The Hypnerotomachia relevance
Let’s resume the legend that wants Pietro Bembo gave Manutius the Roman silver denarius, which inspired him. We know that the dolphin around an anchor as Manutius’ printer brand appeared for the first time in 1502, in the so-called Poetae Christiani veteres. While the motto Festina Lente appeared early, for the first time in 1498 in the dedication of Agnolo Poliziano’s works.
The odd aspect is that Hypnerotomachia Poliphili’s woodcuts had somewhat anticipated the dolphin and anchor, despite having been printed in 1499 and not only printed but also personally edited by Manutius (with the help of his entire circle of erudite helpers and advisers).
Poliphilo’s adventures in the dreamland unfold in two separate narratives. From the beginning, we find two charts exemplifying what Hypnerotomachia is about symbolically. The first symbolic parade seems to correspond to alchemical works, and the second to more theurgic works.
Quite certainly, the author started with operational Alchemy, noting, in fact, the presence of the goose, an animal that traditionally represents Mercurius. The bovine suspended skull may be in analogy with the sacrifice or extraction of the Mercurius from the raw material. Hence, the casket with hints of a sprout would suggest the “spiritualization of the raw material” or exit of the Mercurius-goose out of the dark.
An anchor is discovered in the middle of the second line, while the dolphin concludes the series, not tied to the anchor but rather connected with a ribbon to another casket. More than likely the big box set matches the grand final. The ties of a symbolic ribbon meant the need for a master hand or one guided by superhuman spheres. Fixing mercurial agility is a skilled alchemist’s feat.
Moving on to the analysis of the second chart, we found the sacred contrivance formed by a dolphin and anchor, which concludes not only the parade ( started with what Homer calls Hades’ invisibility helmet because on the winter solstice the sun disappears) but probably the Great Opera’s whole process … although on a different stage. It is possible that we have passed Alchemy and we are already in a Theurgic field. The mercurial goose now serves as a lamp, the true lamp being the esoteric sun Apollo/Soul.
In this case, the symbol can truly be the volatile’s fixation, but in theurgic meaning. The motto reads: “Patience is ornament, custody, and protection of life”. It sounds like a small Genesis. If you notice, a motto not very distant in meaning from what Alciati would write much later in his Emblemata: “Princeps subditorum incolumitatem procurans”, the prince who ensures the safety of his subjects. Pretty analog. Hypnerotomachia’s official publication dates to 1499, Emblemata‘s first edition is dated 1531. It is unlikely that the last one took inspiration from the first one. Also, Francesco Colonna’s work had already been circulating for some decades, as can be seen from the date of the last draft.
The dolphin metaphor was known since ancient times, Francesco Inghirami talks about it in Monumenti etruschi o di etrusco nome, volume 1, 1821, when illustrating the emblem of one side of the urn in plate XL: “… The dolphin that is seen represented in the second of these sides, as in many other Etruscan cinerary urns, represents the journey that souls make after having abandoned the mortal remains.”
In Greek mythology, the playful fish is the primary vehicle of the manifestation of Apollo, the god of celestial light. As we have seen in a previous article, the light of Apollo is a light characteristically emitted by all bodies.
Apollo may represent the first part of the philosophical triad, and Hermes / Mercury the third part. The two deities, while often opposite, are also often represented working together. For example, Hermes / Mercury builds the instrument that Apollo will play, or both enter and leave the cave of Maia, but alternately.
According to Greek mythology, the dolphin is dear both to Apollo and Dionysus for its good attitude to rescuing men to safe shores, for this reason, it was taken as a symbol of the passage from life to life after death, and so it became a psychopomp fish. The skillful dancing ability of this fish makes his symbol so ubiquitous among the gods. and the importance was increased by the fact that many Olympian deities had chosen the sea as their natural environment. We must not forget that almost all Olympus possessed a marine attribute.
The anchor symbol was well known in the Aegean Sea in its quite obvious meaning of hook, however, Cypriot farmers still call the sickle used for pruning vineyards by the name. If one sticks to the broader meaning of attaching tools we can easily deduce a tie-up function, a fixed point, and a secure link between ocean waves. If instead, we interpret the anchor symbol in the function, probably much older, of a curved sickle for agricultural work, then we must adopt the meaning of “search for the north”. And in this sense we are certainly not short of symbolic possibilities: the souls of the deceased allegedly depart from a state of incarnation – located in the south – towards their celestial destination – the north. Place and magnet of ineffable light.
Manutius’s sons took over their father’s business and tasks and arranged a slightly different mark: their father’s dolphin and anchor device were framed. But is not this harmless decoration to be intriguing, it is instead the “fixation” of the anchor, which is held in the jaws of a lion. Another fixing symbol. In some paths, the Mercurius/Dolphin can be fixed when pushed to the higher part of the vessel. However, a lion is also a symbol of the Soul, perhaps the archetypal one.
From the alchemical point of view, the dolphin is an animal living in the sea, with fast, darting, and elusive behavior among the waves. All featuring our Mercurius (have you noticed how many geese – symbol of Mercurius – there are in the two Hypneromachia charts?). Which is very often represented as a huge sea, in the alchemical imaginary. The Mercurius we are referring to is that out of the preparatory works (2) devoted to this particular task, that’s to say to achieve an ineffable and volatile substance. Our diaphanous nymph, or water because of its flowing attitude, is characterized by volatility so remarkable to discourage vessel opening. The Mercurius/Dolphin, in this condition, is very challenging to be handled.
An anchor is a device to secure and settle a ship in a watery environment. It is a holding, attaching instrument. The dolphin, against all appearances, is not playing around with the anchor.
Our anchor is here arranging a stopping of the dolphin. In the same way, the Mercurius volatility must be stopped and fixed. The methods to hold our mercurial dolphin are very disparate. It all depends on the very raw matter and path. And, in every path, it is a “Secretum Artis”, a secret of the Art.
So, suppose the dolphin symbol represents Mercurius in its volatile state. In that case, the anchor stands for the final fixed result: the Mercurius Philosophorum, in some paths, also called Sulphur or male.
In conclusion, in operational Alchemy, the symbolism is quoted with differing opinions: the dolphin is entrusted with the part related called “Amplificatio”, or amplification; the anchor with the Volatile Fixation; the combination of the two with the zeal and slowness with which one should grind the philosophical subject. No one considers the lion’s mouth, though.
- See also Pompeii Mysteries Villa/ a Gentle Flowing with Mystica Vannus ;
- See also Archarion & the Opus Magnum Scheme ;
- See also Atalanta Fugiens and the Golden Apples ;
- See also Cabala Mineralis or the She Horse on Urine Work part 1 , Orthelius Commentary on Maria Prophitissa. Part 1 ;
- See also Basilius Valentinus & Salt, Azoth or Philosophers Gold? ;