Sylph is a faux-mythological creature in the Western tradition. The term originates in Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of air. There is no substantial mythos associated with them. As alchemy in the West derived from Paracelsus, alchemists and related movements, such as Rosicrucianism, continued to speak of sylphs in their hermetic literature. Paracelsus Paracelsus (born 11 November or 17 December 1493 in Einsiedeln, Switzerland - 24 September 1541) was an alchemist, physician, astrologer, and general occultist. ... In mysticism, mythology and alchemy, an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements: air, earth, fire and water. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Look up mythos in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ... Hermes Trismegistus depicted as Caucasian in a medieval rendering. ...

The first mainstream western discussion of sylphs comes with Alexander Pope. In Rape of the Lock, Pope satirizes French Rosicrucian and alchemical writings when he invents a theory to explain the sylph. In a parody of heroic poetry and the "dark" and "mysterious" literature of pseudo-science, and in particular the sometimes esoterically Classical heroic poetry of the 18th century in England and France, Pope pretends to have a new alchemy, where the sylph is the mystically, chemically condensed humors of peevish women. In Pope's poem, women who are full of spleen and vanity turn into sylphs when they die because their spirits are too full of dark vapors to ascend to the skies. Belinda, the heroine of Pope's poem, is attended by a small army of sylphs, who foster her vanity and guard her beauty. This is a parody of Paracelsus, inasmuch as Pope imitates the earnest pseudo-science of alchemy to explain the seriousness with which vain women approach the dressing room. In a slight parody of the divine battle in John Milton's Paradise Lost, when the Baron of the poem attempts to cut a lock of Belinda's hair, the sylphs interpose their airy bodies between the blades of the scissors (to no effect whatever). The chief sylph in "The Rape of the Lock" has the same name as Prospero's servant in Shakespeare's The Tempest: Ariel. Alexander Pope, an English poet best known for his Essay on Criticism and Rape of the Lock Pope, circa 1727. ... The Rape of the Lock is a mock-heroic poem written by Alexander Pope and published in May 1717. ... The World According To Ronald Reagan - a Finnish satirical poster from 1984 Satire is a technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... The humor theory or humour theory was a theory of the makeup and workings of the human body adopted by ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers. ... The spleen is a ductless, vertebrate gland that is closely associated with the circulatory system, where it functions in the destruction of old red blood cells in holding a reservoir of blood. ... In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ... Title page of the first edition Paradise Lost (1667) is a poopy epic poem by the 17th century English poet John Milton. ... Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ariel is a fictional sprite who appears in William Shakespeares play The Tempest. ...

Because of their association with the ballet La Sylphide, where sylphs are identified with fairies and the medieval legends of fairyland, as well as a confusion with other "airy spirits" (e.g. in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), a slender girl may be referred to as a "sylph". La Sylphide is one of the worlds best-known ballets. ... It has been suggested that Trooping fairies be merged into this article or section. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ...

"Sylph" has passed into general language as a term for minor spirits, elementals, or faeries of the air. Fantasy authors will sometimes employ sylphs in their fiction. haha For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ...

• Sylphs feature in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, as Air Elemental fairy-like creatures.
• Sylphs are also present in Japanese video games, including Secret of Mana and the Tales series as well as Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy Tactics as summons.
• The popular fantasy anime Record of Lodoss War features Sylph as the guardian wind spirit of the High Elf Deedlit. * Also in the Terry Goodkind novel series The Sword of Truth there is a magical being called the Sliph, which may be a reference to The Sylph.
• The term also apears in the lyrics of Bal-Sagoth's Battle Magic
• In Battletech, the Sylph is a battle armor that is capable of flight.
• Willow, a Sylph, is one of the main characters in the Landover (Magic Kingdom) series of novels by Terry Brooks
• In the manga Berserk, the sylphs appear as the main components of air.