My Elements, Elementals, and etc.. Feedback and thoughts please.

[Hainted]

In my world there are 8 primary elements, which have an elemental avatar, and also represent a different part of the mortal being. I'm fairly happy with it, but I'm always open to feedback or differing perspectives.

1. Earth- Chenoo(North American Rock spirits)- Bone
2.Air-Sylph- Breath
3.Fire- Salamander-Flesh
4.Water-Voldyoni/Rusalka-Blood
5.Plant-Nymph-Emotion
6.Animal-Satyr-Instinct
7.Metal-Gremlin-Will
8.Void/Aethyr-Boggart-Thought

The Void in this instance isn't the gaping vacuum of nothingness, but the endless chaos that existed at the beginning of Creation, and still roils beneath the surface driving all the realities forward.

 

[Noma Galway]

I find it interesting that you have four elements of the individual (as I would have to put it, 5-8).
Having just come out of a philosophy class, I know of the three elements of the individual, put by Plato as the reason, the spirit, and the appetite (but by Freud as the superego, the ego, and the id, not necessarily respectively). I think you are raising an interesting point with emotion, which I would normally group under will (spirit). It isn't willpower or thought, and I guess the closest you could come under Plato would actually be appetite, but we don't like to think of our emotions as being our id. So we group it under will and leave it alone. I like it the way you have it.

 

[Erudite]

I'm not sure how well it'll mix, as I've not read the writing behind it. However, I like the combination theory, even if I'd change a couple of them around.

Cool thoughts.

 

[Hainted]

Erudite, don't be afraid to tell me what you'd switch around. I'm pretty thick skinned.

Noma Galway, I was actually inspired by the Chinese Elements. In most sources I've seen they include Metal, and Wood, but I wanted to expand out to 8. As far as the Self, I was trying to split them among 4 physical and 4 intangible so to me the spirit(or whatever you want to call it in your writings) was made up of Voluntary components(Will and Thought) and Involuntary(Emotion and Instinct). I haven't actually researched any Philosophy or Psychiatry, but might have to take a look.

 

[Noma Galway]

You should...I found them helpful for my own magic

 

[Erudite]

Well to start, I'm feeling like "Air" and "Breath" are kind of redundant in a very semantic way. I'm sure you've got your reasons for it though, so like I said - it's a matter of writing in this scenario.

Fire and Flesh - Water and Blood. I almost see the two reversed in this scenario. As the oceans turn, all is changed, so too do the scars of our body disappear over time. Fire - energy; energy is transmitted via the circulatory system. Again, just thoughts.

Carry on, great concepts, fairly unique.

 

[Queshire]

Personally I would have gone with gnome and undine for the avatars of earth and water considering they, along with salamander and slyph, were the original elemnetals described in real world alchemy. Also, I tend to equate nymph with water so I'd personally go with Dryad for plants instead of nymph.

 

[TrustMeImRudy]

I would have seen it more as:

1. Earth- Flesh - Many Cultures have humans arising out of dust or dirt, shaped by clay, etc.
2.Air-Breath - Makes sense, I agree as it seems rather intuitive.
3.Fire-Emotion - All of our emotions are based on passion or the loss thereof, which fire personifies.
4.Water-Blood - Makes sense, we're like a bag of water. Poke us, and the water comes out.
5.Plant -Will - Looking at trees specifically, they grow from a tiny seed or acorn into a great big tree, pushing out of their shell, through dirt and muck to reach for the sky. A tree weathers the elements and lives through wind, rain, and often fire.
6.Animal-Instinct - Again, seems obvious.
7.Metal -Bone - Bones of the earth, metals lie beneath the earth. Our bones are beneath our skin and flesh, which in this format would be earth.
8.Void -Thought - Looking at void as chaos instead of nothingness, makes sense again.

 

[Hainted]

Queshire- I was actually looking at using Gnomes as a race, and liked the idea of the Chenoo when I stumbled across them.The others were just something that felt right when I wrote it down. It's not a final idea yet so taking all posts into the process.