Elemental Magic

The elements are the four most basic aspects of the natural world: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire (in increasing order of power).

When manipulated by a sorcerer, the elements can be used to perform powerful magic. Generally, magic performed through the manipulation of individual elements can be counteracted with magic invoking opposing elements.

Fire
Fire is the most dangerous of all the elements. The fire spells and the heat spells are enchantments that control the element of Fire. The ability to summon a guiding light and other forms of magical sources of illumination is also related to this element.

Air
The spells that involve Wind and Air are forms of very powerful magic. Air magic is said to be as unpredictable as the winds it controls. One of the most effective is the whirlwind spell, but also other spells related to this element have been shown:


 * Lyft sy þe in bǽlwylm ac forhienan se wiðere, used by Merlin to defeat the Afanc by creating a powerful air current that blew the flames of Arthur's torch into the monster, incinerating it. This enchantment combines the elements of Fire and Air (The Mark of Nimueh).


 * Bene læg gesweorc, cast by the young warlock to summon the mist; this may indicate that this incantation is related to both Air and Water (The Nightmare Begins).


 * Þrosm tohweorfe. Merlin cast this spell to dissipate the poisonous smoke that had been released by a trap in the Tomb of Ashkanar (Aithusa).
 * Acwence þa bælblyse, cast by Gaius while he was being mentally tortured by Alator of the Catha. This spell (which can also be considered a fire spell) created an air current that allowed the physician to temporarily extinguish the flames around him (The Secret Sharer).
 * The element of Air may have been involved in the spell Morgana used to strangle Merlin. The young warlock had discovered that the High Priestess had infiltrated Cemelot and then Arthur's rescuing party by using an ageing spell, but before he could warn the King, Morgana stunned him and made him hit his head against a tree. She then cast a spell ("Gesweorc, hine beclyppe") on the weakened warlock to prevent him from breathing. Merlin was left unconscious and on the brink of death, but he was saved by Gaius' healing magic (Another's Sorrow).

Another extremely powerful application of this element is summoning lightning. Merlin was able to master the power over life and death and did this to strike Nimueh and restore the balance of the world through her defeat (Le Morte d'Arthur).

Under an elemental aspect, stunning spells can be considered to be spells that involve the element of Air, for when they're cast, the sorcerer creates a very powerful air current that strikes his opponent.

Water
Water is the element of purification, regeneration and of healing. The Vilia, spirits of the brooks and streams, possess healing powers and used the properties of this element to save Merlin from the Dorocha's cold and deadly touch (The Darkest Hour: Part Two).

Water is also the element of intuition, emotions and divination. One of the most important branches of scrying is hydromancy, with which sorcerers are able to See things in a water medium.

Water can be manipulated with the use of magic; there are spells that have power over this element alone or that combine it with others. An Afanc, a beast born of clay, for example, is conjured using Earth and Water, and can only be destroyed using Wind and Fire, as accomplished by Merlin and Arthur.

Nimueh, on the Isle of the Blessed summoned the power of Air and Water and gathered the clouds to rain with the spell "Tídrénas" (Le Morte d'Arthur). Merlin, when he tried free Gaius from Morgause's sleeping enchantment, created a jet of water to wake the physician up with the spell "Brimstréam" (The Fires of Idirsholas).

When Cornelius Sigan was alive, he was said to possess great control over the element of Water, as, according to Gaius, he was be able to control the tides themselves (The Curse of Cornelius Sigan).

The druid Ruadan used water to perform a particular non-verbal spell: before exhling his last breath, he asked his daughter Sefa for a cup of water, in which he dipped a small white quill. He used it to write a brief message for Morgana and then, with a golden flash of his eyes, made the writing visible, just as if it had been done with black ink (Arthur's Bane: Part Two).

Earth
The spells that regard this element are used to control rocks, trees, roots or plants in general. According to Gaius, the magic that binds the Earth is delicate and can be easily undone (A Herald of the New Age).

Spells that are related to this element are:


 * Eorðe, lyft, fyr, wæter, hiersumaþ me. Eorðe ac stanas hiersumaþ me. Ic can stanas tobrytan. Hiersumaþ me, used by the High Priestess Nimueh to control the Earth in order to make the rock on which Arthur was standing collapse. Considering the translation of this enchantment (Earth, air, fire, water, obey me. Earth and stones, obey me. I have the knowledge to break the stones into pieces. Obey me), it's interesting to notice how Nimueh was at first invoking all the elements and then focused her attention on the rocks and stones (The Poisoned Chalice).


 * Gehæftan, chanted by Anhora when he had some roots of the Labyrinth of Gedref tie Merlin up (The Labyrinth of Gedref).


 * Ic ábíetee þæt stánhol, by Merlin when he tried to break the stones of the prison in which Catrina had trapped him. The troll was able to command magic of such power that even Merlin spent the entire night trying to make his own powers prevail on Catrina's (Beauty and the Beast: Part One).
 * Blóstmá, cast by Emrys to create a flower and offer it to Freya (The Lady of the Lake).
 * Non-verbally, by Merlin to magically make a branch grow and trip Mordred, as he was running away (The Witch's Quickening).
 * Ic þe bebiede þæt þu abifest nu, by Merlin to make the ground shake, creating an earthquake. The sorcerer performed this spell, reciting its words and then hitting the rocky floor of the ancient tomb of King Lothar with his palms, to prevent Odin from chopping Arthur's head off and to save him, along with Mithian and King Rodor from Morgana's clutches (Another's Sorrow).

Some spells used by the young warlock to make the ceiling collapse on the Knights of Medhir (The Fires of Idirsholas, "Ahríes þæc!"), on Morgana (The Tears of Uther Pendragon: Part Two, "Feoll bu brand"), or on Lamia (Lamia, "Feall hushefen") could be other incantations that control the element of Earth.

Merlin once more displayed his powerful magic when he controlled this element again and caused, with the incantation "Gewican ge stanas", some rocks to fall, blocking the path between King Arthur and a group of bandits in the Valley of the Fallen Kings (A Servant of Two Masters).