For us, nature holds special power in its ability to calm us with a gentle breeze, ground us, ignite us with admiration, or terrorize us with powerful waves.

For as long as there have been people on this planet, there have been stories of the elements. Whether they are spirits, gods, or creatures that control them, humans like to have an explanation of the power that nature holds. So they imagined, “Who could hold that kind of power?” and the legends were born.

Wind

An old Japanese legend speaks of an evil god who lives in the wind called Kamaitachi.

It was believed that this creature had hands and feet made of blades. When the wind swept past you, the legend states that the Kamaitachi would create a painless, yet deep, cut to its victims and they would have to live with the cut for the rest of their lives unless they experienced a magical healing.

Earth

In the time of the pyramids, there was a fickle god named Geb. He wore a snake around his head and who stood tall and proud. When he saw fit, he would bless the earth with good crops and when he was irritated, he would curse every bit of earth.

Every time Geb laughed, the earth would shake, mountains would tremble, and people would run through the streets in fear. Thus, earthquakes were born.

Fire

A long time ago, there was a baby boy born on Olympus from the goddess Hera. She could not name a father for the boy. She decided to name the baby Hephaestus. Before long, shame overwhelmed her and she threw the baby off of Mount Olympus. What would have killed a mortal, left the baby with a disfigured leg. He was rescued and grew up on an island along with mortals. When the great Trojan war broke out, it was Hephaestus that forged the armor for the great Achilles in his fiery forge.

He, unlike many of the other deities, loved humans and grew to have compassion for them. Even though his resentment ran deeply for the gods, he was endearing to the mortal people.

Water

Deep in the waters of Scandinavia, lives a Bäckahästen, which means “brook horse”. The horse was made of water but it could also walk and run on land. It would only appear on foggy days to humans. But no rider was ever able to get off of this deathly brook horse when mounted.

She would lure a rider for a ride with friendly nickers and prances. Then the Bäckahästen would jump into a river and plunge its rider to their death.

We love this celebration of the elements and learning about various legends of the past. For us, nature holds special power in its ability to calm us with a gentle breeze, ground us, ignite us with admiration, or terrorize us with powerful waves.