<p>Hohenheim is named after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus" rel="noreferrer">Paracelsus</a>, a man whose name's last portion (at birth) was "von Hohenheim". Paracelsus practiced medicine, alchemy, and other sciences, much like Hohenheim.</p>

<p>In the vein of alchemy, Paracelsus also had a significant similarity to Hohenheim. He claimed to have made a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Alchemy" rel="noreferrer">homunculus</a> out of bodily fluids, as described in <em>De homunculis</em>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Let the semen of a man putrefy by itself in a sealed cucurbite with the highest putrefaction of the venter equinus [horse manure] for forty days, or until it begins at last to live, move, and be agitated, which can easily be seen…If now, after this, it be everyday nourished and fed cautiously and prudently with [an] arcanum of human blood…it becomes, thenceforth, a true and living infant, having all the members of a child that is born from a woman, but much smaller.<a href="http://www.madscientistblog.ca/mad-scientist-5-paracelsus-pt-2-paracelsus-homunculus/" rel="noreferrer"><sup>(1)</sup></a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Though Hohenheim himself did not make a homunculus, he did contribute the blood that created <em>the</em> Homunculus, Dwarf in the Flask.</p>

<p>There appears to be little beyond these similarities. Paracelsus's personality was polar opposite to Hohenheim's, being stubborn and arrogant to say the least. (This was bad enough to earn him anger and distaste from others in his field.) Paracelsus was never a slave, nor did he challenge a great villain, nor did he have kids.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/P5ucy.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/P5ucym.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/g1fDx.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/g1fDxm.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>While it's clear that Hohenheim's skills, name, and contributions to alchemy are closely linked with Paracelsus, it's safe to say that little more than that connects him to Hohenheim.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-09T02:27:38.313Z
2013-06-15T03:31:50.943Z
2013-06-15T03:31:50.943Z
Cattua
<p>Hohenheim in FMA is based on a real person also named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus">Hohenheim</a>. How similar are the character from anime and the real person, and how do they diverge?</p>

<fullmetal-alchemist-series>
How similar is Hohenheim (FMA) to the real Hohenheim?
# How similar is Hohenheim (FMA) to the real Hohenheim?
Posted by: username_0 on 2013-05-09
Hohenheim in FMA is based on a real person also named [Hohenheim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus). How similar are the character from anime and the real person, and how do they diverge?
**Tags:** fullmetal-alchemist-series
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2013-05-09. Score: 17 | Accepted answer
Hohenheim is named after [Paracelsus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracelsus), a man whose name's last portion (at birth) was "von Hohenheim". Paracelsus practiced medicine, alchemy, and other sciences, much like Hohenheim.

In the vein of alchemy, Paracelsus also had a significant similarity to Hohenheim. He claimed to have made a [homunculus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Alchemy) out of bodily fluids, as described in *De homunculis*:

> Let the semen of a man putrefy by itself in a sealed cucurbite with the highest putrefaction of the venter equinus [horse manure] for forty days, or until it begins at last to live, move, and be agitated, which can easily be seen…If now, after this, it be everyday nourished and fed cautiously and prudently with [an] arcanum of human blood…it becomes, thenceforth, a true and living infant, having all the members of a child that is born from a woman, but much smaller.[(1)](http://www.madscientistblog.ca/mad-scientist-5-paracelsus-pt-2-paracelsus-homunculus/)

Though Hohenheim himself did not make a homunculus, he did contribute the blood that created *the* Homunculus, Dwarf in the Flask.

There appears to be little beyond these similarities. Paracelsus's personality was polar opposite to Hohenheim's, being stubborn and arrogant to say the least. (This was bad enough to earn him anger and distaste from others in his field.) Paracelsus was never a slave, nor did he challenge a great villain, nor did he have kids.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/P5ucym.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/P5ucy.jpg) [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/g1fDxm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/g1fDx.png)

While it's clear that Hohenheim's skills, name, and contributions to alchemy are closely linked with Paracelsus, it's safe to say that little more than that connects him to Hohenheim.
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