W.I.T.C.H. Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Quint essence, the fifth element. The ancient sages described it exactly like electricity. They believed it could be found in lightning. But they also called it the stuff of life, like bio-electricity. Quintessence has the power to make things come alive.

Taranee explaining the nature about Quintessence to her fellow Guardians, K is for Knowledge

Quintessence, also known as Aether, is the element of pure life energy.

Fifth Element

Energy symbol

Symbol of Quintessence

Quintessence (Aether) is the fifth element that binds the four classical elements: water, fire, earth, and air together. It is the strongest and most powerful element in the series, apart from the element of pure Light, which is bestowed upon Elyon, and one of the most diverse, regarding its effects. Another term for Quintessence would be Aether, as it is commonly known to be in Greek mythology.

Aether is known as a very holy element, the material that God used to create the universe as we know it, and therefore, the essence of all living things. Quintessence allows the Guardian who possesses it a wide range of mystical abilities and talents. For instance, she can open and close portals in time and space, unite the four elements of nature, and bestow life just as easily as she can take it away with its destructive force.

The user is also granted an assortment of powerful psychic abilities and greatly strengthened physical attributes. Such great power and strength placed in the wrong hands could lead to total disaster, as shown with Nerissa, a Guardian who became drunk with the immense power that the Heart of Kandrakar granted her as the leader of the Guardians.

Quintessence in the TV series

Quintessence/Aether is controlled and manipulated by Will Vandom, one of the new Guardians. Nerissa, the previous Keeper of the Heart, was also endowed with this extraordinarily powerful elemental ability and is far much more experienced in using it to its full and maximum potential. Unlike the Comics where their powers are coloured Pink/Fucia in the show, the abilities of the Heart of Kandrakar are restricted to this colour whilst the abilities gained from Quintessence are blue.

Abilities

File:298536 662915463734922 785856832 n.jpg
  • Reality-Warping
    • Chronological and Spacial Portals
    • Reveal the true form of another magical being
    • Conjuration of objects
    • Object Duplication
    • Environmental Manipulation
    • Astral Drop Creation
    • Creating portals and wormholes to other worlds
  • Superhuman Condition
    • Superhuman Strength
    • Superhuman Speed
    • Superhuman Agility
    • Regenerative Healing Factor
    • Intangibility
  • Electrical Energy Creation and Manipulation
    • Manipulate and control all types of pure electrical energy
    • Energy Blasts
    • Energy Rays
    • Energy Bursts
    • Force Fields
    • Energy Waves/Pulses
  • Quintessence-Force Manipulation and Control
    • Aetherkinesis
      • Aether Generation
      • Cosmological Force Manipulation: Users will be able to control many spiritual, cosmic, and elemental forces as Aether created and binds them all together
        • Astral Manipulation: Being ethereal in form, users will be able to command spiritual forces.
        • Celestial Control & Manipulation: Gain great power over the cosmos with heavenly influence and divine power in the universe.
        • Cosmic Manipulation: Gain a powerful influence over the universal forces and celestial bodies that encompass the universe.
        • Elemental Energy Manipulation: Use pure ethereal power to control the seven main elemental forces and the many sub-elements that it created.
        • Life-Energy Manipulation: Manipulate the many forms of pure life-force energy to an extreme level.
          • Animancy: Magically control the forces of life living, life-force and/or souls.
          • Alchemy: Gain mastery over the art of transmutation, and chemicals.
          • Astrology: Master the art of interpreting the ethereal bonds in celestial bodies.
          • Astromancy: Draw strength from the stars themselves.
          • Healing: Repair high amounts of damage sustained by the human body very rapidly.
          • Mysticism: Mystically interpret the ethereal bonds of the spiritual bones.
          • Subjective Reality: Control the boundary between fantasy/reality to make realistic Illusions.
          • Transmogrification: Transform living and nonliving things into different forms.
    • Astral projection
  • Life-based Abilities:
    • Healing abilities
    • Life-Force Manipulation
      • Animation and Reanimation
      • Resurrection
      • Life infusion
      • Life-Force Attacks
      • Life-Force Aura
      • Life-Force Constructs
      • Life-Force Conversion
      • Life-Force Empowerment
      • Life-Force Generation
      • Life-Force Merging
      • Life-Force Transferral
    • Spiritual Force Manipulation
    • Spiritual healing
      • Control and manipulation of one's spirit/soul
      • Spiritual Flight
      • Aura Reading
      • Astral projection
      • Astral vision
      • Clairvoyance
      • Spiritual reading
      • Purification/healing abilities
      • Regenerative capabilities
      • Detect the presence of spirits and supernatural beings
  • Electrokinesis: The ability to manipulate, control, and create pure electrical energy; such as lightning. This power allows the owner to control all forms of electrical power, being it static electricity, thunder and lightning, magnetic force, electromagnetic forces, or electrical pressure. It is colored blue-white.
    • Lightning Bolts
    • Lightning Rays
    • Lightning Blasts
    • Lightning Bursts
    • Lightning Beams
    • Lightning Weapons
    • Patch into radio signals
    • Magnetic Manipulation and Generation
    • Static Pressure
    • Electrical Charge/Discharge
    • Create shields and force-fields of pure electrical energy
  • Extrasensory Perception
    • Intuition
    • Initiative Aptitude
    • Guardian tracking via the Aurameres
    • Mediumship
    • Unusually strong and close affinity with the Spirit World
    • Telepathy
    • Mind Reading
    • Truth/Lie Detection
    • Telepathy/empathy with animals
    • Animal whispering
    • Illusion Immunity

Besides control over Quintessence/Aether, a Guardian leader's standard abilities are:

  • Winged Flight (TV series)
  • Glamouring (Shapeshifting and transformational magic)
  • Teleportation over long distances (called "Teletransporting")

Customarily, the Guardian of Quintessence is selected as the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar (unless they become corrupt, like Nerissa), thus enhancing or adding to their elemental abilities, such as:

  • Releasing a blinding pink light from the Heart
  • Channeling the magic of the Aurameres into the Heart and enter the Guardians, initiating their transformation
  • Creating Astral Drops
  • Revealing the true form of another
  • Opening and close holes in the Veil
  • Opening whitish-blue oval-shaped folds in time and space
  • Uniting the Guardians with the command: "Guardians Unite!"
  • Reverting the Guardians to their human form using the command "Change Back!"

Possessors of Aether/Quintessence

  • Nerissa - the original Guardian leader who possessed, and still does, this fifth elemental ability since her youth.
  • Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom - the second Guardian of the Veil to possess the power over pure lightning, electricity and life itself. For some reason, it did not develop until the eventual lowering of the ancient Veil.

Trivia

  • In the comics and chapter books, Will had the power of pure Energy; not just whitish-blue lightning/electricity infused with life-force energy. Her magic was colored pink/fuchsia.
  • The symbol is similar to the "Yin-Yang" symbol, which, when the two halves are combined, represents the entire Universe.
  • In mythology Quintessence (Aether) is the very source and lifeblood essence of pure life energy, light, magic, and life itself. Its opposing element is Nether, the sixth element that represents pure darkness, shadows, evil and death itself.
Advertisement