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The science of alchemy was introduced to the Western world at the beginning of the third century C.E. by Zosimus of Panapolis, a Greek-Egyptian alchemist and Gnostic mystic. Zosimus cited the familiar passage in Genesis as the origin of the arcane art: “The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair.” To this scriptural reference, Zosimus echoed the Book of Enoch in stating the tradition that in reward for their favors, the “sons of God” endowed these women with the knowledge of how to make jewels, colorful garments, and perfumes with which to enhance their earthly charms.

In the opinion of the clergy, the alchemists were being deceived by demons in disguise. Church Father Tertullian (c. 160–240 C.E.) argued that the “sons of God” referred to in Genesis were evil perverters of humans who bequeathed their wisdom to mortals with the sole intention of seducing them to mundane pleasures.

Ignoring the warnings of the clergy, alchemists believed that they could also acquire control over the Elementals, the unseen intelligences who inhabit the four basic elements of the material plane. The creatures of the air are known as sylphs; of the earth, gnomes; of fire, salamanders; and of water, the nymphs or undines.

According to ancient tradition, before the Fall, Adam had complete control over these entities. After the Fall from Grace in the Garden of Eden, Adam lost his command over the elementals, but he was still able to demand their obedience by means of certain incantations and spells. That same ancient tradition suggests that such communication with the unseen entities can be established by the sincere magician who seeks out the old spells.

The appearance of the elementals when discerned by the human eye is that of attractive males and beautiful females. Because they are created of the pure essences of their element, they may live for centuries; but because they were fashioned of terrestrial elements, their souls are not immortal, as are those of humans. If, however, an elemental should be joined in marriage to a human, their union can transform the creature’s soul into a spirit that may enjoy eternal life. Some of the greatest figures of antiquity such as Zoroaster, Alexander, and Merlin were reported to have been the children of elementary spirits.

While most traditions hold the elementals to be friendly to humans some authorities warn that each of the four elements contains a number of mischief makers and entities that tend more toward the demonic than the angelic.