Stanton Shaw's Tattoos

[Boom115]

Credit/ https://www.youtube.com/user/mountainbikingrulz

Glitching Queen used computer magic to get a better look at the tattoos on Shaw's arms (visible in VoD, IX, and Black Out). When we saw these intially it was assumed these were just scribbles from some sort of formula he was working on as a master chemist*, but it seems there is just a bit more.

 

TEXT

PATER OMNIS TELESMI TOTIUS MUNDI EST HLC

"THE FATHER OF ALL PERFECTION IN THE WORLD IS HERE"

Aside from becoming my new motto. The origin of this phrase comes from the Emerald Tablet. It is a fabled to be a compact and cryptic text that contains the secret to prime meteria (first matter) and its transmutation. The tablet has also been associated with the creation of the philosopher's stone. 

The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (chrysopoeia, from the Greek χρυσός khrusos, "gold", and ποιεῖν poiēin, "to make") or silver. It is also called the elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and for achieving immortality; for many centuries, it was the most sought goal in alchemy. The philosopher's stone was the central symbol of the mystical terminology of alchemy, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss.

 

Formulas

Sulfur Mustard, , commonly known as mustard gas, is the prototypical substance of the sulfur-based family of cytotoxic and vesicant chemical warfare agents known as the sulfur mustards which have the ability to form large blisters on exposed skin and in the lungs.[2] They have a long history of use as a blister-agent in warfare and along with organoarsenic compounds are the most well-studied such agents. Related chemical compounds with similar chemical structure and similar properties form a class of compounds known collectively as sulfur mustards or mustard agents. Pure sulfur mustards are colorless, viscous liquids at room temperature. When used in impure form, such as warfare agents, they are usually yellow-brown and have an odor resembling mustard plants, garlic, or horseradish, hence the name. The common name of "mustard gas" is considered inaccurate because the sulfur mustard is not actually vaporized, but dispersed as a fine mist of liquid droplets. Sulfur mustard was originally assigned the name LOST, after the scientists Wilhelm Lommel and Wilhelm Steinkopf, who developed a method of large-scale production for the Imperial German Army in 1916.

 

Ethylene glycol, (IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an organic compound with the formula (CH2OH)2. It is mainly used for two purposes, as a raw material in the manufacture of polyester fibers and for antifreeze formulations. It is an odorless, colorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid. Ethylene glycol is highly toxic. Household pets are especially susceptible to ethylene glycol poisoning from vehicle antifreeze leaks. I couldn't find any historical significance to this compound.

 

Very interesting lore just on the character models. Looking forward to more to come!

 

*"If you have the cash, master chemist Stanton Shaw has whatever mystical brew you can think of. And he’s tried them all. Multiple times. So his grasp on reality is loose at best. Now that an old friend has gone missing under strange circumstances, his warped psyche may be the perfect asset."- Character Bio

[anonymous]

Great research, Boom! This stuff actually makes me look forward to the Chaos storyline, one of which I undeservedly thought would be not based on real events/organisations. So sulfur-mustard and ethylene glycol: Two stand-alone toxics or together chemical compounds of something else? If Shaw has it tattood on this arm, it must mean something important. Remember that around the time of the Titanic disaster, research to chemical warfare (including gas) was something new, revolutionairy and very...."popular". Shaw might had something to do with this as well. 

 

And that other symbol, any idea where that stands for? Looks like some kind of Knight Templar/Iron Cross with a Triangle in it.

[Boom115]

@anonymous 

In Euclidean geometry, squaring the circle was a long-standing mathematical puzzle that was proved impossible in the 19th century. The term also has been used as a symbol in alchemy, particularly in the 17th century, and it has a metaphorical meaning: attempting anything that seems impossible.

Mathematics and Geometry
According to mathematicians, "squaring the circle" means to construct for a given circle a square with the same area as the circle. The trick is to do so using only a compass and a straightedge. The devil is in the details:

First of all we are not saying that a square of equal area does not exist. If the circle has area A, then a square with side [square root of] A clearly has the same area. Secondly, we are not saying that [it] is impossible, since it is possible, but not under the restriction of using only a straightedge and compass.
Meaning in Alchemy
A symbol of a circle within a square within a triangle within a larger circle began to be used in the 17th century to represent alchemy and the philosopher's stone, which is the ultimate goal of alchemy. The philosopher's stone, which was sought for centuries, was an imaginary substance that alchemists believed would change any base metal into silver or gold.

There are illustrations that include a squaring the circle design, such as one in Michael Maier’s book "Atalanta Fugiens," first published in 1617. Here a man is using a compass to draw a circle around a circle within a square within a triangle. Within the smaller circle are a man and a woman, the two halves of our nature that are supposedly brought together through alchemy.

Philosophical Meaning
Philosophically and spiritually, to square the circle means to see equally in four directions—up, down, in, and out—and to be whole, complete, and free.

Circles often represent the spiritual because they are infinite—they have no end. The square is often a symbol of the material because of the number of physical things that come in fours, such as four seasons, four directions, and the four physical elements—earth, air, fire, and water, according to ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles—not to mention its solid appearance.

The union of man and woman in alchemy is a merging of spiritual and physical natures. The triangle is then a symbol of the resulting union of body, mind, and soul.

In the 17th century, squaring the circle had not yet been proved impossible. However, it was a puzzle no one had been known to solve. Alchemy was viewed very similarly: It was something few if any had ever fully completed. The study of alchemy was as much about the journey as the goal, as no one might ever actually forge a philosopher’s stone.

 

Metaphorical Meaning
The fact that no one was ever able to square the circle explains its use as a metaphor, meaning to attempt to complete a seemingly impossible task, such as finding world peace. It is different from the metaphor of attempting to fit a square peg into a round hole, which implies two things are inherently incompatible.

 

Source: Catherine Beyer