Anna Zieglerin and the lion's blood : alchemy and end times in Reformation Germany / Tara Nummedal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nummedal, Tara E., author.

Series:

Haney Foundation series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zieglerin, Anna Maria, approximately 1545-1575.

Zieglerin, Anna Maria.

Alchemists--Germany--Biography.

Alchemists.

Alchemy--Germany--History--16th century.

Alchemy.

Alchemy--Religious aspects--Christianity--History--16th century.

Religion and science--Germany--History--16th century.

Religion and science.

History.

Alchemy--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Germany--History--1517-1648.

Germany.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

x, 288 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2019]

Summary:

"In 1573, the alchemist Anna Zieglerin gave her patron, the Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, the recipe for an extraordinary substance she called the lion's blood. She claimed that this golden oil could stimulate the growth of plants, create gemstones, transform lead into the coveted philosophers' stone - and would serve a critical role in preparing for the Last Days. Boldly envisioning herself as a Protestant Virgin Mary, Anna proposed that the lion's blood, paired with her own body, could even generate life, repopulating and redeeming the corrupt world in its final moments. In Anna Zieglerin and the Lion's Blood, Tara Nummedal reconstructs the extraordinary career and historical afterlife of alchemist, courtier, and prophet Anna Zieglerin. She situates Anna's story within the wider frameworks of Reformation Germany's religious, political, and military battles; the rising influence of alchemy; the role of apocalyptic eschatology; and the position of women within these contexts. Together with her husband, the jester Heinrich Schombach, and their companion and fellow alchemist Philipp Sommering, Anna promised her patrons at the court of Wolfenbüttel spiritual salvation and material profit. But her compelling vision brought with it another, darker possibility: rather than granting her patrons wealth or redemption, Anna's alchemical gifts might instead lead to war, disgrace, and destruction. By 1575, three years after Anna's arrival at court, her enemies had succeeded in turning her from holy alchemist into poisoner and sorceress, culminating in Anna's arrest, torture, and public execution. In her own life, Anna was a master of self-fashioning; in the centuries since her death, her story has been continually refashioned, making her a fitting emblem for each new age. Interweaving the history of science, gender, religion, and politics, Nummedal recounts how one resourceful woman's alchemical schemes touched some of the most consequential matters in Reformation Germany."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Shadow of Gotha p. 11

Chapter 2 The Road to Wolfenbüttel p. 34

Chapter 3 Courting Julius and Hedwig p. 55

Chapter 4 The Lion's Blood p. 79

Chapter 5 A New Virgin Mary p. 118

Chapter 6 Unraveling p. 138

Chapter 7 Toad Poison and Other Fictions p. 161.

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 The Shadow of Gotha

ch. 2 The Road to Wolfenbiittel

ch. 3 Courting Julius and Hedwig

ch. 4 The Lion's Blood

ch. 5 A New Virgin Mary

ch. 6 Unraveling

ch. 7 Toad Poison and Other Fictions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780812250893

0812250893

OCLC:

1047799738