Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Philosophers' Stone
Tagged: Theme.
In Alchemy, a sought-after substance enabling Transmutation of base metals into gold – or, metaphorically, base Souls into enlightened ones. It features in the Pandora's Box chemistry sets of Diana Wynne Jones's The Ogre Downstairs (1974). Colin Wilson's The Philosopher's Stone (1969) uses the term in its metaphorical sense. [DRL]