Umkhuba we-alchemy ubuyela kumaxesha amandulo, kodwa igama ngokwalo livela kuphela ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane ye-17. Ivela kwi-kimya yesiArabhu kunye nebinzana langaphambili lasePersi elithi al-kimia, intsingiselo "ubugcisa bokuhambisa isinyithi"—ngamanye amazwi, ukutshintsha isinyithi esinye sibe kwenye.
Kwingcinga ye-alchemical, isinyithi yayizii-archetypes ezigqibeleleyo ezazimele iipropati ezisisiseko zayo yonke into. Kwakhona zaziluncedo—iingcali zealchemist zaziguqula isinyithi esisisiseko njengentsimbi okanye ilothe ibe yigolide, isilivere okanye ubhedu ngokuzixuba nezinye izinto zize zizifudumeze ngomlilo.
Iingcali ze-Alchemists zazikholelwa ukuba ezi nkqubo zityhila okuthile malunga nobume bezinto: Ilothe yayicingelwa ukuba yinguqulelo emfitshane yeSaturn; Intsimbi, uMars; Ubhedu, iVenus; kwaye nangokunjalo. Iphulo lokukhangela “i-elixir yobomi” lisaqhubeka nanamhlanje phakathi kweengcali zebhayoloji kunye neengcali zebhayoloji ezizama ukuqonda indlela iiseli kunye nezinto eziphilayo ezikhula ngayo.
Kwakukho i-alchemist ephakathi ogama linguParacelsus owayekholelwa ukuba kwakunokwenzeka ukudala "isilwanyana esinengqiqo", okanye umntu, owabiza ngokuba yiHomunculus. Ngokutsho kweParacelsus, "I-Homunculus inawo onke amalungu kunye neempawu zomntwana ozelwe ngumfazi, ngaphandle kwencinci kakhulu."
I-Alchemy yayisenziwa ziimpucuko ezininzi zeXesha laMandulo, ukusuka eTshayina ukuya eGrisi yaMandulo, ukufudukela eYiputa ngexesha lamaGrike. Kamva, phakathi kwinkulungwane ye-12, yabuyiselwa eYurophu ngeenguqulelo zesiLatini zemibhalo yesiArabhu.
Kukho iinjongo ezine eziphambili kwi-alchemy. Enye yazo yayiza kuba “kukuguqulwa” kweentsimbi ezingaphantsi ukuya kwigolide; omnye ukufumana “i-Elixir yoBomi obude”, iyeza eliza kunyanga zonke izifo, nokuba libi kakhulu (ukufa), kwaye linike ubomi obude kwabo balityileyo.
Zombini ezi njongo zinokufikelelwa ngokufumana iLitye leNtandalwazi, into engaqondakaliyo. Injongo yesithathu yayikukudala ubomi bomntu owenziweyo, i-homunculus.
Kukho abaphandi abachonga i-Elixir yoBomi obude njengento eveliswa ngumzimba womntu ngokwawo. Umthombo wale nto ingaziwayo ebizwa ngokuba yi "Adrenochrome" ngamadlala eadrenalin asuka kumzimba womntu ophilayo. Kukho izibhengezo kule nto ingaqondakaliyo nakwisithethe saseTai Chi Chuan.
U-Elizabeth Báthory, owaziwayo ngokubalwa kweGazi, yayilinenekazi laseHungary lenkulungwane ye-17 elabulala ngokucwangcisiweyo izicakakazi ezininzi eziselula (ezingama-600 ngokweengxelo zonke), kungekuphela nje ngokubangcungcuthekisa, kodwa ngokuthabatha igazi labo ukuze lityiwe kwaye lihlambe ukuze ligcine ubutsha balo.
Igama elithi homunculus livela kuqala kwimibhalo ye-alchemical ebizwa ngokuba yiParacelsus (1493 - 1541), ugqirha waseSwitzerland-German kunye nefilosofi, uguquko lwexesha lakhe. Emsebenzini wakhe "De natura rerum" (1537), inkcazo yendlela yakhe yokwenza i-homunculus, wabhala:
“Malibole ngokwalo amadlozi endoda kwicurbhite etywiniweyo ngokubola okuphezulu kwe venter equinus [umgquba wehashe] kangangeentsuku ezingamashumi amane, okanye lide liqalise ukuphila, lishukume, liphazamiseke, elinokubonwa ngokulula. ...Ukuba ngoku, emva koku, yondliwa yonke imihla kwaye yondliwa ngononophelo nangobulumko [nge-arcanum] yegazi lomntu...iba, ukususela ngoko, usana oluyinyani noluphilayo, olunamalungu onke omntwana ozelwe ngumfazi, kodwa incinci kakhulu. "
Kukho iintsalela zokubhalwa kwamaxesha aphakathi eziye zasinda ukuza kuthi ga ngoku eziqulathe izithako zokwenza i-homunculus, kwaye iyamangalisa.
Kukho ezinye iindlela zokwenza i-homunculus, kodwa akukho nanye edidayo okanye ekrwada njengale. Ukungena nzulu kwi-mysticism, ukubunjwa kwezi zilo kuya kuba yinto engaqhelekanga kunye ne-enigmatic, ukuya kuthi ga apho kuphela ngabaqalayo abakuqonda ngokwenene oko kuthethwayo.
Emva kwexesha leParacelsus, i-homunculus yaqhubeka ibonakala kwimibhalo ye-alchemical. UChristian Rosenkreutz "Umtshato Wemichiza" (1616), umzekelo, iqukumbela ngokudalwa kwendoda nebhinqa ifomu eyaziwa ngokuba iperi Homunculi.
Isicatshulwa esingokomfanekiso sicebisa umfundi ukuba eyona njongo iphambili ye-alchemy ayikho ichrysope, kodwa isizukulwana sokwenziwa kweefom zabantu.
Ngo-1775, u-Count Johann Ferdinand von Kufstein, kunye no-Abbé Geloni, umfundisi wase-Italiyane, kuthiwa udale i-homunculi elishumi ekwazi ukubona ikamva, apho u-von Kufstein egcinwe kwizikhongozelo zeglasi kwindawo yakhe yokulala yaseMasonic eVienna.
I-Homunculi ngabakhonzi abaluncedo kakhulu, abakwazi nje ubundlobongela obungokwenyama, kodwa kunye nobuchule obuninzi bomlingo.
Kwiimeko ezininzi, homunculi ngabakhonzi abathembekileyo kakhulu, nokuba ukubulala ngokomyalelo ukuba alchemist wayalela. Kodwa, kukho iintsomi ezininzi ze-alchemists abaphatha indalo yabo ngokungakhathali, ukuya kuthi ga apho i-homunculus ijika inkosi yayo ngexesha elifanelekileyo, ibabulale okanye izise intlekele enkulu ebomini babo.
Namhlanje, akukho mntu uyazi ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba kukho Homunculus. Abanye bakholelwa ukuba zadalwa ngunosiyazi okanye umkhafuli, ngelixa abanye besithi zaziyimveliso yovavanyo lwenzululwazi ephambeneyo aluhambanga kakuhle.
Kukho izinto ezininzi zokubonwa kweHomunculus kule minyaka, nakwimihla yanamhlanje. Abanye bathi bakhangeleka njengabantu abancinane, ngoxa abanye besithi bakhangeleka okwezilwanyana okanye amarhamncwa. Kuthiwa zikhawuleza kakhulu kwaye zikhawuleza, kwaye ziyakwazi ukunyuka iindonga kunye neesilingi ngokulula.
Kuthiwa i-Homunculus ikrelekrele kakhulu, kwaye iyakwazi ukunxibelelana nabantu. Kwakhona kuthiwa bakhohlakele kakhulu, kwaye bayakonwabela ukudlala amaqhinga ebantwini.
Ekupheleni kwebali, akukho ndlela yokwazi ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba i-Homunculus ikhona. Ubukho bayo buseyimfihlelo. Noko ke, ingcamango yokudala umntu ngobuqhetseba iye yabangela umdla kubantu kangangeenkulungwane, yaza yaphefumlela izazinzulu ezithile ukuba zizame ukwenza isidalwa esinjalo.
Ngoko ke, nokuba i-Homunculus ikhona ngokwenene, ingcamango ngokuqinisekileyo inomdla, kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo kunokwenzeka ukuba isidalwa esinjalo sinokuba khona kwindawo ethile ehlabathini; kwaye amabali kunye nokubonwa kwazo ukutyhubela iminyaka kunokuba yinyaniso emva koko.
