Understanding Transmutation Circles (Alchemy Q&A)

[Roy Mustang [Riley Ledon]]

Perfect Polygons Polygraphs
Circle - Base Representing a Whole
Triangle - Air
Square - Earth
Pentagon - Fire
Pentagram - Gate
Hexagon - Water
Hexagram - Human Transmutation
Heptagon - High Energy Transmutation, Ether
Heptagram - Ether
Octagon - Life
Octagram - Soul

Other Shapes
Isosceles Triangle - Compression in Air, Alchemical Symbols Signify Elements
Hook - Symbol Representing Attachment
Wing - A leaving, release, or return of ethereal energy.
Dots - 1 - Endothermic, 2 - Exothermic, 3 - metal, 4 - pumice, 5 - sulfur, 6 - carbon, 7 - ethanol alcohol, 8 - blood
Arrow/Ray - Simple Direction
Spirals - Transmutation of exothermic energy endothermicly. In Example: Creation of Ice from liquid water.
Cross - Represents a Holy, or other worldly power. A power greater than man. Usually represented in transmutation using the human soul.
Words - A personal touch, an action of good faith
Snake - Represents evil
Parts outside of the main circle - Constant change, the circles effect will last forever.
Arcs - Connected - Unification, Apart - Seperation

Examination: Uncompleted connection to the gate, this is a one way transfer. 2 elements, these are arcane elements, body, and mind. Cross representing a higher power, in this case the gate. Wings representing a return of energy. 2 Rays pointing away from a central point, toward the sides of both body and mind. Hook represented by a snake, give both attachment and evil.

Final Effect - A being is split both mentally and physically, to return to the gate. After the return the connection to the gate is broken forever, and I higher power will do something. They will be attached to the higher power forever.

From left to right.
Compression in Air
Growth
Salt
Spiting of a Compound
Saltpeter
Giving of Breath, and Compression of Air
Soul
Unification of Unknown Parts - "Repair of Devices"
An end of
Binding of a Soul
Giving back of the energy of the first breath of life, for another to return forever.
Basic air transmutation
Elimination of Water in Air or Air to a new Soul <---- Bad
Earth to Metal transmutation
---- Complex Arcana ----
The end of growth, meant for plants

Square in circle meaning solid wall. 1 Dot meaning Ice. Line, meaning to split, in 4 directions through the square, through the ice. Spiral to retain temperature surrounding wall for its repair.

Human Transmutation Circle
... etc you get it right?

[Father [Azerik]]

Very good, but your information is a bit off, particularly in the the first bit about your shapes. The elements of Air, Earth, Fire and Water, can all be symbolized using variously positioned Triangles, or indeed, you could use a single triangle, to symbolize all of them at once, in a Universal Array. Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, Heptagons, and Octagons, are used for increasingly complex Alchemy, and while the way you have them categorized gives you a good idea of the complexity of what they are used for, they are not necessarily used only to symbolize those things.

For example, a Hexagon, is just as good for Human Transmutation as a Hexagram, the importance lies in the amount of vertexes, which symbolize various aspects of Alchemy, and the more of these aspects you include in your transmutation circle, the more complex and effective transmutations you can perform. The use of an Octagon or Octagram would be the what you would use, if you wanted to perform, a truly effective Human Transmutation, that would not result in a Homunculus like in the 2003 anime.

One other innaccuracy in your explanation, is in the "Other Shapes" section. In there you say that shapes outside the circle represent everlasting effects, and this is not correct, at all. If part of the shape extends outside the circle, it simply means that the Alchemy being performed, is in fact taking place outside the confines of the Array. The FMA series takes a lot of liberties with this though, and in the show, parts of shapes inside the Array often extend outside the basic circle just for the point of making the circle look good.