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Elementals

Whilst fairy-lore contains much relating to displaced aboriginal peoples it must be borne in mind that there are other theories of their origin. Some factors suggest that they are modified gods, others suggest a totemic origin.²³ But it must be remembered that all peoples of the world have beliefs in spirits which are neither men nor angels, good or bad. Such spirits are called elernentals, or nature spirits in theosophical literature, and again these are distin­guished from elementaries which are spooks or ghosts of human origin. The latter are said to be responsible for the belief in appari­tions, spectres, shades, wraiths, banshees, bogies and boggarts. They are the lares, manes and larvae of classical times.

The elementals on the other hand, which appear to correspond somewhat with the classical penates, were independent entities. They live a long time, they are not immortal, but may become so by cohabiting with a human being. They are not all either good or bad, but may be either, like men and women. Bad ones were called goblins, hobgoblins, urchins, imps and poltergeists, the latter name being particularly applied to those who throw furniture about.

There appear to be at least six classes of these beings:

(i) Gnomes, the spirits of earth; these were supposed to appear out of holes in the rocks; the miners of Cornwall and of Germany were afraid of or annoyed by them. In the latter country they were called trolls, kobolds or dwergers. The females were called gnomides. The gnomes were held responsible for roof-falls and explosions in mines. They are described as wearing brown or dark clothing and are ugly in appearance.

(ii) Undines, the spirits of water; they include the oceanides and nereides of the sea in classical mythology, the elle-folk of the Scandinavians, the females of which were called elte-women or elle-maids, the merrows (mermaids and mermen) of British fairy tale, the naiades of classical mythology who lived in fresh water, the nixies or necks of northern mythology and the kelpies who take the form of a horse. They are described as mostly of human shape above, but fish-like from the waist downward. Their hair is often green. The mermaid is often beautiful. Amongst them were sea-monks and sea-bishops. The former were distinguished by having a kind of cowl over the head, whilst the latter wore a mitre. It is thought that these have been suggested by particular kind of fish, whilst the mermaid herself is said to have been suggested by the dugong, a marine mammal, the females of which sometimes suckle their single young just above the water, holding it to the pectoral mammaries which occur in this species as in the human. The flippers are like arms, and the heads round like the human.

(iii) Sylphs, the spirits of air, these include the fairies proper or fays, probably also the less good-looking brownies, elves and pixies. In classical mythology we may place the oreades here, the nymphs of the mountains who attended on Diana. Female sylphs are called syiphids.

(iv) Salamanders, the spirits of fire; these include the acthnici which appear as globes of fire over the sea and on the masts and rigging of ships as St. Elmo’s fires, also the ignis fatuus, the Will o’ the Wisp or Jack o’ Lantern, a flame appearing over marshland.

(v) Dryads, spirits of vegetation; these include the dryades and hamadryades of classical times; each tree was supposed to be in­habited by one of these spirits, who died with the tree itself.

(vi) Fauns, spirits of animal life; these include the fauni, panes and sylvani of the Romans and the satyri of the Greeks, the spirits of the totemic animals of totemic systems; from them are drawn the familiars of the witch. The fauns or satyrs played an important part in classical magic.

These must not be confused with what we can consider as the highest class of spirits, viz:(vii) Gods and Goddesses, these although numerous were much fewer than the preceding; their images, sometimes with inscriptions, are sometimes found in Keltic parts, and they include those of Hu or Hesus, the great sky god, Keridwen, the Keltic Ceres, Grannos, patron of springs, Camulos, god of war, Lugh, god of light, Llyr and Manannan, sea-gods, Govannon or Goibniu, the craftsman, the Keltic Vulcan, Sul, patroness of hot springs, Brigit, goddess of the fire and hearth, the Keltic Vesta, Ogmios, the Keltic Hercules, and Cernunnos, the horned-god. The latter has been identified with the Christian devil, on the grounds that he was represented with cloven hoofs and horns.

Horns are, however, very common in mythological iconography. Moses, Bacchus and Alexander the Great are shown with horns. 

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