Editing Elemental (section)

=Real-World=
As a basic concept meaning "magical being that embodies or personifies a force of nature", the elemental has been around a ''very'' long time. The idea is practically universal, and has its roots in everything from [[gods]] and [[nymph]]s to more modernistic "fairy tale" beings like Jack Frost.

The most well-known real-world belief about elementals, and probably that which has had the greatest impact on fantasy gaming, is that created by the 16th century alchemist Paracelsus, who defined four main "races" of elemental - [[Gnome]]s of Earth, [[Salamander]]s of Fire, [[Sylph]]s of Air and [[Undine]]s of Water - as part of his personal alchemical philosophy, because it wasn't until a few centuries ago that folks realized that just making shit up isn't good science. Other prominent alchemists with similar theories include Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and the Comte de Gabalis, whilst elementals were integral in the belief system of the Rosicrucians.