Alternate name for Twilight's element of harmony

[spacestorm 183]

I see that many people misinterprets Twilight's element referring it to her ability to cast spells.

But in fact her spirit of harmony is related to being... a spark, something what bound all of them in friendship.

Yes it allows transform their friendship into real magic, but it isn't its main purpose.

 

So how would you call her element to better fit its meaning and not cause confusions?

Edited July 29, 2013 by spacestorm

[SCS 7,537]

This is a difficult question to answer, because Twilight's element deals with a more abstract concept that is largely open for interpretation. Due to its subjective nature, I feel that the writers named her element Magic intentionally to be general about it, so that younger children would not be confused, yet there would still be room for interpretation. 

 

However, I actually think that magic is a great word for her element. I agree that it is ontological in nature, and represents unity. Yet, calling it the Element of Unity sounds too general to me. What exactly the spark is that connects people in friendship could vary from person to person, and largely it is an abstract concept - so magic is a great word for it. I'm not implying that this spark is not real - it most certainly is. It's just that it is not grounded in physicality, so calling it magic is an excellent way to convey both its importance, and its subjective nature.

[LordDiscord 289]

It could have been called the Element of Friendship sense it is the bonding agent for the other elements. But my question is it there a possibility that there are more elements other then the six we know of because there is more aspects to friendship then just Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Honesty. I think that would be a interesting subject that they could introduce down the road and these new elements could combine with the old to make them more powerful. 

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think an alternate name for Twilight's Element of Harmony could be sorcery. I don't really see the spark in the Element but, there are many ways for the spark to be shown or portrayed.

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,795]

Since I'm studying social sciences and can't come up with a better term than that, I'd name it "Solidarity"

 

The strong, mutual concept that makes people stick together. She is leadership, yes. She is the center of their friendship, in some way.

But they are all equal and without Twilight they'd never been the group of friends they are. She ended many conflicts between them. She led them. She was the one who realized how strong that connection is and what it can cause.

 

So, I'll choose solidarity because I simply have no better word to describe it. It is no simple kind of leadership. It is also not just friendship because this is something that consists of all the elements. And it is also not just her special talent, magic, like in magic-magic.

Edited July 28, 2013 by StatesTheOblivious

[Nature's Spell 526]

Well she used the word "spark" in S1-2 when taking to Nightmare Moon, but her Element is magic. If we take EQ as cannon than her Element powers the other ones and allows them to work. Twilight is the pivot point, hub, of the mane 6 and displayed, during her time in Ponyville, the other Elements including Leadership. Remember Friendship is Magic. I do agree that spell casting isn't her element, but it is her special talent. Calling it Magic is the best and most correct way to explain her Element.

Edited July 28, 2013 by Nature Spell

[spacestorm 183]

Even if magic best describes her element, people still have trouble with its interpretation, just look at some posts in various topics.
@ - I like the word proposed by you, it's also well reflects meaning of her element.

 

But there can also be other options, what do you think of these words?

• the Element of Inspiration (concept element for Rarity)
• or just the Element of Bonding?

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

As Twilight described it, the spark resides in all ponies, and her realization of that connected the other five elements and through them created the Element of Magic. But since the show keeps reminding us that Friendship is Magic, the Element of Magic is necessarily the Element of Friendship anyway. So that would have to be the alternate name, by my reckoning.

[Flying wub 48]

I think her alternative name for her element should be leadership,

now is she an alicorn princess so it should be leadership at least in my book cuz she gives all command and in the winter wrap up she in the end gets the role "all team leader" ps. this is my opinion. -_-

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,795]

@@spacestorm, I don't know. Maybe it's because of my own understanding of these words, or of solidarity, but they might be too simple. That said, just try to summarize the concepts of the other elements. They are also vey complex. I don't say that inspiration or bonding are necessarily incongrous, but maybe too specific in their meaning.

 

@, That's something I thought about very often. And I try to apply logic to it. Friendship is magic, but magic is not necessarily friendship. The pieces are just components of the whole. Like the physical forms of magic we see when they are using alteration, teleportation or levitation spells in the show. Or Cadance's and the chrystal ponies'/Chrystal heart's love magic.

 

That's how I see it.

 

I think that it is easy - and likely right - to read more into the concept of magic in the show than that it is just made out of the single manifestations we see. It is a whole. I think we will never get a full explanation. It would not just destroy the illusion, but also be rather complex. In the end it's not that complex, but it would have to be since we have so many possible explanations that can't be all wrong because the canon allows us to make them.

Edited July 29, 2013 by StatesTheOblivious

[Enemy Stand 446]

I've always kind of though of her being the Element of Friendship as well, because, well Friendship is Magic after all. Furthermore, when she is discorded, she has given up hope on her friends, as opposed to, say, giving up on the study of magic.

[RrVPfX9cPtw59FpC 1,304]

That's a difficult question, because up until now, I'd always thought that it meant magic as in magic. One could call it the element of bonding, I suppose.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

That is an excellent question.

 

But to shorten it, I'd say that her alternate name would be friendship.

 

It just seems logical, and more sense, as it is the name of the show after all.

 

However, magic is good, so either way, I'm ok with it.

[spacestorm 183]

Maybe you're right @, just in my understanding solidarity word was a little more connected with community or policy than friendship.

 

So as we all have some trouble with it - maybe instead of looking for an alternative name lets try to write a better definition of her element to be placed in the wiki so that no one will refer it to standard spell cast ability anymore?