Treatise on the Four Classical Elements in Magic

Nereus Constantinou, a Greek wizarding scholar whose works touch upon connecting ancient magic with modern principles, wrote this 300-page book covering the basics and history of the four Classical Greek Elements and how they are utilised in modern magic.

The whole treatise is written in Greek.

An Excerpt (Translated)

"The elements of fire and earth require serious commitment and determination to manipulation. One does not command them by moving the smallest particle; it is either all or nothing. You cannot move a single ember or speck of soil to make a difference. In fact, fire is the worst element to be careless with - fire must be treated with care and moved wholesale when in manipulation.

Water and air differ in this regard. To manipulate water and air, only minute amounts are required. This is due to the free-flowing nature of these two elements. Fire does not count because it consumes where it goes; water and air do not. As one might open a door by simply pulling on a handle, water and air can be moved by simply finding the right point of leverage within the being of the element itself.

The Classical Elements represent the great power of the earth itself, combined. As such, using these in their natural habitats or states is risky and difficult. Hence the spells that use these elements are conjury. Water, fire, air/wind and earth used in these spells are as genuine as the real thing, but are less powerful, less reflective of the element in its natural state and much more compliant.

Stopping a wildfire from going out of control by manipulating it. Halting a tidal wave in its tracks by pushing the water back. Stalling a tornado by moving the air in the opposite direction. Holding up the earth over a sinkhole to prevent it from collapsing.

These are feats that only very powerful or skilled wixes can perform, and takes years to achieve, as these elements in their natural states draw power from the earth and no one can beat what the earth can do.

But it is entirely possible to downscale such feats into smaller, much more manageable acts, such as changing the current of a stream to save a child from drowning, or keeping a campfire burning upright on a windy day, and we do not need the strength akin to that of a Titan to achieve these mundane acts."

At Absit Omen

• An excerpt can be found in the journals of Arcturus Hollingbury [1]