Fortress of Science

Friedrich Grick Friedrich Grick (active early 17th century) was a German writer and polemicist known for his works on Rosicrucianism, often writing under the pseudonym Athos Rhodostauroticus.

About the illustration:
The center of this page features a detailed, hand-colored alchemical emblem. It depicts a pelican in her piety, a traditional heraldic and alchemical image of a mother bird feeding her chicks with blood from her own breast. In the alchemical tradition, this represents the stage of "rubedo" or reddening, where the substance is nourished into its final, perfected state. The bird stands upon a cube—symbolizing the element of Earth or the physical foundation—marked with four red roses. This combination strongly suggests a Rose Cross (Rosicrucian) influence. The entire scene is enclosed within an Ouroboros, a serpent consuming its own tail, which represents the cyclical nature of the universe, the unity of matter, and the concept of "One is All." The phrase HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY encircles the image, identifying the manuscript as a study of the secret wisdom attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Hermeticism: A philosophical and esoteric tradition based on writings attributed to the mythical figure Hermes Trismegistus, focusing on the relationship between the human, the divine, and the natural world.