Althotas (ca. eighteenth century C.E.)
Althotas (ca. eighteenth century C.E.)
The presumed "master" and companion of Cagliostro. Considerable doubt has been expressed regarding his existence. The French writer Louis Figuier, author of L'alchimie et les alchimistes (Paris, 1854), stated that Althotas was no imaginary character, that the Roman Inquisition collected many proofs of his existence, but none regarding his origin or end. "But," stated Figuier, "he was a magician and doctor as well, possessed divinatory abilities of a high order, was in possession of several Arabic manuscripts, and had great skill in chemistry."
The French writer on occultism Éliphas Lévi stated that the name Althotas is composed of the word "thot" with the syllables "al" and "as," which if read cabalistically are sala, meaning messenger or envoy; the name as a whole therefore signifies "Thot, the Messenger of the Egyptians."
Althotas has also been identified with Kolmer, the instructor of Adam Weishaupt (a German leader of the Illuminati ) in magic, and at other times with the Comte de Saint Germain. The accounts concerning him are certainly conflicting, for whereas Cagliostro stated at his trial in Paris that Althotas had been his lifelong preceptor, another account says that he met him first on the quay at Messina.