| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Perfect Wagnerite: A Commentary on the Niblung's Ring by George Bernard Shaw: mountain by the disappearance of the bird. Meeting the Wanderer
there, he asks him the way to the mountain where a woman sleeps
surrounded by fire. The Wanderer questions him, and extracts his
story from him, breaking into fatherly delight when Siegfried,
describing the mending of the sword remarks, that all he knew
about the business was that the broken bits of Nothung would be
of no use to him unless he made a new sword out of them right
over again from the beginning. But the Wanderer's interest is by
no means reciprocated by Siegfried. His majesty and elderly
dignity are thrown away on the young anarchist, who, unwilling to
waste time talking, bluntly bids him either show him the way to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey: are mad clear through, an' I ain't sayin' I've tried to quiet 'em any. This
missionary work has got to be stopped, one way or another. Now what I waited
here to say is this: I ain't quite forgot I was white once, an' believe you
fellars are honest. I'm willin' to go outer my way to help you git away from
here."
"Go away?" echoed Edwards.
"That's it," answered Girty, shouldering his rifle.
"But why? We are perfectly harmless; we are only doing good and hurt no one.
Why should we go?"
"'Cause there's liable to be trouble," said the renegade, significantly.
Edwards turned slowly to Mr. Wells and Jim. The old missionary was trembling
 The Spirit of the Border |