Elementary my dear watson

After watching a newish anime, Brave 10, I came to think:  What is our obsession with the elements?

In brave 10 they use 8 different elements, such as ice, water (technically the same thing), earth, lighting, etc. which are represented by different characters.  I then came to realise that several other anime use the elements in their stories.  Anime such as Naruto, the Last Airbender, and Fairy Tale are all good examples.

But this isn't just limited to Anime.  You find them in comic characters such as Geoforce, Thunder, Captain Cold and Storm.  Movies such as the Fifth Element, series such as against the elements, games and even literature all make use of the elements as parts of story-lines.

My hypothesis regarding our fascination with the elements dates back to the start of civilisation.  At first we held reverence for the elements, fire was dangerous; water was life giving.  As time went on we realised we can manipulate these elements.  We could start our own fires, use earth to build things.  Now we make our own lightning (electricity), divert rivers as needed, and even bend the earth into mega structures.

Our reverence for these elements pushed us to try master them, to prove we were more powerful than they were.  Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't.  And sometimes... it's the elements that humble us, and remind us of how truly powerless we are against these forces of nature.