sylphs
Sylphs are legendary air-spirit beings rooted in European folklore and early modern occult philosophy. In the system of the four classical elements used during the Renaissance, sylphs are the elemental spirits of the air, paired with gnomes (earth), undines (water), and salamanders (fire). The term is traditionally credited to Paracelsus, a 16th‑century physician and alchemist who popularized the concept of independent sentient forces within each element. Etymology is uncertain; the word is often linked to ancient or medieval sources describing wind or breath, but exact origins remain unclear.
They are described as light, invisible or luminous beings able to move through the air with ease.
During Romanticism and in later fantasy literature, sylphs functioned as graceful embodiments of the air element,
In modern media and role-playing games, sylphs are usually depicted as air-elemental creatures with abilities such