An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present - Doreen Valiente 2018

Elements, Spirits of the

Occultists of olden time regarded the spirits of Nature as being divided into four groups, according to the Four Elements of Life. The spirits of earth were called gnomes; those of water were called undines; the unseen inhabitants of air were named sylphs; and the spirits of fire were known as salamanders.

These names are traditional; however, ’gnome’ seems to be derived from the Greek gnoma, meaning ’knowledge’. So the gnomes are ’the knowing ones’. ’Undine’ is from the Latin unda, a wave; they are ’the creatures of the waves’, the nymphs of the waters. ’Sylph’ is from the Greek silphe, a butterfly; they are depicted as beautiful, delicate forms with butterfly wings.

The word ’salamander’ is less certain in origin; but it may be connected with the Greek word salambe, a fireplace. The salamander was visualised as being like a lizard or small dragon; and there is a kind of lizard called by naturalists a salamander, perhaps after this old belief. However, the salamander of the old occultists was a spirit which dwelt in fire. The old Christmas game of ’Snapdragon’, played by snatching raisins from a dish of burning brandy, may take its name from this old idea of the fire-elemental as a dragonlike creature, or ’fire-drake’.

Benvenuto Cellini, in his memoirs (The Life of Benvenuto Cellini, Written by Himself) claimed to have seen one when he was a little boy. (He lived between 1500 and 1571.) It was a very cold day, he tells us, and a big fire of oak logs was burning in the room. His father was sitting by the fire, amusing himself by playing a viol and singing. “Happening to look into the fire, he espied in the middle of the most burning flames a little creature like a lizard, which was sporting in the core of the intensest coals.” Benvenuto’s father promptly called him and his sister to see this strange sight, and gave young Benvenuto a good box on the ear to make him remember it, on account of the great rarity of such a thing being seen. (Though Cellini grew up to have even stranger occult experiences, if we are to believe all the stories he tells in his colourful memoirs.)

Friendly elementals are believed by many occultists and witches to assist them in their magical work. The sign of the pentagram or five-pointed star, is potent to control elementals. It should have one point above, when used for this purpose; because then it represents Spirit ruling over the kingdoms of the Elements.

Some magical practitioners regard the Four Elements as being literally kingdoms. They give the names of the elemental kings as: Paralda, the King of the Sylphs; Niksa, the King of the Undines; Djin, the King of the Salamanders; and Ghob, the King of the Gnomes. (The latter may be the origin of the word ’goblins’ for small, tricksy spirits.) (See FAMILIARS.)