Hermes Trismegistus and the Royal Oak

Hermes Trismegistus and the Royal Oak

John Bjarne Grover

Here is a discussion of the ancient alchemical treatise called 'tabula smaragdina'. The discussion on this page is limited to some aspects of what is of interest for understanding the abuse of the historic material in the traditions of nazi politics - possibly even of today - and I do not enter into discussion of what the treatise itself seems to be about.

The alchemistic treatise 'Tabula Smaragdina' (allegedly written by Hermes Trismegistus) seems to be perhaps the innermost secret of some nazi mysteries. The nazis have adopted not only the kabbala but also the alchemy, probably in the same strategy of turning it all into orgies of violence for making political power of what is peaceful poetic logic. It contains the essential cue word 'adoption', at least in one version, which seems to be the key to much politics on the tension between genetic and custody parenthood. According to legend, it was a tablet found a few centuries after the deluge by Sara in Hebron. According to another version of the legend, it was found by Alexander the Great (cp. Beowulf and the story of the Geats) when he happened to come across the grave of the god Hermes and wrestled the tablet out of the hand of the mummified god. The Smaragdina has allegedly come to be the basis for all alchemy. If Trismegistus means 'three times bigger' it could be about the three redactions of the text - 1,2,3 Alexandrians. 1-2-3 Reichs. This again could be about the mystic conception of creation of the text which is about the constant creation of the world and hence it is about the constant creation of itself - quite simply the reading of what is written. (I recall Jarle Bruvig borrowing some money from me in the entrance room to Voldgaten 1). In and out of the realm of signals is a jewish-philosophical matter - here the text seems to be from the times of stoic philosophy in the first small centuries after Christ and could be temporally related to the cultural formation of the concept of the 'beast of the revelation' at the time of the expulsion from the holy land and the formation of the jewish diaspora. This is also likely to be the reason why the nazis could have taken interest in the mystic matter. The treatise seems originally to have been written in greek but only the latin translation exists. The key word for understanding the story of how this text came to attain importance for the nazi empire is apparently the 'adoption' which some mean could have been 'adaption' and variants. Could be even the prose text is about the character of prose as a different and an 'adapted' or 'adopted' matter compared with the natural poetry. Hence prose/poetry at the time of the formation of the jewish diaspora.

Here is the text of the mystic-esoteric 'tabula smaragdina' from probably an early century after Christ (source Latz 1869):

Verum est sine mendacio, certum et verissimum.

Quod est inferius est sicut id quod est superius. Et quod est superius, est, sicut id quod est inferius, ad perpetranda miracula rei unius. Et sicut res omnes fuerunt ab uno, meditatione unius: sic omnes res natae fuerunt ab hac una re adoptione.

Pater eius est Sol, mater eius est Luna. Portavit illud ventus in ventre suo; nutrix eius terra est. Pater omnis telesmi totius mundi est hic, virtus eius integra est, si versa fuerit in terram.

Separabis terram ab igne, subtile a spisso, suaviter magno cum ingenio.

Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum.

Sic habebis gloriam totius mundi. Ideo fugiet a te omnis obscuritas.

Haec est totius fortitudinis fortitudo fortis, quia vincet omnem rem subtilem, omnemque solidam penetrabit.

Sic mundus creatus est. Hinc erunt adaptationes mirabiles, quarum modus est hic.

Itaque vocatus sum Hermes trismegistus, habens tres partes philosophiae totius mundi.

Completum est quod dixi de operatione Solis.

And here is my tentative and hurried translation on basis of meagre skills and a dictionary, but somewhat supported by the translation in Latz (1869) - there are several web pages with the original text and translations - the reader is recommended to refine the translation:

It is without a lie, certain and very true.

What is below is like what is above. And what is above is like what is below, to the completion of the unique miracle. And just like everything was from one thing, from one single consideration/philosophy: thus everything was born from this single adopted thing (OR: from this single thing via adoption).

Its father is the Sun, its mother is the Moon. It carries the wind in its stomach, its nurse is the Earth. It is the father of every [telesmi? = 'completion'? 'web'?] in the world, its virtue is integer, if it is turned towards [into?] earth.

Distinguish earth from fire, the subtle from the dense, very pleasantly with the innate.

It rises from earth towards heaven, and again it descends towards earth and receives its power from the upper and the lower.

In this way you have the glory of the entire world. In this way flees from you every obscurity (difficulty).

Like this is the strength of the force of the strength (etc ?), which subdues every subtle thing and penetrates every solid one.

In this way the world is created. From here derive the miraculous adaptions, those whose measure (modus) is here (like this).

Therefore I am called Hermes Trismegistus, having three explanatory schemes for every part of the world.

It is completed what I should say about the working of the Sun.