Necromancers are traditionally associated with morbid accoutrements. Skulls, bones and blood all figure into the popular conception of a necromantic "style." The reality is a bit different. There are certainly Perverse that wear Grim Reaper robes with bone accessories, but not even the great Lyras wore black. Necromancers have a diverse set of symbolism they use, and the Philosophers of the Knife double-down on that by bringing in a perverted image of spiritual alchemy to necromancy.

The following is but a few examples of signs and symbols that the Philosophers use:

Bounding:
Not one symbol but a modification of other symbols, drawing a circle around another image is seen as "negation" or "containment" of the symbolic meaning. Often used with the Thirteen Pointed Star, but also sees work in demonology.

Catalyst:
An arrow-line starting horizontal and curving gracefully to point upward. In material alchemy it denotes its namesake, while in the Philosophers' work it has a broader implication. Catalyst is the action that incites change, the actual raw stuff or act of the Great Work. In some contexts this is rendered as "transformation," while in others it could be read as the directive "act."

Chimeras:
While the existence of the chimera is mythical, the Philosophers use chimerical beasts as a symbol for Risen.

Coagulation:
Two diagonal lines converging at the bottom of a circle. Primarily used by Empaths and herbalists to refer to magic and herbs that have blood-staunching effects. Among the Philosophers it primarily refers to the Philosophers (the organization) themselves, sometimes specifically to the Triumphant (the idea).

Color Purple:
Depending on context, purple is seen as a color characterizing divinity/royalty, "the divine right to rule." It is also the color most often associated with Sorcery. Strangely, this is not limited to Philosophers: when Lyras appeared in the Provinces, she wore purple robes.

Crucible:
A stylized flame bounded by a square. Primarily used to refer to its namesake, though Philosophers use it broadly to refer to "purification." Has an archaic usage among some Warrior Mages to refer to the Fire Manipulation book.

Knife:
Iconic beyond measure, the knife is the prime tool of the necromantic arts. Basic meaning is, simply, "necromancy." The Philosophers of the Knife derive their name from it, literally "philosophers of necromancy." There is also a significant philosophical meaning behind the knife, which Kigot likened to the struggle for a Philosopher to chart the right action among the base evil of necromancy. Kigot is cited saying, "Between a Necromancer and a monster is the width of a knife."

Ouroboros:
A symbol of life and death, used by the Philosophers in a negative connotation: "the Cycle," the continuation of pain and suffering on Elanthia to feed the gods. Used in some contexts to refer to Life magic. The few Life magicians and priests that play with alchemical symbolism view it as a positive symbol, some going so far as to denote their own view of spiritual purification with it!

Palimpsest:
Like Bounding, this is a way of manipulating symbols rather than a symbol itself. A palimpsest is a series of multiple images stylistically written "over" each other, symbolically combining their meanings. The spiritual-alchemical operations of the Great Work tend to be written in palimpsest form.

Squaring the Circle:
A rather arcane symbol: a circle bounded by a square, bounded by a triangle, bounded by another circle. Outside of all other context, means, "doing the impossible." While the Great Work has many symbols associated with it, this is the primary symbol the Philosophers use to denote it.

The Sun:
The most venerated symbol of the Philosophers, far from their morbid origins, is the dawning Sun. The Sun represents divinity and the completion of the Great Work. It is the divine fire they hope to steal in order to fuel their living immortality (and bring back to humanity... theoretically).

Staked Serpent:
A writhing serpent with a stake through its head. Derived from the Ouroboros, it means "breaking the Cycle." It has a plethora of specific meanings: sometimes referring to the Alchemy of Flesh (the actual book), sometimes to Lichdom, and occasionally to the Great Work in a specifically militant, violent connotation. [OOC Note: For the people keeping score at home, this is a derivative of Flemel's Cross.]

-Armifer
"Perinthia's astronomers are faced with a difficult choice. Either they must admit that all their calculations were wrong ... or else they must reveal that the order of the gods is reflected exactly in the city of monsters." - Italo Calvino

It's featured in Full Metal Alchemist rather prominently, though I don't recall it ever being explained there.

The long story short is you can think of Flamel as the prototype Transcended -- he's a French scribe that gained a mythic reputation as a master alchemist who succeeded in the magnum opus, granting him and his wife immortality where they still live to this day.

Like a lot of things in the Western occult tradition, it's about 5% fact and 95% bunk. There was a dude named Flamel, but all the alchemical attributions from him appear to have been made centuries after his death.

In Jungian psychology (and Google Images) the symbol is often called the Crucified Serpent.

-Armifer
"Perinthia's astronomers are faced with a difficult choice. Either they must admit that all their calculations were wrong ... or else they must reveal that the order of the gods is reflected exactly in the city of monsters." - Italo Calvino

>>More similar in meaning to the Staff of Asclepius or the Cadeuseus?

From a quick Google search I did after reading to brush up on a few things: The Caduceus, Hermes' staff, symbolizes cooperation among otherwise not-so-cooperative parties, and given its bearer, is just as associated with commerce as with healing, while the Rod of Asclepius, while having a closer meaning, bears magical healing properties. The symbolism is very similar, but the intent appears to be different. Meanwhile, the staked serpent also has Biblical connotations (Numbers 21:6-9) of a healing property. Christianity has, additionally, historically used a similar symbolism to show the death of false gods. or of the Infernal. That appears to be a much more apt comparison to the intent here, though the meanings are slightly inverted.

Alchemy, and the symbolism it uses, is quite fun -- especially given its extrapolation by Jung as a symbolic spiritual transformation.

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"Nobody cares about the feasibility of Sidhlot's portrayal of evil. That's not the point. He's older than dragons and so metal he poops viking helmets." - Armifer

"That is so not how magic works." -Raesh

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu-proxy R'lyeh

I love Greek mythology.

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"Nobody cares about the feasibility of Sidhlot's portrayal of evil. That's not the point. He's older than dragons and so metal he poops viking helmets." - Armifer

"That is so not how magic works." -Raesh

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu-proxy R'lyeh

I knew I read of Squaring the Circle before...

https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Post:The_Unknown_-_5/9/2010_-_5:15:14


Elusive
mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur