Elemental spirits (Seiken Densetsu)
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Image:Seiken Densetsu 3 elementals.jpg The Elemental Spirits are a group of eight spirit-creatures, each of which embodies a different magical element in most of the video games in the Seiken Densetsu (聖剣伝説) series, produced by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft). The Elementals (also known as "Mana Spirits") are considered to be one of the main links between the different games of the series, and thus one of the main distinctions between the series and other Square Enix franchises. This seperation is helped by their premiere in Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2/聖剣伝説2) rather than the "side-quest" Final Fantasy Adventure/Mystic Quest (Seiken Densetsu/聖剣伝説). Even though in subsequent games the Elementals have had their names, powers, and elements changed, and have been made to appear distant and hard-to-approach, their embodiment of familiar elemental systems in both Western and Eastern mythologies and the interactions in Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 (聖剣伝説3) between them and the main characters have helped to make them endearing to many fans of the series.
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The Elemental Spirits
There are eight Elemental Spirits throughout the series: Undine, Gnome, Sylphid (or Jinn), Salamando (or Salamander), Lumina (or Wisp), Shade, Luna (or Aura), and Dryad. Only four Elementals have made it through the series so far without any large modification to their names or the types of their powers. All Elementals debuted in Secret of Mana; the most significant change, Luna to Aura, occured in Legend of Mana.
One could argue that the Faerie that befriends the main character and follows them throughout Seiken Densetsu 3 acts as a kind of ninth elemental spirit — the neutral Mana Spirit. In certain instances in the game, she appears on the ring menu depicting the elemental spirits, as an option for unlocking a certain gate or triggering a certain action. Also, the Faerie appears as a character in the game's weekly calendar, like the other Elementals do, representing Mana Holy Day. However, it is generally accepted that she is not one of the main Elementals as she has no spells of her own, and does not appear in this form in subsequent games.
The Eight Elementals are presented here individually in their order of collection in Secret of Mana, the most familiar game of the Seiken series.
Undine (Water and Ice)
Undine is the first Elemental presented in the series. Depicted as a nereid with a trident, her appearance has changed little from this fundamental form. As the water elemental, Undine's spells invoke attacks such as hailstorms, acid showers, tsunamis, whirlpools, bubble guns, and the ability for weapons to freeze opponents (i.e. turn them into snowmen). However, her healing spells in Secret of Mana were given to Wisp (Lumina) in Seiken Densetsu 3, probably as a means of expanding the formerly half-sized Light set.
In Secret of Mana, after defeating Elinee, the Hero receives a telepathic message from the Sage Luka requesting his return to the Water Palace so that he can check on Undine, who lives in a cave behind a waterfall nearby. Taking the Girl and the Sprite with him, they enter the cave and fight a rather cute creature called a Tonpole, which undergoes a metamorphosis into a Snap Dragon, a biting lizard that eats anything in its path. After defeating it, they go deeper into the cave and meet with Undine. It is her role to explain the role of magic in Secret of Mana and to assign aggressive battle magic to the Sprite and predominantly status-boosting magic to the Girl; when the Hero feels left out, she makes the quote: "Your Mana Sword will one day become more powerful than any magic".
Her treatment of the characters shows a calm and kind, almost motherly nature; however, she is shown to be quite sensitive when found in an ice cave in the Sub-Zero Snowfield of Seiken Densetsu 3. Hearing the Faerie explain why the Stones must not have their powers released, after the Mana Stone of Water has, Undine appears sobbing, moved bv the Faerie's plight. Her pity leads her to join the Main Character and to grant her powers.
Gnome (Earth)
Gnome, the earth elemental, is the second spirit that the characters obtain, both in Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3. His appearance has remained fairly static, as a squat, brown humanoid figure with a body-covering beard, large feet and a nightcap, which usually depicted in green. His powers are, naturally, of an earthly persuasion, with such attacks as gem missiles, landmines, rock slides, earthquakes, and weapon enchantments so as to petrify opponents (i.e. turn them into statues). Gnome's powers also extend to that of temporarily raising defense stats or lowering speed; interestingly, his spell in Secret of Mana is depicted with vines, what would be considered Dryad's domain. His Speed Up spell was given to Jinn (Sylphid) in the sequel, who also received a Defense Down spell, creating a "true" opposition for both modifiers.
Gnome's appearance in Secret of Mana is less than glorious. With the attack on the Underground Palace underway by monsters, which the party has to travel through to reach Gnome, the Earth Elemental could be forgiven for thinking that the three of them are yet more monsters and will not allow them entry to where the Mana Seed is. Outraged, the Sprite attacks Gnome, but the Elemental makes a hasty retreat when the Fire Gigas appears behind him. After defeating the monster, though, Gnome reveals he used the party to get rid of it for him. In response, the Sprite demands that Gnome serves it, lest he be thrown to "its servant", the Hero; fearful, the Elemental grants his powers to the Sprite and the Girl, whom he mistakenly calls the Sprite's wife.
Fortunately, his appearance is only slightly more redeeming in Seiken Densetsu 3, where he appears after the defeat of the Jewel Eater when Watts, the Dwarven Blacksmith, is looking for him. Gnome seems to treat the fact that the beast, which has not been seen for centuries, drags him off to its den and escapes being eaten as a big joke. When the Faerie appears, he makes the lecherous comment, "Well, hey there, pretty lady!" One can draw their own conclusions about Gnome's personality quite easily: irreverent and bumbling, yet trying to make himself bigger than he is.
Sylphid/Jinn (Air and Thunder)
Sylphid, the air elemental, is the third spirit that the characters obtain in both Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 from whence he is known as Jinn. Like most of the other spirits, his appearance has changed little, remaining similar to a blue-purple pixie with puffy yellow pants and round cap; circular markings were added to his skin in Sword of Mana. He holds a bag, which could be assumed to be a nod to his etymological origins. While his spells include wind powers such as air blasts, cutters and tornados, they also include the powers of lightning, to suspend enemies in the air temporarily, and of sound, evident through the Silence spell in Secret of Mana, which confuses the enemy (i.e. reverses controls). Interestingly, one of his spells allows for the disarmament of traps and the proffering of information about specific targets, while his weapon enchantment makes attacks more likely to land large blows. In the sequel, he is granted Defense Down and Speed Up abilities so as to counter Gnome's hold on these powers in the prequel.
Little is given about his character in Secret of Mana, where his powers are given to the party in the Wind Palace, in lieu of the Sprite's Grandpa's coming with them. He only has two spoken lines in the entire game: "You called, master?" and "It is so!"
One must turn to Seiken Densetsu 3 for a better analysis of him as Jinn. Residing in the Corridor of Wind high in the peaks near Rolante Fortress, the characters discover Jinn is under attack by the Darkshine Knight, a servant of the Dragon Emperor, who casts a spell upon the Wind Elemental and transforms him into a boss named Tzenker — a rather female-looking monster similar in appearance to a harpy. After defeating Tzenker, Jinn reverts to his original self and requires the Faerie's healing. He joins the party out of gratitude in a casual manner. One can also assume from his subsequent actions in the game that he is somewhat benevolent in character. Judging by his behaviour in Secret of Mana, one could also assume he likes order; however, Jinn's true nature currently remains a mystery.
Salamando/Salamander (Fire)
Salamando is the fire spirit. His appearance has changed relatively little, being a lizard aflame, wielding a fiery spear; however, his name was changed in Legend of Mana to Salamander, perhaps as a true reflection of his etymology. Salamando's powers are perhaps the most destructive, sporting attacks like rains of magma, explosions, fireballs, walls of flame, and a weapon enchantment that burns opponents. Despite his reign of destruction, the Fire Elemental has only one beneficial spell in Seiken Densetsu 3 and Sword of Mana which temporarily boosts the target's attack power.
Salamando is well remembered by players of Secret of Mana for his unorthodox meeting with the main characters. The Scorpion Army, a bumbling quasi-terrorist group bent on making quick money, kidnaps the Fire Elemental from his Palace and traps him in an oven in the middle of a resort village deep in the Ice Country, using his heat to have a perpetual springtime. He is freed by the main characters and grants his powers in return, after a show of indignance towards "those creatures".
The Elemental's temper is also evident in the sequel. After the main characters travel to the Valley of Flames, a volcano south of the deserts of Navarre, they see the Mana Stone of Fire have its powers released by Bigieu, the witch. After she leaves, Salamando appears and makes fiery explosions out of his anger over the matter; "you could say it's really burning me up!" he says. However, Salamando seems to have some sort of friendliness: in Secret of Mana, a young girl states that Salamando is her friend. It could be assumed that Salamando has a quick temper, but is willing to show restraint.
Lumina/Wisp (Light and Holy)
Lumina (known henceforth from Seiken Densetsu 3 as Wisp), the Light Elemental, has had a rather enigmatic history. Firstly, Lumina is referenced to being female in Secret of Mana, but in the sequel, Wisp is considered male. It could be possible that the Elemental has both or neither genders, or the reference to being male is a typographical mistake. Apart from sex changes, the Light Elemental's appearance has also changed over time, though remains in essence a white flame with eyes. In Secret of Mana, Lumina had yellow orbs floating over her; these were removed in Seiken Densetsu 3 and Legend of Mana. However, Wisp's appearance strongly suggests femininity in Sword of Mana with the addition of large earring-like hoops and a "forehead" pendant. Lumina was originally the exclusive domain of the Girl in Secret of Mana, with a half-sized set of spells as a result, but her repertoire has expanded in the games since, especially with the addition of healing spells (formerly Undine's domain) and the additional powers of "Holy", perhaps a move to tie in Seiken Densetsu's magic with the Final Fantasy system. Her powers are therefore somewhat varied, with lasers, orbs of holy power, barriers against attack, and other powers that could be seen traditionally as "divine retribution". In Seiken Densetsu 3, should a character move through the "dark" classes, they will not receive any new Wisp abilities.
Along with Shade and Luna, Lumina's meeting with the party in Secret of Mana is very utilitarian, being a reward for sealing the Mana Seed in the Light Palace (which is an effort in itself). However, she reveals that Manmon, the King of Gold City (in name only; it's really a puppet state of The Empire) was robbing her of her power and using her to make the gold which lines everything in the city, even the trees. She pleads that the party (the Girl especially) takes her powers "before evil engulfs us all".
The desperation of Lumina is non-apparent in her reincarnation as Wisp for the sequel. Rather, the Light Elemental shows a streak of egotism in his rejoicing when he is freed from the crab-like Full Metal Haggar, near the start of the game: "It's me! I'm it, I'm the one you're looking for, I was the one trapped in that thing's body!". With the Light Elemental's continual changes from game to game, perhaps her (or his) personality cannot truly be defined.
Shade (Darkness)
Shade, the Elemental of Darkness, has a rather eerie appearance of a black-winged, black-tailed eye with a yellow orb on top. This appearance dates from Seiken Densetsu 3, as before, in Secret of Mana, Shade had no tail or orb. Although no reference has been given to the gender of the Elemental throughout the series, Shade is usually regarded as being male. As Lumina's opposite, Shade also started off with a half-set of powers, the exclusive realm of the Sprite in Secret of Mana, and has since expanded to include powers such as waves of shadow, orbs of darkness, instant-death, and the ability to dispel any status modifying spells. While the Dark Elemental lends his powers to evil purposes, his willingness to give his powers to the "forces of good" (the main characters), including his nefarious Evil Gate spell, does not necessarily make Shade evil; rather, he should be considered the "black sheep" of the Elemental family. Even so, in Seiken Densetsu 3, should a character move through the "light" classes, they will not gain any new Shade abilities.
Like Lumina and Luna, Shade's meeting with the characters of Secret of Mana is a utilitarian reward for getting through the Palace of Darkness. However, he specifically states that the use of his powers are a reward for defeating his dark servants, showing the lack of benevolence in his personality.
Shade's moment of glory, however, lies in Seiken Densetsu 3, where he has what could be considered the longest and deepest discussion with the main characters of all the Elementals in the game. After subverting Navarre's invasion of the Rolante Fortress, the characters find themselves aboard a ghost ship. In the process of going through the ship, one of the characters is cursed to remain as a ghost, leaving the other two characters to fend for themselves. The Faerie senses Shade's presence, but he is weak, trapped inside the ghostly Gorva. Upon defeating the monster and releasing Shade's soul from captivity, he returns the favour by removing the curse upon the third character; while he may not be benevolent, he certainly does not appear to be malevolent. He then explains emotionlessly why there is no Mana Stone of Darkness and that he does not know what happened to the God-Beast of Darkness after it ravaged the world. His farewell is a fact rather than a statement of allegiance: "My soul was released...This ship will soon disappear". Eerily calm and void of emotion are good descriptions of Shade's character.
Luna/Aura (Celestial/Gold)
Luna, the Moon Elemental, is perhaps the most unusual of all the Elementals, and has an equally unusual past. Represented as a strange yellow inverted teardrop-shaped being with four wings, with a golden-haired girl's face holding a golden orb at its centre, Luna's powers are also strange, with powers including temporary transmogrification, power boosts (although given to Salamando after Secret of Mana), a weapon enchantment that steals hit points from opponents, health gauge modifiers, and a nefarious Random Magic spell which has surprising and often unpredictable effects.
However, in Legend of Mana, Luna was replaced by Aura, the Gold (i.e. Metal) Elemental. While Aura is golden like her predecessor and retains a slightly similar female face, the most striking differences are her golden spiky crown and her unusual two-toed body. Aura's powers, most of which are named along the lines of gold and platinum, are in true opposition to Dryad's; however, they should not be considered as being of "death", the opposite of "life", but more "anti-life". Even with the radical shift from Luna in name, Aura's spell animations contain stars, orbits, and other sorts of cosmic suggestions that are more akin to her celestial predecessor's powers; this is one of the factors that suggests that Luna and Aura are one and the same. However, her different appearance and different name of powers also suggests that Aura could be a different Elemental altogether.
What makes Aura and Luna even more strange is that, for Sword of Mana, the producers reverted to Luna, including reusing her depiction and definition of "Moon" powers. The (currently) temporary use of Aura could be cited as one of the reasons why some fans of the Seiken Densetsu series do not consider Legend of Mana to be a true part of it.
Like Shade and Lumina, Luna's collection in Secret of Mana is utilitarian, but she is perhaps the most challenging Elemental to meet. The main characters travel across the astral Sea of Wonders with the help of Karon (a nod to Charon), and arrive at the Moon Palace, which is populated by Marmablues, which are magic-sucking jellyfish. Entering the palace's door, the main characters must then walk across an astral plane-like void, trying to find the right exit which leads to Luna and the Mana Seed (a very challenging task). Upon finding her, she grants her powers and notes how "sad this place has grown".
Fortunately, finding Luna in Seiken Densetsu 3 is far easier. Residing in the Moonreading Tower in the Moonlight Forest, where it is always night, she appears after Lugar, a Beastman akin to a werewolf, is killed by the main characters. She revives him, but in order for the spell to work, Lugar is turned into an infant. It is a little later in the story, in the Lamplight Forest, when more of Luna's character is revealed, when she asks the main characters if it is alright for her to keep one of the flowers she cleared a path in, as "they smell so nice". Luna, therefore, could be characterised as being a headstrong yet enigmatic female figure.
Dryad (Life and Mana/Wood)
Finally, Dryad is the last Elemental collected in both Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3. Her appearance has remained static throughout the series, as a personified palm tree, with the leaves as her hair and roots as her feet. She is regarded as being the closest to the Mana Tree and the Mana Goddess, and her powers reflect this, with barriers that reflect magic spells, revive fallen party members, weapon enchantments that steal magic points and temporary invincibility; for these powers, she is often regarded as the "Mana" or "Life" Elemental. However, like in Legend of Mana she is also regarded as the "Wood", "Tree" or "Leaf" Elemental due to her powers of poison breath, flowers that put opponents to sleep, strangling vines, and other plant-related spells. Her most notable power is in Secret of Mana where both the Girl and the Sprite must simultaneously cast the Mana Magic spell upon the Hero so that the Mana Sword is at its highest potential, and thus is used to defeat the Mana Beast.
However, it is on the subject of her Mana Magic spell that her insecure personality is revealed. Prior to the party's meeting with her in the Tree Palace atop the Sunken Continent, the evil Thanatos placed a seal on her Mana Magic powers so that the Mana Sword could not be used (the seal is broken when he is defeated as the Dark Lich). With the Sunken Continent rising out of the deep, she tells the party to leave and then because "I wasn't able to save this palace...I'll go down with it". When convinced otherwise, Dryad questions her usefulness due to the seal on her powers, but says she will do what she can.
Dryad's suicidal tendencies are non-apparent in Seiken Densetsu 3, but after being freed from the evil plant, Gildervine, she apologises to the main characters for having to fight it to save her. After being asked to help open the gate to the Mana Holyland, Dryad claims that the plant took her energy and that she will be useless; she needs to be convinced that she will be useful before she comes along with the characters. One could say that Dryad is depressive, perhaps manically, in character.
Role in the Series
Mana Mythology
In the Seiken Densetsu mythos, particularly according to the in-game World History Encyclopædia in Legend of Mana, the Elementals are descended from the Mana Goddess, the embodiment of the creative and destructive forces of Mana, each being born from the light which formed the respective elements of Fa'Diel, the world of Mana. According to Seiken Densetsu 3, in her creation of the world, the Mana Goddess forged the Mana Sword and with it sealed the eight God-Beasts inside Mana Stones, which were then scattered across the world; the Elementals were charged with the duty of protecting the Stones. While each Elemental is a powerful spirit, being an embodiment has a drawback in that they can be physically harmed or limited, notably Jinn (Sylphid) in Seiken Densetsu 3 and Salamando in Secret of Mana.
Mechanics
In terms of game mechanics, the Elementals are used as the means of reference as to casting magic spells. In earlier games (Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3), the Elementals are seen to be collected; that is, the use of their powers is enabled upon the main characters' meeting with them. Their collection is a crucial plot element: barriers later on in the game must be overcome through the use of their powers. These meetings with the Elementals, and the lending of their powers in Seiken Densetsu 3 are periods of character interaction which show that each Elemental has a somewhat distinct personality from their counterparts. In Legend of Mana however, the Elementals' presence are everywhere in reference, especially on the World Map, but they only appear occasionally in special dungeon rooms (often where a boss was previously fought). There is no character interaction with them save the harvesting of Elemental Coins (explained below). Notably, the Elementals can appear more than once in one particular location, which gives rise to the argument that there are not eight Elementals, but eight types of Elementals.
Elementology
There is a basic system of opposing elemental pairs in the games before Legend of Mana:
- Undine (water) and Salamando (fire);
- Gnome (earth) and Sylphid/Jinn (wind);
- Lumina/Wisp (light) and Shade (darkness);
- Dryad (wood) and Luna (celestial).
The system works differently in Legend of Mana, with the four Western Elements in a circular relationship:
- Undine overcomes Salamander,
- Salamander overcomes Gnome,
- Gnome overcomes Jinn,
- Jinn overcomees Undine, thus launching the cycle over again;
then:
- Wisp and Shade are opposites, as before;
- Aura (gold) becomes the new opposite to Dryad (wood).
Early Games
The use of the Elementals' powers in Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 is governed by a limited number of replenishible Magic Points (MP), and is accessed through the ring-menu system by navigating to the spell and targeting it upon one or all enemies on the screen.
After the player initially casts the spell from the ring-menu, the character casting undergoes a short delay period while they summon the Elemental - they are vulnerable to damage from attacks at this stage, but will not usually defer from summoning unless they are killed (their Hit Points drop to zero). After the Elemental appears, the spell's graphics ensue on the screen, and the effects of the spell are calculated and shown through damage point graphics and/or a message st the top of the screen. In Secret of Mana, when the Elemental appears as part of the spell in Secret of Mana, their appearance is slightly different depending on whether the Girl or the Sprite is summoning: for example, if one of Undine's spells is cast, Undine appears as her "normal" light blue for the Girl and a deeper blue for the Sprite; likewise, if Salamando is summoned, he appears to be more of a pinky colour for the Girl than his normal red for the Sprite. This is probably to allow for differentiation for when Secret of Mana is being played by more than one player. Enemies also occasionally cast spells, but no Elemental is shown when they summon. In the same game, only the Girl can cast Lumina's spells, while only the Sprite can cast Shade's. The Hero cannot cast any spells.
Notably, in Seiken Densetsu 3 the Elementals (with the exception of Wisp and Shade) give names to each of the days of the game week, with the powers of a particular elemental stronger (and its opposite weaker) during that day. Wisp and Shade's powers are governed by the day/night cycle. There is also a neutral "Mana Holy Day" when no Elemental's powers are stronger or weaker than another's. The days of the week follow this order:
- Luna Day (moon magic up, wood magic down)
- Salamando Day (fire magic up; water magic down)
- Undine Day (water magic up; fire magic down)
- Dryad Day (wood magic up; moon magic down)
- Jinn Day (wind magic up; earth magic down)
- Gnome Day (earth magic up; wind magic down)
- Mana Holy Day (balanced elemental power); travelers can stay at inns for free.
In the same game, the collection of the Elemental does not necessarily grant immediate use of their powers. A character has to:
- Be able to use them (according to who they are and their class);
- Have the minimum or greater number of points in a specific statistic type; and
- Has to reach the next experience level.
Legend of Mana
Image:Lom spiritsofmana.png The system in Legend of Mana is radically different than its predecessors'. While the day system was retained from Seiken Densetsu 3 (with the removal of the day/night cycle and the Mana Holy Day), one of the most notable differences is incorporated into the world-building system through various "levels" of an Elemental in each Land on a scale from zero to three. The "strength" of each elemental in each Land determines the strength of that Elemental's spells and occasionally what events can occur in that Land.
Another notable difference in Legend of Mana is that the Elementals' powers are used in a more abstract method through the musical instruments system. Instruments can either be bought or made in the workshop at Home after completing the "Enchanted Instruments: 101" quest. Making an instrument requires primary material (bought or found) and an Elemental Coin. To get Elemental Coins, the main character must travel to a special room in each dungeon where the Elemental Spirits can appear (the likelihood of which is governed by the Elemental Levels). If they appear, the main character must catch one of them before they disappear - they are regarded as being shy and somewhat aloof from the "human world", quite a different temprament than in earlier games. To delay the time before they disappear, the main character "plays" one of four tunes (serene, sorrowful, joyful or mysterious) upon a maximum of eight different instruments. Should an Elemental like what is played (the mechanics of which are not fully understood by fans), then it will approach the main character. It is then up to the main character to "stop playing" and catch the Elemental before it quickly disappears; if caught, the Elemental will reward the main character with the Elemental Coins, Silver or Gold.
Each instrument is able to cast only one spell, the strength and type of which is determined by the Coin used and what material it is made out of. Instruments are then allotted to one of the four Special Techniques slots, meaning a maximum range of four different spells can be cast in any one battle, as compared with the ability to cast any available spell in the two previous games. The concept of magic points was removed, meaning that the character can cast each spell infinitely; however, the character can be deferred from casting through being attacked during the summoning phase, and each spell only affects enemies in a particular "zone"; each type of zone differs according to the spell. Another difference is that the instrument spells can only attack enemies; there are no beneficial or status-boosting spells.
Mythological roots
The series' creators drew from various mythological sources for each of the eight elemental spirits, though the chief source of inspiration was clearly the writings of Paracelsus, a sixteenth-century physicist and alchemist who had some interesting theories on the occult side of nature. He thought that the very balance of life itself was controlled by four elemental sources: earth, air, fire and water. (Later, those in Paracelsus' tradition would add the fifth element, the matter that composed the heavens, either called ether, aether or quintessence. Though one could equate this substance with "Mana" in the games, it's a matter of some debate.)
One should note that Paracelsus did not invent the spirits, however. Much like the creators of Secret of Mana itself, Paracelsus simply drew upon the existing figures from various cultures' mythologies.
- Undine comes directly from the theories of Paracelsus, who posited that undines were water spirits who enjoyed stormy weather. The name comes from the Latin unda, meaning "wave." According to Paracelsus, however, undines looked more like mermaids and less generally fishy than Undine does. In folklore, undines could only get a soul by falling in love with a marrying a human. This romantic and tragic aspect has made undines a motif in certain literatures, such as the novel Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué or subsequent operas by E.T.A. Hoffman and Albert Lortzing.
- The Gnome character comes from Germanic folklore, though his association with the earth elemental comes through Paracelsus, who posited that gnomes were the most powerful and most important of the elemental spirits. They appeared as short, old men who spent most of their days deep in the earth mining for treasure. In Paracelsus' original theories, gnomes were the only male elemental spirit; fire, air and water were all characteristically female.
- Though Salamando/Salamander is clearly male in the games, Paracelsus imagined the fire spirit as being female — and as a sort of supernatural extension of the common animal of the same name. Salamanders were seen to be immune to fire and could therefore tread through it without sustaining injury. In the symbolism of medieval heraldry, a salamander — depicted as a burning lizard — meant courage.
- The primary difference Squaresoft made in the formation of the Elemental Sprits in this series is the design for the elemental of wind and thunder. In Paracelsus' theories, these sprits were the sylphs, who may be familiar to those who played Final Fantasy IV. In Secret of Mana, however, this element went to Jinn, a genie-like character inspired by Arabian folklore. Specifically, a "jinn" is a word referring to the entire class of spirits that includes genies. In the American translation of Secret of Mana, however, Jinn was called Sylphid. The term means "a diminuative sylph". This name was dropped in favor of the Japanese one for translations of later games.
The following four spirits have no association with Paracelsus. However, just as Paracelsus imagined the elements working in opposing pairs — fire and water, wind and earth — so do the next four, generally. In a sense, Squaresoft merely expanded upon the elemental grid initially theorized by Paracelsus by incorporating theories from Chinese and Japanese alchemy.
- Wisp takes its name not from any theory of Paracelsus, but from a natural phenomenon known as the will o' the wisp. Also known fool's fire, will o' the wisp occurs when clouds of gas rise from damp surfaces — like a swamp or marsh — and spontaneously catch fire. The effect is ghostly but beautiful. In Secret of Mana, Wisp was female and named Lumina. This name derives from the the Latin lumen, meaning "light". Though light itself shows up in no historical table of elements, the "battle" between light and shadow is a theme repeated in many religious and secular stories.
- Despite his demonic looks, Shade comes from a rather common belief in the spirit world. Referring to ghosts, a shade can be any sort of otherwordly presence. Though darkness itself shows up in no historical table of elements, the "battle" between light and shadow is a theme repeated in many religious and secular stories.
- Luna is associated with the moon, the heavens, gold and the manufactured world. Though the Romans had a moon goddess named Luna, this elemental spirit doesn't seem to be based on any mythological figure in particular; however, her celestial powers could be seen to represent the element of Heaven (Kū) in Japanese elementology. In Legend of Mana, Squaresoft changed Luna to Aura and her powers to Gold, which can be seen as a representation of "Metal" in Chinese alchemy, possibly in order to better balance the elemental grid, thus posing her as the antithesis of Dryad, the spirit of trees. Aura's name seems to come from a feminization of the Latin aurum, meaning "gold."
- Finally, Dryad emerges from Greek mythology. In ancient Greek culture, dryads were female nymphs who were spiritually connected to oak trees. These figures looked more like beautiful young women than the Dryad from this particular series, however. Whereas Secret of Mana referred to Dryad as the Mana spirit, Legend of Mana makes her the elemental spirit of trees, wood and plants in general. In Chinese alchemy, wood is another of the five primal elements.
| Seiken Densetsu - Numbered Titles |
|---|
| Final Fantasy Adventure | Secret of Mana | Seiken Densetsu 3 | Seiken Densetsu 4 |
| Unnumbered Titles |
| Legend of Mana | Sword of Mana | World of Mana | Children of Mana |
| Recurring characters |
| Elemental Spirits | Rabites |
