Elemental spirit

The elemental spiritsShaman (also referred to as the elements)Unbroken are the volatile elemental energiesUltimate Visual Guide, pg. 176 of the planet. They can attain raw physical form and become elementals.Chris Metzen on Twitter (2013-12-19) - "Hi. Could you clarify the difference between Elementals and elemental Spirits? Same thing or..?" - "when spirits attain raw physical form they become an elemental. They are the core of an elemental." Every world has its own elements, its own powers to call upon.
The elemental spirits are primitive and chaotic beings of fire, earth, air, or water. They were some of the first sentient creatures to inhabit the nascent worlds of the waking universe. The elemental spirits appear in an almost infinite variety of shapes and sizes. Each of these creatures has a distinct personality and temperament, traits that are heavily influenced by a spirit's elemental nature. The presence of the fifth element—Spirit—also affects the disposition of these elemental beings. A world with an overabundance of Spirit may give rise to native elementals who are passive and lack physicality. Conversely, a world with too little Spirit may birth elementals who are highly aggressive and incredibly destructive.
Shamanism and a few other professions are about communing with these elements.
==Background==
The elements of fire, air, earth, and water serve as the basic building blocks of all matter in the physical universe. Shamanic cultures have long sought to live in harmony with, or assert dominion over, the elements. To do so, they called upon the primordial forces of Spirit and Decay. Those who seek to bring balance to the elements rely on Spirit (sometimes referred to as the fifth element by shaman, or chi by pandaren). This life-giving force interconnects and binds all things in existence as one. Decay is the tool of shaman seeking to subjugate and weaponize the elements themselves.
===Elemental duality===
Elements can influence a variety of emotionally positive and negative states:
*Fire influences passion and fury
*Air influences cunning and madness
*Earth influences stability and stubbornness
*Water influences tranquility and indecisiveness
*Spirit influences bravery and naiveté
*Decay influences efficiency and ruthlessness
===On Azeroth===
As Azeroth formed elemental spirits roamed the surface. As time went by these spirits became more erratic and destructive. The burgeoning world-soul was so vast that it consumed much of the fifth element, Spirit. Without this primordial force to create balance, Azeroth's elemental spirits descended into chaos. With the rise of the Black Empire the Elemental Lords were enslaved as the Old Gods lieutenants. After the war between the titans and the Old Gods the keepers imprisoned elementals in the Elemental Plane.Blizzcon 2015 - WoW Lore Interview with Dave Kosak
On Azeroth, each element is associated with one of the four cardinal points,Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, chapter 21 to which they are strongly linked:
*The North is the realm of Earth
*The South is the realm of Fire
*The East is the realm of Air
*The West is the realm of Water
====Wildlife evolution====
Creatures had emerged from Azeroth's elemental past of their own free will. When the keepers had sealed off the Elemental Plane, some stragglers had escaped banishment. The fury of these spirits had ebbed over time, and they had become creatures of flesh and blood. It was from these former elementals that some forms of wildlife, such as proto-dragons, came to be.
The Dragon Isles are a lush and primal place bursting with primal elemental energies and the life energies of Azeroth.Dracthyr (Alliance) on the Official Website - "Surging with elemental magic and the life energies of Azeroth, the Dragon Isles are awakening once more [...]"
===On Draenor===
When Aggramar came across Draenor in his travels, he was intrigued by the world but foresaw doom for the planet if the Evergrowth was allowed to grow unchecked, as it would eventually consume everything on the world, including the elemental spirits. Once that happened, the Evergrowth would devour itself, and Draenor would be left a wasteland devoid of life. Aggramar's natural affinity for order compelled him to take action, but he did not wish to completely destroy Draenor's plant life, only to temper it. Thus, he would need to neutralize the Sporemounds, the heart of the Evergrowth's power and he did that by creating Grond.
==Types of spirit==
*Spirit of EarthLord of the Clans, pg. 176
*Spirit of AirLord of the Clans, pg. 177 or Spirit of Wind
*Spirit of FireLord of the Clans, pg. 161
*Spirit of WaterLord of the Clans, pg. 182
*Spirit of LifeShaman, pg. 41 or Spirit of the WildsLord of the Clans, pg. 178
*Spirit of LightingShaman, chapter 5, pg. 166
*During a vision granted by Outland's Water, Nobundo detected Life, which he interpreted as an element composed of unspeakable energy, which binds the worlds together.Micky Neilson on Twitter: "Life is what he senses on myriad other worlds. The unspeakable energy is what binds all worlds together."
*Cloudsong said to the Spirit of Life: "Welcome, Spirit of Life. You are in our breath with air, our blood with fire, our bones with earth, our tears with water. We know that death is merely a shadow of life."War Crimes, chapter 3, pg.56
==Mythology==
In the tauren mythology, the elements befriended An'she and Mu'sha, the children on the Earth Mother.
==In the RPG==
Elemental spirits are the source of shamans, geomancers, trancendents, and pandaren brewmasters powers and the origin of much of their knowledge. The spirits of the elements are the shaman's to command.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 94
Elemental spirits are by nature chaotic and destructive, but also capable of reasoning and clever actions. The Earthen Ring was actually formed to keep the elemental spirits in check. They work to prevent the elemental forces from wreaking havoc on Azeroth,Dark Factions, pg. 148 otherwise, the world would be in danger. The group works hard to keep the elementals pacified, by talking to and dealing with them, thus ensuring they do not cause trouble in the world. Its main goal is to maintain the balance between the world and the elementals that dwell upon it. In this manner, the Earthen Ring prevents elementals from engaging in the chaotic destruction that would otherwise ensue.Dark Factions, pg. 149 The Twilight's Hammer venerate the Old Gods and study the elemental spirits under them.Dark Factions, pg. 165 They work to anger the elementals and embolden them. The Earthen Ring believes they are not only unwise but also a great threat to Azeroth and their most dire enemy. Anyone who seeks to maintain the fragile balance of nature by keeping the elemental forces in check an ally. 
Orcs and tauren take a more symbolic approach to spirits. The spirits they encounter on the wild plains of Kalimdor are less specific, cover a wider range, and are more likely to be spirits of earth and fire than the essences of trees or animals.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 126 Orcs and tauren believe that plant-spirits, nature-spirits, and earth-spirits exist and that everyone must treat these spirits with respect. One who denies the reality of nature spirits severs her connection with the earth.Horde Player's Guide, pg. 91
===Orc culture===
Orcs have a less organized philosophy than Tauren; they see all spirits as individuals connected in a greater whole, like members of a great clan. The shamans of the orcs find their power in the spirits of nature, forming an intimate connection with the very world that surrounds them. This awareness has led to even more revelations of their race's true nature, as the orcs realize that they live more in harmony with the world itself than many of the races of the Alliance who would claim otherwise.World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 46 The earth and elemental spirits desire to aid and protect those who speak to them. Orc shamans have the power of nature in their fists, and earth, wind, and fire come to their call.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 155
===Tauren culture===
Tauren live in careful balance with their environment. They worship the spirits and elements of the plains on which they live.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 52 Instead of negotiating with individual spirits, tauren carve representative imagery on their totems and draw power from acting in a particular spirit's name.
Tauren revere a spirit they call the Earth Mother.Horde Player's Guide, pg. 35Horde Player's Guide, pg. 92 The Earth Mother is the tauren ideal of all the spirits of nature. The Earth Mother lives in the rivers, trees, plains, and mountains of Azeroth. She is the embodiment of nature. All lesser nature spirits come from the Earth Mother and return to her upon death. While individual spirits represent a particular location, animal or object, such as the spirit of a single tree, or the spirit of a valley, the Earth Mother represents the land. River-spirits, sea-spirits, tree-spirits, rock-spirits and animal spirits all reflect one facet of the Earth Mother. She is everywhere life and nature are. The only spirits separate from the Earth Mother are the spirits of sentient creatures. When a tauren says life is sacred, he's talking about a kind of spiritual energy that permeates the natural world. The Earth Mother represents that big spirit, and little spirits all inhabit rocks, trees and the like. That's why the tauren don't like mining and deforestation; it disrupts all those spirits and disrupts the Earth Mother.Horde Player's Guide, pg. 148
===Pandaren culture===
Pandaren veil their beliefs in the trappings of a mystical and ancient method called geomancy. Geomancy is shamanistic.Manual of Monsters, pg. 79 Geomancy teaches that the land is a reflection of the spirits, but that spirits are also a reflection of the land.Dark Factions, pg. 16 The fierce powers of the elemental spirits are for the transcendents and brewmasters to gain and command. They learn to channel the power of elemental spirits.Dark Factions, pg. 56Dark Factions, pg. 71 Tales say that spirits and energies are at work in the cosmos — spirits and energy that define the essence of reality, and from these vital sources all things are formed. This is one of the central philosophies of pandaren geomancy, and no one is more intimate with these energies than the pandaren transcendent.Dark Factions, pg. 69
When the pandaren transcendent uses one of these abilities, her appearance changes to match the spirit she channels. For example, when she uses channel earth, her clothing becomes brown and she moves with slow and stately grace; when she uses channel wind, her clothing turns light blue and her movements are swift and airy. Many other possibilities exist. Upon attaining the power of the transcendent body, the pandaren transcendent finally learns to master the elemental spirits and energies under her control. Transcendents swear no loyalty other than to serve the pandaren and the spirits of their people.
*Spirit of wisdom: The spirit of the universe. Pandaren revere transcendents as embodiments of wisdom made flesh, residing in the shell of a pandaren host.
*Spirit of earth: The power of earth is that of resilience and malleability. A transcendent channels the spirit of earth to become an invulnerable juggernaut against all but the most potent weapons.
*Spirit of metal: The power of metal is also resilient and malleable like the spirit of earth. A brewmaster channels the spirit of metal to become invulnerable against most weapons.Dark Factions, pg. 57
*Spirit of fire: By summoning the spirit of fire to her breast, the pandaren is wreathed in flame.
*Spirit of thunder: By calling on the spirit of thunder the pandaren gains uncanny reflexes and can charge the air around her with voltaic energy.Dark Factions, pg. 72
*Spirit of water: The healing properties of water are well known to the pandaren, for this is the spirit of regeneration and well-being.
*Spirit of wind: Elevating her speed to an uncanny level, the pandaren wreathes herself in a vortex of living air.
===Quilboar culture===
Quilboar thornweavers call upon vengeful spirits of nature, eschewing the peaceful spirits and the gentle side of the Earth Mother that most tauren revere.Dark Factions, pg. 35
===RPG notes===
*A shaman can learn to capture an elemental spirit within a weapon he wields. A shaman can imbue a weapon with either flames or frost.World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 72
*Like the shamans of the Horde, hunters call upon the spirits of the land, wind, and fire to aid them in their hunts and tasks.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 82
*With an imperious blow of a tauren totem, one can command the spirits of air and earth to batter his opponents.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 115
*A mighty blow to the ground from a tauren totem frightens the spirits of the earth, causing them to shake the ground in their haste to escape.Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 112
*Ancient tauren shaman learned the secret of channeling nature spirits into creatures to boost their abilities or grant them temporary physical changes.Horde Player's Guide, pg. 98
*The tauren have tales of legendary kodo beasts, gifted by the spirits of the sky and bound to the power of the storm. These legendary beasts are known as lightning lizards or thunder lizards.Horde Player's Guide, pg. 219
*Tauren claim the existence of salamanders is further proof of spirits of the elements on earth, representing the burning fury of fire.
*Storm spirits, elemental spirits found in the Elemental Plane, and Lightning Guardians can be summoned by shamans.World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 315
==Notes==
*In Lord of the Clans and Whispers, the Spirit of Fire was invoked to call down lightning.Lord of the Clans, chapter 13Whispers, pg. 15-16. In Shaman, lighting had its own spirits that lended aid. In the comic Bloodsworn, Shagara called lightning through air spirits.Bloodsworn, 23. Micky Neilson's unofficial opinion was that lightning is fire and air together. "Maybe fire and air together - just my opinion though, not official."
*The Zandalari made sacrifices to the elemental spirit Farastu until he was slain.Patch 5.3 - Blood In The Snow Scenario
*The Earthen Ring on Outland tries to eliminate, or pacify, the agitated or corrupted elemental spirits.Actions at the Throne of the Elements
*Mages have the ability to give elemental spirits a raw physical form.Warcraft: Orcs & Humans manual, Azeroth Army of the First War, Conjurer SpellsWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos Game Manual#ArchmageJaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, chapter 25
*Revenants are bonded to base elemental spirits.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Game Manual#RevenantsThe Druids Arise (WC3 NightElf)
==References==
 
Category:Eternals
Category:Lore