By Victor M Fontane
The elementals, also known as elemental beings, elemental spirits or geniuses of nature, are a category of mythological beings directly related to the elements of nature, of which they are considered creators and protectors. The study of elementals is known as Elficology (from the French Elficologie) or Feericology; in English-speaking countries it is known as Fairyology. According to popular beliefs, elementals are a type of spiritual entity that, due to its subtle nature, are found in another dimension than the material one in which humans normally move. According to some traditions, animals and small children are believed to have the ability to see them. It is said that it is possible to make rituals to invoke them and that they are used in witchcraft and alchemy in order to achieve magical goals. Although from the oldest religions and in shamanism there were already deities or spiritual beings associated with the elements or aspects of nature, the elementals as such were described for the first time, theoretically, in the alchemical works of Paracelsus, who It was based in turn on the theory of natural elements systematized by Empedocles and Aristotle in ancient Greece. According to Paracelsus and his followers, the four basic categories of elementals are the following: gnomes (of Earth), undines (of Water), sylphs (of Air) and salamanders (of Fire), also there are other classifications, depending on sources and places.
Although they are categorized within mythology, the ancient teachings and wisdom such as the Vedas and Puranas and others, on the manifestation of the Universe describe them as the workers of each of the seven rays or building hierarchies.
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