented and rendered airtight by sealing with clay the Philosopher’s Egg, the vessel in which the transformation of gold was said to take place.
In Ancient Egyptian theology, divine triads were used to express the divine family-unit, usually composed out of Pharaoh (the son) and a divine couple (father & mother), legitimizing his rule as divine king. Pharaoh Akhenaten had introduced a monotheistic triad (exclusive and against all other deities) : Aten, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In Heliopolis, the original triad was Atum, Shu and Tefnut, in Memphis, Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem emerged, whereas Thebes worshipped Amun, Mut and Khonsu. The trinity naturally developed into three or one Ennead.
