General notes on shamanism
“Everything that is, is alive”.
Introduction
I’ve put together some information on the lore and concept of shamanism in World of Warcraft, to provide a good starting kit for those wishing to discover this class and its principles and history. By reading through the various resources, or just by questing or exploring the game, it quickly becomes apparent that there are many ways to commune and call upon the elements. While this type of RP may seem complex at first, there are many different ways to be creative and many different RP options: from the orc shaman who communes to the goblin who makes a deal with the elements!
This is just a collection of tips, stories and canonical or generally accepted principles, but it’s up to you to be creative and original (while maintaining a certain consistency, of course)! Often, basing yourself on the skills and NPCs in play is a good indication of a class’s RP potential.
NOTE : This is a translated version of my french text so sorry if some sentences are off
original text, written by me in french
The elements
“Everything that is, is alive” is how one of the shamans’ mantras might be defined. Elemental spirits, also known simply as “the elements”, are the volatile elemental energy (water, earth, fire, water and… the spirit of life, also known as wild spirit, or chi) of a planet. They can take raw physical form and become elementals. Each world has its own elements, so you need to differentiate between the elements of Azeroth and Draenor, for example. Elemental spirits are the source of knowledge and power for many classes and races: shamans, Pandaren Brewmasters, geomancers, Hurans, Taurens… In their simplest forms, they can cause rain, tremors, storms or fire, but in their most complex forms… They are the very world we live in.
Elemental spirits are chaotic by nature, and in the past the titans locked up the various elementals in different elemental planes, acting as prisons, in order to preserve Azeroth from this chaos. Conflicts between order and chaos, the Alliance and the Horde, the Burning Legion… are of little interest to the elementals, at least until these conflicts impact them directly. Thus, with the invasion of the Burning Legion, the elemental spirits will have been able to ally themselves with each other and with the mortal races of Azeroth against a common enemy. Rather, they seek balance on a cosmic scale, and shamans are the mortal guardians of that balance. It was precisely when Azeroth gradually consumed the fifth element, that of life, creating an imbalance between the elements, that they began to wage war against each other. Today, it’s mainly the Earth Circle that keeps the elements in balance.
The spirit of the Earth
The spirit of the Earth, called “Mother Earth” in many cultures, is often associated with a warm, maternal personality, but like a mother, can be firm. It can help to make the land fertile, as well as causing an earthquake on enemy fortifications.
Air spirit
The spirit of the air, also known as the spirit of the wind, is generally perceived as calm and talkative, like a soft, constant whisper in the ears of the shaman. It can provide the necessary breeze for a ship’s sails, as well as generating a destructive tornado.
Fire spirit
The spirit of fire is the most destructive of the elements, as a certain Ragnaros attests, but it also has a softer side, found in the comfort of a candle in the night or the warmth of fire in the cold. Fire tends to be the most unpredictable of elements, angry and only deigning to speak, even to the most experienced shamans, if the mood strikes him.
Water spirit
The spirit of Water is a nurturing spirit that can quench a traveler’s thirst as well as drown a fleet of ships. It’s probably the most pleasant spirit, as it’s calm, clear and has a sense of humor. By nature, it is capable of adapting easily.
Spirit of Life (also known as “chi”, “spirit of nature” or “wild spirit”)
Surely the most complex element, it is still the subject of much debate among the various druids, shamans and scholars of Azeroth. It represents the living soul of all things, from wild life to the earth itself.
A certain genesis might be as follows: elemental spirits are primitive, chaotic beings of fire, earth, water or air. They were among the first sentient creatures to populate the universe’s nascent worlds. They can take on an infinite number of shapes and sizes, and each of these creatures has a distinct personality of traits and temperament strongly influenced by the nature of the element. The presence of the fifth element, “Spirit”, affects the disposition of these elemental beings. A world with an overabundance of Spirit could see the birth of passive, formless elementals; conversely, a world with little Spirit could see the birth of aggressive, destructive elementals. However, it is also when these primordial elements are in balance that the fifth element, Spirit, seems to grow.
The wild spirit is both the shaman’s worst enemy and his greatest ally. Able to repair a broken body and even bring a being back to life… if it suits the scale, it can make the shaman feel divine, or conversely remind him that he is only a mortal being. It is therefore rarely used by shamans, who prefer to leave it to the druids.
"A well-trained shaman has the ability to communicate with the four elements: water, air, earth and fire. This is common knowledge.
What is far less well known, however, is the existence of a fifth element. It’s not as precisely described as the other four, but it’s somehow made up of the energy common to all living organisms. "- Soigneterre Duarn
Pandarian spirits
The elements of Pandaria are childlike and jovial, but also highly territorial. They reside almost exclusively in Pandaria and on the Wandering Isle, and if they’re not busy playfully teasing the adventurer who crosses their paths, they’ll defend their territory against any potential threat.
Communion with the elements
In general, shamans communicate with the spirits around them, or even invoke them through rituals, in order to obtain guidance or powers from the elements. Often these rituals take place in sacred or important places, facilitating this communion. Reagents such as herbs, incense, runes, totems etc. are also regularly used to aid communion. Ideally, the shaman is at the service of the elements, helping them to maintain a natural balance and order.
As for the shaman’s request, well… they ask, and the elements respond (or not) and provide help (or not). Many criteria come into play: the type of spirit, the shaman, the request, the manner of asking etc. Imagine a child begging his father for a toy in a store. If the child is regularly capricious and unpleasant, the father is more likely to refuse than if the child is regularly polite and helpful. Similarly, the more helpful, powerful or agreeable the shaman is to an elemental spirit, the more likely he will be to help it, and to offer assistance of varying magnitude (from a simple rainstorm to a full-blown hurricane). Pandaren spirits, for example, want to be entertained, and will offer their help as long as they’re amused (much to the chagrin of more serious, less playful shamans). Generally speaking, the spirits (the employer) and the shamans (the employee) have a relationship in which the shaman serves the spirits (the work) and in exchange, the spirits will help him (the salary) and sometimes the shamans have to fight against an evil or dangerous spirit (workers going on stirke against an evil boss).
An example of a bad ritual: the thane-sorcier Thaurissan invoked Ragnaros via a ritual of great amplitude. The end result was that the darkfers found themselves enslaved by the one they had hoped to use.
An example of a good ritual: The Earth Circle communed with Nebulon, who granted them the aid of powerful elemental lords in their fight against the Burning Legion.
To quote an Internet commentary: “It’s like archery with the most powerful elemental at the center of the target: what will help is the shaman’s talent, the bow and the tools, but also various parameters such as wind, slope, terrain, distance, surroundings…”.
A good shaman is one who has built up a lasting relationship of trust with the elements. He only asks for what he needs and does not abuse his power. A neophyte shaman will not have the same connection and response from the elements as a veteran shaman, as his link with the elements will be much weaker and more fragile. When he prepares a spell, all he’s doing is calling on the surrounding spirits who will, for example, give him the power to channel lightning to his fingertips.
A bit like a cellular network, you need a network and antennas to communicate. So, when Garrosh ordered his dark shamans to torture the elements around Orgrimmar, Thrall was unable to call upon them and their powers. What’s more, on another planet, Draenor for example, the elements are different, so like a telephone network, you have to manage to connect to them (and thus win the favor of the local elemental spirits). In Draenor, Thrall had to earn his connection to the elements, and later lost his connection to the elements when he forced them to come to his aid against Garrosh.
Totems are objects used in ritual or combat to enable the shaman to commune with the elements wherever he may be. To this end, they are generally impregnated with the power of the elements (for example, they could contain the heart of an elemental, water enchanted by a water spirit, or runes set into them…). In general, however, an elemental that offers its power to channel lightning will be much more powerful than channeling lightning via a few totems.
Unfortunately, some shamans, rather than pleading or negotiating with the elements, enslave them and force them to bend to their will. Such is the case with dark shamans, for example.
Racial peculiarities
Without going into too much detail here (see sources below), each culture also has its own way of communing, imploring or using the elements.
Tauren, orc and trolls will have a classic and relatively common base built on worship of ancestors and their spirits, the use of totems and rituals etc…
Pandaren are more likely to distract and play with the elements, offering their power in exchange for distraction and attention.
Darkfers, having been enslaved in the past by shamans and the elemental lord Ragnaros, will be much less inclined to be “friendly” with the elements and will prefer to enslave them too.
Draeneis will channel (sometimes against their will) the energy of the elements via their totems and crystals. A case in point is the artificer Hataaru on Draenor, who sought to recreate the technology of Argus but also provoked an earthquake and the wrath of the local elements.
For the goblins, there’s no spirituality here; it’s more a question of commercial agreements and contracts. “Hey elemental, I’m paying you, I’m doing you a favor, but give me some of your power, I want to make some lightning”. An example found on the forums: a goblin “shaman” might offer to clean up a polluted lake for a fee. Finally, goblin totems are generally seen as elemental amplifiers rather than ritual tools.
The Earth Circle
The Earth Circle is Azeroth’s most important shamanic organization, led by the Council of Elders. By communicating with the most powerful elemental spirits, it seeks to maintain harmony between them and prevent them from causing chaos and destruction.
While the Tauren people have always practiced shamanism, the history of the Earth Circle is much more recent, with some sources mentioning its existence in -230 when the War of the Three Hammers was raging. After the founding of Orgrimmar, more and more orc and troll shamans joined the ranks of the Circle, followed over the years by other peoples with shamanic roots (dwarves, draeneis and even pandaren).
The Cercle Terrestre was one of the major protagonists during the cataclysm. They helped Neptulon and his minions in their war against the nagas and restored the “pillar of the world”, a kind of artifact holding together the earth elemental plane, the Trefonds, and preventing it from collapsing beneath Azeroth, which was shattered into several pieces when Deathwing escaped from the earth elemental plane.
In another noteworthy development, it was the Earth Circle who insisted that Thrall allow the reprobates to join the Horde after he refused. They proclaimed that the reprobates fight internal demons in the same way as the orcs, and that to turn one’s back on the reprobates would be to forget the horrors the orcs have fought for generations. They also believe that the reprobate can be healed.
After the cataclysm, Thrall left his position as warlord to take control of the Earth Circle as Universal Shaman.
Shamanism and Druidism
At first glance, Druidism and Shamanism have much in common. Both stem from nature worship, both share a concept of animism, spirit worship and ancestor worship, and both care for Azeroth’s health and natural balance. Both also draw their powers from proximity to the spirits. However, where druids commune via plants, animals and wild spirits and gods, shamans commune via the four fundamental elements (water, fire, wind and earth). Shamans also prefer to leave the management of the fifth element, “the vital spirit”, present in everything, to the druids. What’s more, while druids are infused with the power of the spirits, shamans tend to “harvest” this power through rituals, totems and the like.
Shamanism and Light
Shamans generally communicate with spirits in search of knowledge, guidance or power. For them, the essence of life is a divine force, far more fundamental than Light. Although they do not diminish the worship and study of Light, shamans believe that Light is merely a characteristic, a phenomenon, of connection to the spirit world. A shaman is a humble conduit through which the power of the spirits flows, so a paladin who claims to be the instrument or embodiment of the Light will seem a diminutive or mistaken vision.
Kalimag, or the language of the elements
Kalimag is the basic language spoken by all elementals. It’s an obscure language mastered only by a handful of scholars. There seem to be several dialects: Ignan (fire), Aquan (water), Terran (earth), and Auran (air). Deuillegivre’s base featured writing in Kalimag.