The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Iliad by Homer: both in land and gold is he that has as many prizes as my horses
have won me. I will give him seven excellent workwomen, Lesbians,
whom I chose for myself when he took Lesbos--all of surpassing
beauty. I will give him these, and with them her whom I erewhile
took from him, the daughter of Briseus; and I swear a great oath
that I never went up into her couch, nor have been with her after
the manner of men and women.
"All these things will I give him now, and if hereafter the gods
vouchsafe me to sack the city of Priam, let him come when we
Achaeans are dividing the spoil, and load his ship with gold and
bronze to his liking; furthermore let him take twenty Trojan
 The Iliad |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay: "Listen. You are a being of antique experience, and ought to know,
if anyone does. What is Muspel?"
The phaen's face was blank. "I don't know the name."
"It is another world of some sort."
"That cannot be. There is only this one world - Faceny's."
Maskull came up to aer, linked arms, and began to talk. "I'm glad I
fell in with you, Leehallfae, for this valley and everything
connected with it need a lot of explaining. For example, in this
spot there are hardly any organic forms left - why have they all
disappeared? You call this brook a 'life stream,' yet the nearer its
source we get, the less life it produces. A mile or two lower down
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