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Water

This page is about the meaning, origin and characteristic of the symbol, emblem, seal, sign, logo or flag: Water.

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Alchemical symbol for water.

Water was one of many archai proposed by the Pre-socratics, most of whom tried to reduce all things to a single substance. However, Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495-c. 435 BC) selected four archai for his four roots: air, fire, water and earth. Empedocles roots became the four classical elements of Greek philosophy. Plato (427-347 BC) took over the four elements of Empedocles. In the Timaeus, his major cosmological dialogue, the Platonic solid associated with water is the icosahedron which is formed from twenty equilateral triangles. This makes water the element with the greatest number of sides, which Plato regarded as appropriate because water flows out of one's hand when picked up, as if it is made of tiny little balls.

Plato’s student Aristotle (384-322 BC) developed a different explanation for the elements based on pairs of qualities. The four elements were arranged concentrically around the center of the Universe to form the sublunary sphere. According to Aristotle, water is both cold and wet and occupies a place between air and earth among the elemental spheres.

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Graphical characteristics:
Symmetric, Closed shape, Monochrome, Contains straight lines, Has no crossing lines.

Category: Alchemical Symbols.

Water is part of the Basic Elements group.

More symbols in Basic Elements:

Western alchemy makes use of the Hellenic elements. Many philosophies and worldviews have a set of classical elements believed to reflect the simplest essential parts and principles of which anythin… read more »

More symbols in Alchemical Symbols:

Alchemical symbols, originally devised as part of alchemy, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly standardized, sty… read more »

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