elementalism
Controlling natural forces
Elementalism is the belief that natural phenomena can be explained through basic elements—traditionally earth, water, fire, and air.
In fantasy fiction and games, it refers to magic that controls these classical elements: The wizard specialized in elementalism, conjuring flames and ice at will.
The term sometimes describes philosophical systems that reduce complex realities to fundamental components.
Soil or electrical grounding
- waterClear essential liquid
- airGaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- fireCombustion with flames
- aetherHypothetical light-wave medium
quintessence · Aristotle · humors · temperaments · hot · cold · wet · dry
Calling forth deliberately
- conjurationMagical act of summoning
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
- undineFemale water spirit
- sylphGraceful, slender woman
gnome · evocation · incantation · mana · arcane · sorcery · enchantment · wizardry
Complete change of form
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- hermeticismAirtight, impervious condition
- alembicDistillation apparatus
- crucibleVessel for extreme heat
calcination · dissolution · coagulation · sublimation · tincture · mercury · sulfur · salt
Supernatural beings in landscapes
Fundamental in nature
- primaryChief in importance
- irreducibleCannot be simplified further
- foundationalServing as a base
- atomicOf elemental particles
substrate · essential · core · principle · constituent · root · underlying · reduction
earth
Soil or electrical grounding
aether · quintessence · Aristotle · humors · temperaments · hot · cold · wet · dry · natural philosophy
summoning
Calling forth deliberately
- conjurationMagical act of summoning
- salamanderTailed, moist-skinned amphibian
- undineFemale water spirit
sylph · gnome · evocation · incantation · mana · arcane · sorcery · enchantment · wizardry · binding
transmutation
Complete change of form
- philosopher's stoneLegendary substance enabling transmutation
- hermeticismAirtight, impervious condition
- alembicDistillation apparatus
crucible · calcination · dissolution · coagulation · sublimation · tincture · mercury · sulfur · salt · magnum opus
nature spirits
Supernatural beings in landscapes
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- paganismNon-monotheistic religious practice
- shamanismMediation between worlds
totemism · earth-centered · ancestral spirits · indigenous traditions
basic
Fundamental in nature
- primaryChief in importance
- irreducibleCannot be simplified further
- foundationalServing as a base
atomic · substrate · essential · core · principle · constituent · root · underlying · reduction · primitive
elementalismmentalism
Doctrine of primacy of thought
necromancy · psionics · telepathy · arcane magic · blood magic