Origin/History of the Elements of Harmony

[Arcangel 9]

In multiple episodes, mostly the pilot episodes, we have gotten some information on the nature of the Elements of Harmony. So far, the show tells us;

 

-They are the most potent magic in Equestria.

-The Elements used to be tied to Celestia (figuratively speaking).

-The Elements predate Celestia, going by the show saying that, "She harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponykind."

-The elements have no particular form, as the beginning fairy tale shows Celestia wielding what looks to be only the Element of Magic.

-For whatever reason, the Elements were forgotten and left in "the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

-The Elements are very important, and are kept in a vault in Canterlot. However, this seems to have some continuity errors, as the elements are transferred near the end of S3 to a simple glass box in Twilight's Library.

 

This raises some questions.

 

What are the origins of the Elements?

What, per se, are the Elements?

Why were they left to rot in some old castle?

Why was this old castle, the former throne of Celestia and Luna, abandoned?

Why does the castle have no signnificance at all, despite being the former capital of Equestria?

Why did the Elements untie themselves from Celestia?

Did the Pre-Hearth's Warming Eve ponies have the elements?

 

Let me hear what you think.

[DubbyDash 4]

I think that Celestia and Luna Were forced to leave their old Castle due to war and Conquest. This is a very simple idea and I May be Wrong but, hey, it's a question that Was Unanswered.

[Malinter 3,064]

In multiple episodes, mostly the pilot episodes, we have gotten some information on the nature of the Elements of Harmony. So far, the show tells us;

 

-They are the most potent magic in Equestria.

-The Elements used to be tied to Celestia (figuratively speaking).

-The Elements predate Celestia, going by the show saying that, "She harnessed the most powerful magic known to Ponykind."

-The elements have no particular form, as the beginning fairy tale shows Celestia wielding what looks to be only the Element of Magic.

-For whatever reason, the Elements were forgotten and left in "the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

-The Elements are very important, and are kept in a vault in Canterlot. However, this seems to have some continuity errors, as the elements are transferred near the end of S3 to a simple glass box in Twilight's Library.

 

This raises some questions.

 

What are the origins of the Elements?

What, per se, are the Elements?

Why were they left to rot in some old castle?

Why was this old castle, the former throne of Celestia and Luna, abandoned?

Why does the castle have no signnificance at all, despite being the former capital of Equestria?

Why did the Elements untie themselves from Celestia?

Did the Pre-Hearth's Warming Eve ponies have the elements?

 

Let me hear what you think.

 

The Elements are crystals that contain the spirits, they maybe spirits of ponies that processed these traits and live on in in the crytsals.

 

The old castle is the Royal Sisters castle, it is in such a state as it is the possible battle ground of the fight against Nightmare Moon, the aftermath of which seems to have caused the Everfree to grow rapidly  and encroach it, perhaps in a similiar manner to how Sombra 'cursed' the empire upon defeat.

 

a 1000 years is long enough for a former capital to fade from memory, and only Unicorns would care about history anyway so it might as well not exist to a pegesus or an earth pony.

 

The elements bonded to both sisters, no doubt they shared 3 elements apiece as they seem to be shown casting the harmony blaster together in flash blacks like Sombra being banished. Luna's sealing broke the link as what would happen if a current bearer was lost.

 

They did have them. Starswirl was alive pre hearthswarming (as his student Clover is here) and he did work on elements of which this greatest piece was the alicorn ascention spell he was working on.

Edited October 12, 2013 by Nail Malinter

[Scootalove 10,689]

I think Celestia and Luna wielded the Elements of Harmony before the Mane 6 wielded them. So, that's probably the origins of the Elements.

[Arcangel 9]

The old castle is the Royal Sisters castle, it is in such a state as it is the possible battle ground of the fight against Nightmare Moon, the aftermath of which seems to have caused the Everfree to grow rapidly  and encroach it, perhaps in a similiar manner to how Sombra 'cursed' the empire upon defeat.

 

a 1000 years is long enough for a former capital to fade from memory, and only Unicorns would care about history anyway so it might as well not exist to a pegesus or an earth pony.

 

The elements bonded to both sisters, no doubt they shared 3 elements apiece as they seem to be shown casting the harmony blaster together in flash blacks like Sombra being banished. Luna's sealing broke the link as what would happen if a current bearer was lost.

 

They did have them. Starswirl was alive pre hearthswarming (as his student Clover is here) and he did work on elements of which this greatest piece was the alicorn ascention spell he was working on.

 

Your theory about the fight against N.M's aftermath making the Everfree swallow the old city might be true, or perhaps it was just natural growth of the Everfree. There didn't seem to be anything around the castle, which could mean 1) The castle was far away from anything else (possibly a former hermitage/vacation home of the princesses?) or 2) The castle was the only stone building in the (former) capitol.

 

As for everyone forgetting about the capitol, I can see that happening, as some large cities were completely destroyed within a day by natural disasters, and were promptly forgotten. However, most, if not all, former capitols of places like China are still major cities today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_capitals_of_China

 

How did Celestia wield the elements against NM if only 3 of them were bound to her?

 

Finally, do you think that each pony tribe (Pre-Equestrian) had 2 elements, and Starswirl was trying to unite them by force-creating an Alicorn to rule over the 3 races?

 

Also, do you think Celestia purposely left the elements in the castle because she thought nopony could ever wield them again, or because she knew that one day, somepony would control them again, and so she left them there, where no one ever would go?

 

And why were only 5 Elements known, if Celestia wielded 6?

 

Who knows?

[Malinter 3,064]

Your theory about the fight against N.M's aftermath making the Everfree swallow the old city might be true, or perhaps it was just natural growth of the Everfree.

 

How did Celestia wield the elements against NM if only 3 of them were bound to her?

 

Finally, do you think that each pony tribe (Pre-Equestrian) had 2 elements, and Starswirl was trying to unite them by force-creating an Alicorn to rule over the 3 races?

 

Also, do you think Celestia purposely left the elements in the castle because she thought nopony could ever wield them again, or because she knew that one day, somepony would control them again, and so she left them there, where no one ever would go?

 

And why were only 5 Elements known, if Celestia wielded 6?

 

Who knows?

 

The Everfree is 'un-natural' to ponies in that everyting grows by itself. Faust once said something along the lines that the forest is still growing and expanding even now,

 

i always wondered if Celestia gave the land next to the Everfree to the Apples out of sense she knew their farm work would prevent the forest encroaching ponyville from that direction. She warned them the place was dangerous and yet lets them build a house dead next to it.

 

While Luna was NMM, some part of Luna must have remained. if anything both the season 4 spoiler and the comics imply the NMM transformation was not a willing but forced change. But something of Luna remained long enough for the elements to work. After that the elements probably went dead and turned to stone. She probably left them there as no-one else could use them in that state.

 

I believe the pre-equestrian ponies could use the elements, but not all at once. I think this the reason the 'Alicorn Amulet' was made, designed, to mimic an element bearer in power.. Its interesting that the Element of Magic used wrong turns you evil, while the alicorn amulet does the same thing only gradually.

 

I believe the only '5 are known' is actually just disinformation on Celestia's part to discourage people going after them.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Nail Malinter

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

In Return of Harmony, Celstia says that she and Luna "discovered" the Elements of Harmony. You can interpret this in two ways: They created the Elements of Harmony... or the found the EoH that others had left before them. If the first, the origin of the EoH is explained, if the latter, we have to go back further into Equestria history than we yet have, and we don't have any history to attach, so we simply cannot guess.

[Arcangel 9]

The Element of Magic used wrong turns you evil, while the alicorn amulet does the same thing only gradually.

The Element of magic does that? Where does it say? Also, what are your opinions on the castle's former use? Was it a city, or some kind of standalone castle, vacation home, or what?

[Malinter 3,064]

The Element of magic does that? Where does it say? Also, what are your opinions on the castle's former use? Was it a city, or some kind of standalone castle, vacation home, or what?

 

It doesn't outright do that but its power could more than tempt someone else to abuse it, i just imagine the elements would change though the nature of its bearer.

 

On the castle itself, if it is as old as we're told it is, the city around it probably wasn't made of stone but wood & timber. Things that could rot away. Perhaps it sank into the ground?. It would explain why the new capital was built on the side of a mountain.

 

The Castles name (Castle of the Royal Sisters) would imply that it was there main home. It should also be noted the the style of that castle looks more like the castles we see in the Hearthswarming Eve play. All form and function. no exotic spires or anything.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Nail Malinter

[spacestorm 183]

 

 

It doesn't outright do that but its power could more than tempt someone else to abuse it, i just imagine the elements would change though the nature of its bearer.

 

Nope, they can't. In "The Return of Harmony", when discorded ponies tried to use EoT they failed to do anything.

The spirits of harmony choses bearers, not the opposite. If the wielder is corrupted his/her element don't work anymore. It will work again when corruption will gone or when it will find another bearer.

 

This abandoned castle could be the previous capital. The castle and surrounding area had not been abandoned without the reason. Some kind of dark magic permeates the entire forest. Probably a terrible disaster happened there in the past, or this is a natural cluster of powerful magic, discovered too late, and area had to be abandoned.

This was a good place to hide EoH.

[Malinter 3,064]

Nope, they can't. In "The Return of Harmony", when discorded ponies tried to use EoT they failed to do anything.

The spirits of harmony choses bearers, not the opposite. If the wielder is corrupted his/her element don't work anymore. It will work again when corruption will gone or when it will find another bearer.

 

This abandoned castle could be the previous capital. The castle and surrounding area had not been abandoned without the reason. Some kind of dark magic permeates the entire forest. Probably a terrible disaster happened there in the past, or this is a natural cluster of powerful magic, discovered too late, and area had to be abandoned.

This was a good place to hide EoH.

 

But its not quite hidden if there is a book under 'E' that says "They are here, stupid."

 

Yeah, i remember the elements not working while they were discorded. However we do know spells can be cast on the elements so it may be possible to effect them with a negative enchant (starwhirl's incomplete spell gave us a glimpse of what can go wrong)

[FNGRpony 658]

But its not quite hidden if there is a book under 'E' that says "They are here, stupid."

 

Yeah, i remember the elements not working while they were discorded. However we do know spells can be cast on the elements so it may be possible to effect them with a negative enchant (starwhirl's incomplete spell gave us a glimpse of what can go wrong)

 

Makes you wonder if star swirl ever got to tinker with the EOF.

 

or the crystal heart.  I wonder if we'll get some artifacts from him in season 4.