Aether

The **aether** (**æther**) is an energy residing in the Blind Eternities, although it is present in some planes to a lesser or greater degree.

## Description

A law of reality asserts that its fundamental elements, like mana and aether — cannot be created or destroyed.

The aether takes part in summoning creatures. When they materialize, they *are pulled from* the aether. Raw aetheric matter is referred to as the very stuff of the cosmos.

Aethermages are usually white and blue mages who use aether magic, which tends to be involved with unsummoning creatures. On Theros, the aether is of particular interest to Meletian scholars. Some of them believe that the aether is the realm of abstract entities, such as numbers, concepts, and theories.

Aether is also a main component of etherium. Additionally it is found on Iquatana, where it makes up most of the plane's atmosphere, and on Kaladesh, where Aether shapes the natural world into swirling patterns and is harvested and refined in order to fuel the various constructs and inventions of its artificers. Aetherborn are created from this process. The wildlife of Kaladesh is affected too, attracted by the magnetic pull of aether. Flocks of birds migrate with it, schools of fish swarm around it, wild beasts battle over the richest deposits, and gremlins consume condensed, nonreactive aether geodes. Creatures such as skywhales, drakes, and high-flying birds have evolved to live in the volatile, energy-rich aethersphere itself, spending their lives basking in its radiance and amassing its magical power.

A planeswalker's spark can be considered to be a little bit of aether which is imprinted on a soul as it becomes embodied in a being.

### Notes

Although Wizards of the Coast used the ligature Æ — the A and E combined into one letter — since the beginning of the game, this was changed starting *Kaladesh* and *Aether Revolt*, which featured the stuff heavily. According to Blake Rasmussen, it caused way more issues than it was worth (particularly in translation). The change is retroactive, and was referenced in a flavor text erratum on the *Unhinged* card Bloodletter.

Aether is pronounced “EE-ther,” with a long e and an unvoiced “th” sound (like the one in “lethal,” not the voiced sound in “whether”).

## In-game references

Represented in:

* The Aetherborn
* Chaotic Aether
* The Aether Flues

Associated cards:

* Aether Adept
* Aether Barrier
* Aetherblade Agent
* Aether Burst
* Aether Charge
* Aether Chaser
* Aether Fart
* Aether Figment
* Aetherflame Wall
* Aether Flash
* Aetherflux Reservoir
* Aether Gale
* Aethergeode Miner
* Aether Gust
* Aether Helix
* Aether Herder
* Aether Hub
* Aether Inspector
* Aetherize
* Aetherling
* Aethermage's Touch
* Aether Meltdown
* Aether Membrane
* Aether Mutation
* Aetherplasm
* Aether Poisoner
* Aether Rift
* Aether Searcher
* Aethershield Artificer
* Aether Shockwave
* Aether Snap
* Aethersnatch
* Aethersnipe
* Aether Spellbomb
* Aethersphere Harvester
* Aetherspouts
* Aethersquall Ancient
* Aether Sting
* Aether Storm
* Aetherstorm Roc
* Aetherstream Leopard
* Aether Swooper
* Aether Theorist
* Aether Tide
* Aethertide Whale
* Aethertorch Renegade
* Aethertow
* Aether Tradewinds
* Aether Tunnel
* Aether Vial
* Aether Web
* Aetherwind Basker
* Aetherwing, Golden-Scale Flagship
* Aetherworks Marvel
* Anchor to the Aether
* Arm with Aether
* Attune with Aether
* Azorius Aethermage
* Fold into Aether
* Frozen Aether
* Gate to the Aether
* Ghirapur Aether Grid
* Gonti's Aether Heart
* Obscuring Aether
* Peema Aether-Seer
* Scornful Aether-Lich
* Shielded Aether Thief
* Surging Aether
* Tainted Aether
* Unravel the Aether
* Veldaken Aethermage
* Yet Another Aether Vortex

Referred to:

* Acrobatic Maneuver
* Arborback Stomper
* Blossoming Defense
* Boomerang
* Cloudblazer
* Crucible of Worlds
* Daring Demolition
* Defense Grid
* Dispersal Technician
* Dormant Sliver
* Enraged Giant
* Ensnaring Bridge
* Essence Extraction
* Essence Scatter
* Force of Vigor
* Fortuitous Find
* Highspire Infusion
* Hope of Ghirapur
* Inspiring Roar
* Izzet Locket
* Lightning Greaves
* Long-Finned Skywhale
* Opt
* Ornithopter of Paradise
* Outland Boar
* Pendulum of Patterns
* Prophetic Prism
* Recalibrate
* Retraction Helix
* Reyav, Master Smith
* Rishkar, Peema Renegade
* Shipwreck Moray
* Skyswirl Harrier
* Spireside Infiltrator
* Stone Quarry
* Submerged Boneyard
* Tezzeret's Simulacrum
* Thaumatic Compass
* Thriving Rhino
* Thriving Turtle
* Thunder Drake
* Tidy Conclusion
* Torch Gauntlet
* Tranquil Expanse
* Triumphant Reckoning
* Wayward Giant
* Weldfast Wingsmith
* Wildest Dreams
* Woodland Stream

## References

1. ↑ Magic Creative Team (February 1, 2017). "Renewal". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
2. ↑ Valerie Valdes (October 20, 2023). "*The Lost Caverns of Ixalan* - Pawns". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
3. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (August 16, 2007). "You Are a Planeswalker". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
4. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (April 14, 2004). "What is the Æther?". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
5. ↑ Brady Dommermuth (January 3, 2007). "What exactly is "Æther" (and what is its correct pronunciation)?". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
6. ↑ Magic Arcana (December 04, 2006). "Drakes vs. the Aether". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
7. ↑ Mike McArtor (March 25, 2015). "In Æther Words…". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
8. ↑ *A Planeswalker's Guide to Alara*
9. ↑ Doug Beyer (September 02, 2009). "The Planes of *Planechase*". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
10. ↑ Magic Creative Team (November 2, 2016). "Planeswalker's Guide to Kaladesh". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
11. ↑ Magic Story Podcast: The Mending (May 3, 2018)
12. ↑ Jay Annelli (2022). *Magic: The Gathering - The Visual Guide*, DK. ISBN-13 978-0744061055.
13. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (May 16, 2016). "The May 16, 2016 Update". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.
14. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 16, 2016). "I notice it's the Aether Revolt, rather than the Æther Revolt.". *Blogatog*. Tumblr.
15. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (January 1, 2007). "Ask Wizards - January, 2007". *magicthegathering.com*. Wizards of the Coast.