Elements of Harmony

[Fhaolan 4,476]

Yet another thread delving too deep...

 

So we have the six Elements of Harmony:

 

Kindness

Laughter

Generousity

Honesty

Loyalty

Magic

 

The first five are basically personality traits, especially if you reword Laughter to Humor or Exuberance or something similar.

 

But Magic sticks out a bit as it's not a personality trait, and it behaves differently in that it was kept apart from the others originally, and is represented currently by a tiara rather than a necklace.

 

So I see two options:

1. 'Magic' is not an accurate name, and it actually should be something else. Like 'Charisma' or such like.
2. 'Magic' is not actually an Element of Harmony itself, but is a focal point for the five Elements.

Am I missing a third option? Am I not seeing something obvious?

 

Now, for further questions:

 

Celestia and Luna. Supposedly they used the elements prior to the Mane 6. So how did they divide them up between the two of them... or did they divide them up at all? With Magic working differently from the others, could one have Magic and the other carry the rest of the five, did they divide them evenly some how, etc?

 

I have more questions, but I'm starting to think they'd make good backgrounds for fanfictions, so I'm going to leave them alone and have them stew in the back of my mind for now.

 

[Leafeon 2,702]

It was made that all together, Twilight's friends good traits represent the perfect person/pony. Having the most important element, Magic, it's inferred that if you show all these traits you will be a magical person. So like your second option.

 

From a less fourth wall breaking stand point, whoever made them was drunk.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Firebolt

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think the Elements of Harmony depict on the Mane 6's personalities. Like their cutie marks, but since Magic is Twilight's skillpoint and brought all 6 of them together. I guess you can say, without those elements they are nothing.

[Moog the Kvlt 1,460]

If you ask me, the elements of harmony were meant to portray what the mane 6

Had needed in order to make it through their journey

Which if you wanna go deeper can be a metaphor for dealing with life

All of the personality traits shown within the mane 6 are what you'd need to get through life

Like how the mane 6 had on their way to Nightmare Moon

 

Laughter - If you have a good laugh at things then you can completely change your perspective on something

Kindness - Okay there is no need to explain this one, being kind to others also makes you not be a jerk

Generosity - If you are willing to give what is important to you to help them

Loyalty - Well if you aren't loyal then no one would want you around

Honesty - Nobody likes a liar....nobody does

Magic - Unless you're gonna go on the same fence that Firebolt is, then this one will make no sense to you at all

 

Without these things they would've never made it to stop Nightmare Moon

And without these things in our life we will begin to think that our lives are well...a nightmare

Edited February 8, 2013 by ScootaMoog

[Rainbow Dash 1,472]

I always thought that Twilight was a catalyst for the other 5. Also, i thought since Celestia was the older of the two she wielded 3 and Luna only two which was the beginning of her Jealousy towards her sister. Another thing is that I think the elements only chose who they did because that trait stood out the most because i have seen other of the mane 6 acting loyal before.

[Stellafera 3,836]

I think that the clue is in the title of the series; Friendship Is Magic. Magic is definitely more abstract and hard to define as an element of harmony than the rest, but I think it's the way that it can bring all of the other elements together and bind them all. 

 

Kindness is the one that shows compassion and love and allows friends to forgive and forget

Laughter is the one that gives friends the spirit to make it through the tough times

Generosity is the one that will give its own desires up to make a good friend happy

Honesty is the one that creates the trust between friends

Loyalty is the one that will never abandon or give up on a friend

Magic is the one that brings them all together and, in essence, creates the friendship (hence the fact that Twilight is a natural leader)

[Wingnut 6,946]

 

Twilight's friends good traits represent the perfect person/pony. Having the most important element, Magic, it's inferred that if you show all these traits you will be a magical person.

 

I always thought that Twilight was a catalyst for the other 5.

 

Magic is definitely more abstract and hard to define as an element of harmony than the rest, but I think it's the way that it can bring all of the other elements together and bind them all.

Once again, you've all hit the nail on the head. Magic is the X factor in this equation because it is open to such a wide range of interpretations. I'll throw out just a few of them.

 

-First off, friendship is the only "magic" that can spark the Elements of Harmony. It forges a hidden but powerful psychic bond between people.  Twilight Sparkle didn't grasp that at first, but she figured it out because she's a very quick study.

-Friendship is the force that unites them together and makes them a great team.

-When they work as a unit, the Mane 6 is so complimentary that they have no weaknesses that an enemy can exploit. Only sheer overwhelming force can defeat them. This “magic”, again, is something that wouldn't be possible without friendship.

[Dev 251]

Magic is just that little bit of unknown pizazz to go with friendship, the excitement, the randomness, the etc. All friendship needs magic, and that's why it's an important, necessary element.

 

I mean come on, the whole reason that the mane 6 are together are because of magic.

Edited February 8, 2013 by Dev ~♥ Derpy ♥~

[poniesforfun 716]

Well they're not really personalities. And I mean all of them. They're all reflected actions.

 

They can be seen as nouns rather than adjectives. Intangible nouns that is.

 

-Kindness is in the air.

-She expressed honesty.

-There was a matter of generosity to consider.

-There was a fit of laughter.

-Her loyalty did not wane over time.

 

I suppose it's easy to see them as personality traits as the ponies do possess them as personalities as well. Such as saying Rainbow Dash is loyal and Fluttershy is kind but Twilight Sparkle can be described as magical. A better way to describe Twilight Sparkle is that she's insightful or perceptive which can be associated with magic the second way to describe Twilight is that she was able to have something happen when it didn't exist... that is exactly what magic really is. The friendship she made with the five ponies was something that happened without warning... her personality was somehow magnetized to all of them to come together with her.

Edited February 8, 2013 by poniesforfun

[Pinkazoid 3,493]

Well the tittle is "Friendship is Magic" 

 

Magic is her element, otherwise known as "Friendship"

 

The Magic in her is being able to make friends. :V

 

I'm guessing that's the best way I can put it :V

[RFOF345 0]

I think that there are 8 elements of harmony and that there are 9 wielders. I also believe it would be more appropriate to call them the elements of friendship since harmony is more than contributor to friendship rather than the other way round. You’ll see what I mean later.

These are:

Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer: Element of Magic

Pinkie Pie: Element of Laughter 

Fluttershy: Element of Kindness 

Rarity: Element of Generosity 

Rainbow Dash: Element of Loyalty

Applejack: Element of Honesty 

Spike: Element of Acceptance

Starlight Glimmer: Element of Harmony 

There have been clues to a 7th element as mentioned in Dr Wolf’s video. To many, an 8th element might seem like a stretch. 

Please listen to my reasoning.

 If the 6th element was undiscovered for years and the 7th is still yet to be discovered, doesn’t that mean that the 8th element is a possibility?

After all, if the element of acceptance is discovered, we don’t know if it will give birth to the 8th and final element.

 

 

 

 

[Cheerilee 26,569]

I don't like the idea of there being more than 6 elements because we've already seen them defeat extremely powerful villains. Why would they need to be more powerful? Either way, it wasn't Twilight that sparked the elements, it was Rainbow Dash since she did the Sonic Rainboom.