Mistrz Twardowski wśród egipskich mumii

• Authors: Leszek Zinkow

Title variants

EN

Master Twardowski Among Egyptian Mummies

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

“Pan Twardowski” is a half-legendary character of a Polish Renaissance alchemist, referred to in more than a dozen literary works. A man who sold his soul to the forces of evil in return for superhuman physical or mental abilities (and as a consequence – magical mastery of nature: Aarne-Thompson 756B) is also the theme of Goethe's "Faust". A little-known poet Aleksander Groza published an extensive work, "Twardowski", in 1873. It is a rather poor literary work, however, it does provide an excellent exemplification of multiple threads in the Orientalist discourse of the 19th century and many speculations revolving around it: “Egyptian” alchemy (and speculation relating to the achievements of that civilization), misconceptions surrounding the Egyptian eschatology (reincarnation, metempsychosis, etc.), the ethnogenesis of ancient Egyptians and their alleged relationships with India, theosophy or Gnosticism.

Keywords

EN

Twardowski; Ancient Egypt; Orient in Literature; Oriental Studies; Reception of Orient in Europe

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Orientalistyczne
• Journal: Przegląd Orientalistyczny
• Year: 2013
• Issue: 1-2(245-246)
• Pages: 3-18

Contributors

author

Leszek Zinkow

• Akademia Ignatianum