The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Alchemy.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (left) & Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life (right).

Ray Harryhausen was one of cinema’s most beloved special-effects artists. A stop-motion animator who was influenced by the 1933 film King Kong, Harryhausen worked on sixteen feature films between 1949 and 1981. In his 1973 film, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, he incorporated alchemical themes within the framework of the Tales of the Arabian Nights. This essay will examine these themes and show how the two main characters, Sinbad and Koura, represent the true and false alchemists, respectively.

To understand the alchemical themes in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, it is necessary to outline Ray Harryhausen’s life and contributions to the science-fiction and fantasy genre. Ray Harryhausen was born in 1920 in Los Angeles to parents Fred and Martha Harryhausen. From an early age, Fred and Martha encouraged Ray to follow his dreams. In 1933, he saw the film King Kong at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which had a major impact on the course of his life. He began to experiment with stop-motion animation, developing tests for an unrealised project called Evolution. Eventually, Ray Harryhausen would go on to create the special effects for sixteen major films, from Mighty Joe Young to Clash of the Titans. After 1981, Harryhausen retired from filmmaking and lived in England until his death in 2013.

Due to the support from his parents, Ray Harryhausen had a wonderful imagination, which was expressed through his personality and creative endeavours. From an early age, Harryhausen was influenced by the illustrations of Gustave Doré and the special effects of Willis O’Brien in The Lost World and King Kong. In his autobiography, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, he wrote that “Fantasy is the very basis of my career, and movies allowed me to make reality of my dreams, breathing life into all the ideas that existed in my mind” (Harryhausen & Dalton, 2004, p.13). Indeed, many people who interviewed Ray noted his childlike sense of wonder and vivid imagination. In a 2002 interview, Ray said, “Most people feel it’s rather childish to have an imagination. I don’t agree with that. I think you should go through life and imagine the very best” (Strailey, 2002). This optimism is clearly expressed throughout all his films, which have influenced many of today’s filmmakers, including James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg.

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is the second film in Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad Trilogy, with the other two films being The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The film begins with Sinbad (John Philip Law) acquiring a golden amulet after a homunculus drops it onto his ship. After having a strange dream, Sinbad sails to the Sultanate of Marabia, where he learns from the Vizier (Douglas Wilmer) that an evil prince named Koura (Tom Baker) covets the throne and seeks to acquire all three golden amulets and gain absolute power. Having found the second golden amulet and a young woman named Margiana (Caroline Munro), Sinbad sets sail with the Vizier to Lemuria where he consults the Oracle of All Knowledge, who tells him that they must find the Fountain of Destiny, where the three golden amulets will grant the bearer three gifts: youth, a shield of darkness, and a crown of untold riches. After defeating a statue of the goddess Kali, Sinbad finds the third amulet, and at the Fountain of Destiny, he witnesses a battle between a centaur and a griffin before defeating Koura in a sword fight. Sinbad subsequently gives the crown of untold riches to the Vizier, which heals his burnt face and restores him to the throne of Marabia.

It is pertinent to give a short account of the early history of Islam to place the film into its proper context. Islam was founded by the Arabian prophet Muhammad in the seventh century CE [All dates in this essay are CE (Common Era) unless otherwise stated – BB]. Upon his death in 632, his followers, known as Muslims, expanded out from the Arabian Peninsula and wrested Palestine and Syria from the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Yarmuk in 636. This was followed by the conquest of Persia and Egypt in 642, before Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was murdered in 661 and the Umayyad Caliphate was established, which ruled until 751, when the Abbasid Caliphate replaced it. In 762, the capital of the Islamic world shifted from Damascus to Baghdad, which became a centre of learning, culture and prosperity. As stated by Jeremy Black, “The rapid spread of Islam was one of the most decisive developments of the medieval period” (Black, 2005, p.56). Indeed, during the twelfth century, Islamic mysticism encountered during the Crusades would influence southern France through the love songs of the Troubadours and the Gothic Cathedrals, which were encoded with alchemical symbolism.

Filled with a desire for knowledge, Muslim scholars translated ancient Greek and Coptic manuscripts that had been lost since the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in 391. Besides manuscripts on philosophy, mathematics, medicine and astronomy, alchemy was at the heart of Islam’s cultural revival. During Harun al-Rashid’s reign (786-809), Arabic folklore and Hermetic philosophy merged to produce a rich alchemical tradition. In the words of Francis Melville, “The famous caliph’s court in Baghdad represented the epitome of Arabian culture and romance. This is the Baghdad of the Arabian Nights – Aladdin, genies, magic, mystery, and intrigue” (Melville, 2002, p.25). It is also the setting for Sinbad, an Arabian sailor from Baghdad who conducted seven voyages into the Indian Ocean, where he encountered monsters, magic and other supernatural phenomena. Ray Harryhausen chose Sinbad to be the protagonist for several of his films because “he really personified true adventure and was still the best known of the Arabian Nights characters” (Harryhausen & Dalton, 2004, p.218). Indeed, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad would go on to become one of his most popular and successful films.

An Arabic proverb recurs throughout the film: “Trust in Allah but tie up your camel” (Hessler, 1973). Although primarily used as comic relief, this proverb originated in the ninth century and means that the path to destiny requires both personal effort and faith in the universe to provide for one’s wants and needs. This is demonstrated during the scene where Sinbad and his crew are trapped in the Temple on Lemuria, and Sinbad tells the Vizier that destiny lies in the individual’s own hands. According to Manly P. Hall, “All true Philosophers of the natural or Hermetic sciences begin their labors [sic] with a prayer to the Supreme Alchemist of the Universe, beseeching His assistance in the consummation of the Magnum Opus” (Hall, 2007, p.450). Through his belief in destiny and his own resourcefulness, Sinbad overcomes every obstacle that is placed in his path.

The lost continent of Lemuria is the destination for Sinbad and his crew in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. The word Lemuria was coined in 1864 by the zoologist Philip L. Schlater, who used it as a scientific theory to explain the widespread existence of lemur fossils in Madagascar and India. Although this theory was discredited by scientists in favour of continental drift, mystics like Helena P. Blavatsky and Aurelia Louise Jones incorporated Lemuria into their writings. While Blavatsky saw the Lemurians as the “Third Root Race” that preceded the Atlanteans, Jones claimed that she channelled Lemurian philosophy from the fifth dimension at Mount Shasta in California. Ray Harryhausen says in his autobiography that “The ancient lost continent of Lemuria was purportedly pre-Atlantean, and like Atlantis, the science of geology refuses to acknowledge its existence” (Harryhausen & Dalton, 2004, p.224). Indeed, despite having no scientific evidence for its existence, Lemuria has been incorporated into the mythology of the Tamil people of southern India, who refer to it as Kumari Kandam.

The people of Lemuria, known as the “Green Men”, worship the goddess Kali in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. In Hinduism, Kali is “the Great Mother of time and the symbol of all the wild and chaotic forces of nature, [and] is the goddess in whom all things are created, preserved, and destroyed” (Rose, 2002, p.184). She is the force that liberates us from our negative thoughts to perceive the beauty of our own luminous nature. Indeed, despite being seen as a patriarchal, monotheistic religion, Islam has its own goddess traditions. According to Manly P. Hall:

   “Green is the color [sic] of the Prophet and, being symbolic of verdure, is inevitably associated with the World Mother; and both the Islamic crescent and the scimitar may be interpreted to signify the crescent shape of either the moon or Venus” (Hall, 2007, p.595).

Hall also explains how the Stone of the Kaaba in Mecca was originally where the Arabs worshipped the god Al-Uzza and Venus, the goddess of love. Indeed, the path of the true alchemist is that of love over power, as seen when Sinbad chooses to follow Margiana over Koura.

Sinbad’s decision to rescue Margiana from the Centaur exemplifies an archetype that was popular during the Middle Ages: the liberation of the damsel. This archetype originated in Greek mythology with the story of Perseus and Andromeda, which Ray Harryhausen retold in his 1981 film Clash of the Titans. As explained by Juan Eduardo Cirlot, “As a symbol of the search for the anima and its liberation from the subjugation in which it is held by malign and inferior powers, it seems to be of mystical origin” (Cirlot, 2020, p.269). Like Perseus in Clash of the Titans, knights in the chivalric romances of the Middle Ages saw the liberation of the damsel as their essential mission. This process symbolises the masculine path of initiation within alchemy. As pointed out by Bernard Roger, “Winning the heart of the princess forms the sole desire of the hero…The princess that is the object of desire is the very image of love and beauty” (Roger, 2015, p.68-69). This was also expressed through the love songs of the Troubadours, who sang sonnets to the most beautiful woman in all the world.

At this point, it is relevant to explain how the love culture of southern France was influenced by Islamic mysticism. After the First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099, the Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded under Godfrey of Bouillon and a military order known as the Knights Templar was established in 1118 by the Order of Our Lady of Zion. According to Francis Melville, the Knights Templar had connections with Sufism, which derived its knowledge from alchemy, Hermeticism and Neoplatonism (Melville, 2002, p.56). Through this knowledge, the Knights Templar amassed vast wealth and returned to Europe, where they helped fund the building of the Gothic Cathedrals in France between 1143 and 1270. According to Jay Weidner and Vincent Bridges, “The cathedrals…were designed to facilitate the new spiritual change necessary as a prelude to the coming thousand years of peace and prosperity” (Weidner & Bridges, 2003, p.146). This building project was the outcome of plans set in motion by Pope Sylvester II in the eleventh century for the purpose of bringing on the chiliastic millennium of peace.

During the reign of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1137-1204), southern France experienced a revival of Gnostic and Alchemical ideas through the influence of the Cathars and Troubadours. The Cathars were a quasi-Gnostic sect that believed in the perfectibility of matter, while the Troubadours were musicians who composed songs about love and chivalry for the nobility at Eleanor’s court. As explained by Jay Weidner, “At the heart of this mystic reunion was a desire to reinvigorate Europe with the ancient alchemical knowledge of the path to liberation and enlightenment” (Rose, 2002, p.105). The link that bound Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court, the Knights Templar, and the Gothic Cathedrals was the veneration of the Virgin Mary, who was widely seen during the Middle Ages as a symbol of the Goddess. All these factors drew the wrath of the Catholic Church, which launched the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 to eradicate the Cathars and reestablish Catholic dominance in southern France. By 1244, the last Cathar stronghold at Montsegur had been destroyed, and the alchemical movement that had led to the Gothic renaissance went underground again.

Returning to the main theme of this essay, Sarah Elkhaldy defines false alchemy as “the misuse of alchemical principles in pursuit of material gain, while ignoring the deeper spiritual purpose of transformation” (Elkhaldy, 2025). This includes the use of ceremonial magic to summon evil spirits in pursuit of power in the physical world. Manly P. Hall defined ceremonial magic as “the ancient art of invoking and controlling spirits by a scientific application of certain formulae” (Hall, 2007, p.276). While not necessarily evil, according to Hall, ceremonial magic was hijacked in Atlantis and Egypt by sorcerers who sought to control humanity using initiatory knowledge taught in the Mysteries. Hall said that the most dangerous form of black magic is the abuse of occult power for personal gain, especially when invoking spirits on the lower planes. As Koura tells Achmed (Takis Emmanuel), “To summon the demons of darkness, there is a price. And each time I call upon them, it consumes part of me” (Hessler, 1973). Because of this, many sorcerers sought to find ways to prolong their lives to avoid the terrible fate that awaited them.

One of the most iconic creatures in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is the homunculus. Historically, a homunculus was an artificial creature created by an alchemist from mandrake root and human blood. According to Ray Harryhausen, “when the root is mixed with certain potions and the alchemist’s blood, a homunculus is formed, ready to do the alchemist’s bidding” (Harryhausen & Dalton, 2004, p.222). In the film, the homunculus serves as an extension of Koura’s eyes and ears, which allows him to spy on the Vizier and Sinbad during their first meeting and with the Oracle of All Knowledge. When Koura creates a second homunculus, he tells Achmed, “Magic purges the soul…The night with its ears…and the day with its eyes” (Hessler, 1973). In esoteric lore, the ears are considered feminine and receptive, while the eyes are considered masculine and active. In a sense, they can be associated with the Sun and the Moon: the celestial bodies that govern day and night, the conscious and unconscious minds.

One of the key symbols that drives the plot in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is the eye tattooed on Margiana’s right hand. In symbolism, the single eye carries different meanings across different cultural settings. Ray Harryhausen states in his autobiography, “The eye…is the window to the soul and therefore ideally suited to our tale of destiny” (Harryhausen & Dalton, 2004, p.228). Indeed, during his discussion with Hakim (Gregoire Aslan), Sinbad sees Margiana’s evil eye as a good omen that wards off evil spirits. D.R. McElroy points out that the single eye is “A mystical symbol of protection the world over” (McElroy, 2020, p.25) while Stephen King says it symbolises “inner vision, intuition, and the ability to see truth beyond the physical world” (King, 2025). In essence, it is the Third Eye described in Hinduism.

The other items that unite all the plot elements in the film are the three golden amulets, which, when placed in the Fountain of Destiny, grant the bearer three gifts: youth, a shield of darkness, and a crown of untold riches. Symbolically, these three gifts represent the three transformations given by the Philosopher’s Stone. In The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye, Jay Weidner and Vincent Bridges call these three transformations revelation, demonstration and transmutation, and state that they involve “an interior transformation, an exterior elemental transformation of matter, and a transformation of time itself” (Weidner & Bridges, 2003, p.118). When the alchemist achieves these three transformations, he attains immortality and redeems the world. In addition, the Fountain of Destiny represents “the feminine principle and the flow of life. The fountain of life is associated with immortality” (Bruce-Mitford, 2019, p.245). In a sense, the Fountain of Destiny symbolises the completion of the Great Work and the attainment of the Philosopher’s Stone.

When Sinbad consults the Oracle of All Knowledge on Lemuria, the Oracle tells him, “Destiny is a place where both good and evil wait, and yet their very quality negates their power. For it is the very deeds of weak and mortal men that may tip the scales one way or the other” (Hessler, 1973). Here, the Oracle refers to the Fountain of Destiny and the forces of good and evil represented by the griffin and the centaur. Symbolically, the centaur represents “the animal instinct combined with the man’s intellect” (Bruce-Mitford, 2019, p.77), while the griffin represents the divine power embodied in the human soul and spirit. As the thirteenth-century Sufi poet and mystic Rumi explained, “There are two sides to humans. One is our animal nature, consisting of our hopes and desires; the other is our essence, from where the nourishment of our spirit comes” (Mafi, 2021, p.21). The battle between the centaur and the griffin thus represents the internal struggle between humanity’s lower and higher natures. This is why the Oracle tells Sinbad, “And then the world shall know, and you shall know which way the fates have chosen you shall go” (Hessler, 1973). This is made clear by Sinbad’s decision at the end of the film.

At the end of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Margiana asks Sinbad why he gave up kingship and wealth after defeating Koura. Sinbad replies, “I value freedom. A king is never truly free. Why, he’s even told who he must marry” (Hessler, 1973). In essence, Sinbad chooses to follow his heart rather than be ensnared by the trappings of political power and wealth. This echoes the tale of the Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who ruled in the late third century BCE. Having ended the Warring States Period, the Qin emperor sought to acquire the elixir of immortality from Chinese alchemists. However, when his ministers found them, the alchemists told the ambassadors, “Only those who forgo worldly achievement can ascend to immortality without passing through death” (Rice, 2018, p.31). To the alchemist, turning lead into gold is simply a metaphor for turning the lead of base consciousness into the pure gold of enlightenment. By doing this, the initiate comes into total alignment and harmony with the divine powers that nourish and sustain the world. To quote Rumi, “To be thinking of your beloved is to be in a garden of roses where your soul perpetually bathes in bliss” (Mafi, 2021, p.47). This is the path of true alchemy.

Ray Harryhausen was one of Hollywood’s most influential stop-motion animators. Inspired by King Kong in 1933, he went on to make sixteen major films between the 1940s and 1980s. In The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, he incorporated alchemy into his storyline, which has its foundation in the Islamic tales of the Arabian Nights. Ultimately, his film is widely considered among his best and details the distinction between true and false alchemy as embodied in the characters of Sinbad and Koura.

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