{{short description|Magical artifacts representing virtues in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic}} [[File:Elements_of_Harmony_in_a_chest.png|thumb|upright=1.2|right|The physical manifestation of the Elements of Harmony as magical jewelry]] {{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic sidebar}}
The '''Elements of Harmony''' are six [[magical artifact]]s representing fundamental [[virtue]]s of [[friendship]] in the television series ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''. Each element embodies a specific virtue: [[honesty]], [[kindness]], [[laughter]], [[generosity]], and [[loyalty]]. The sixth element, [[Magic (supernatural)|magic]], is the catalyst that activates the others when the bearers demonstrate true friendship. The Elements serve as both physical magical artifacts and abstract concepts central to the show's lore and moral framework.
Originally discovered as [[relic|ancient relic]]s in the [[Everfree Forest]], the Elements initially manifest as ornate [[jewelry]] pieces that can be wielded by worthy bearers. However, as the series progresses, it is revealed that the true power of the Elements lies not in their physical forms but in the embodiment of their respective virtues by the main characters (collectively known as the [[Mane Six]]): [[Twilight Sparkle]], [[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]], [[Rarity (My Little Pony)|Rarity]], [[Fluttershy]], [[Rainbow Dash]], and [[Pinkie Pie]] act as the living representations of magic, honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and laughter, respectively.
== Appearances == {{Expand section|date=May 2025}} === ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' (2010–2019) === {{See also|My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic}}
The Elements of Harmony are introduced in the series premiere "[[Friendship Is Magic (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Friendship Is Magic]]" as ancient artifacts of legend. Initially depicted in a [[tapestry]] and [[stained glass]] window, they are described as the "most powerful magic known to ponydom."<ref name="Cusack-2016">{{Cite book|chapter=Introduction: fiction, invention and hyper-reality in new religions and spiritualities|date=2016-11-18|chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315582283-6/introduction-fiction-invention-hyper-reality-new-religions-spiritualities-carole-cusack-pavol-kosnácˇ|doi=10.4324/9781315582283-6 |title=Fiction, Invention and Hyper-reality|page=83|location=New York |publisher= Routledge|isbn=978-1-315-58228-3|access-date=2021-07-09|first1=Carole M. |last1=Cusack|first2= Pavol|last2= Kosnáč|editor-first1=Carole M. |editor-last1=Cusack|editor-first2= Pavol|editor-last2= Kosnáč}}</ref> The Elements are first discovered as physical stone orbs housed in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Valiente |first1=Christian |last2=Rasmusson |first2=Xeno |date=2015 |title=Bucking the Stereotypes: My Little Pony and Challenges to Traditional Gender Roles |journal=Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=88–97 |publisher=Bridgepoint Education, Inc. and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |doi=10.1002/jpoc.21162}}</ref> where they transform into ornate [[necklaces]] and a [[tiara]] when activated by the protagonists' demonstration of their respective virtues.
Throughout the first two seasons, the Elements appear in their physical jewelry forms during major conflicts, including the defeat of [[Nightmare Moon]] and the initial confrontation with Discord. However, the artifacts' power is contingent upon the genuine friendship and emotional connection between their bearers; when Discord manipulates the ponies' personalities and severs their friendships in "[[The Return of Harmony]]", the physical Elements become powerless.
In the second season finale "[[A Canterlot Wedding]]," the Mane Six were going to use them to defeat [[Queen Chrysalis]]. Unfortunately, they were captured by the Changelings, forcing Princess Cadence and Shining Armor to defeat them instead.
In the fourth season premiere "[[Princess Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes)|Princess Twilight Sparkle]]", the Elements' magic is transferred to the [[Tree of Harmony]]. However, in the season finale "[[Twilight's Kingdom]]", the Mane Six were given a new power known as Rainbow Power.
=== ''My Little Pony: Equestria Girls'' (2013–2020) === {{See also|My Little Pony: Equestria Girls}} [[Sunset Shimmer]], a former anthropomorphic unicorn from [[Equestria]] who becomes human after traveling through a magic mirror to the human world, is first introduced in ''[[Equestria Girls]]''. Originally a student of [[Princess Celestia]] before [[Twilight Sparkle]], she drops out of school in search of power and crosses over to the human world, where she becomes a student at Canterlot High School. With a desire for revenge, upon discovering [[Magical Mystery Cure|Twilight's coronation in the third season]], Sunset returns to the world of Equestria to steal Twilight's Element of Harmony (her [[crown]]), with the intention of taking it to the human world to mirror chaos and rule Equestria. However, Sunset's plan is thwarted by Twilight and her five friends from the pony universe.
In ''[[My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Legend of Everfree|Legend of Everfree]]'', the Mane Six (from the human world) and Sunset Shimmer (having already had her redemption) end up discovering that when Princess Twilight's element was brought to the human world, a large amount of magic was released. However, after much confusion and problems, Twilight and Sunset discover a cave with seven magical crystals that allow each of their friends to gain a different special ability, such as [[Superhuman strength|super strength]], [[Speedster (fiction)|super speed]], and [[telekinesis]]. When they connect with these crystals, they end up becoming necklaces, just like the Elements of Harmony (from Equestria). However, ''Equestria Girls'' director [[Ishi Rudell]] revealed on his [[Twitter]] that "In [the human] world, Sunset Shimmer is the 7th element! ☀️"<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=809622290967080962 |user=ishiH3Art |title=In our world she is the 7th element! ☀️ |first=Ishi |last=Rudell |date=2016-12-16 |url-status=live}}</ref> later specifying said element to be "[[empathy]]".<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=809949114595053568 |user=ishiH3Art |title=empathy... |first=Ishi |last=Rudell |date=2016-12-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Analysis == In ''The Art of Equestria'', the Elements are described as an "unstoppable force of good".<ref>{{cite book|last=Begin|first=Mary Jane|date=2015|title=My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria|location=New York|publisher=Abrams|isbn=978-1-4197-1577-8}}</ref> [[Military bronies]] have compared the Elements of Harmony to the [[United States Army]]'s core values, known by the acronym [[LDRSHIP]] (Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage).<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Miller |first=Samuel Clark |title=Friendship is Manly: The Brony Fandom and the Challenge of Masculinity |type=PhD thesis |publisher=[[University of North Dakota]] |location=Grand Forks, North Dakota |date=May 2016}}</ref> According to Laura Shillington, the Elements are "responsible for keeping [[nature]] in balance" since "if [nature] is not kept in balance, problems will emerge", which contributes to gendered emotional responses to nature.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shillington |first=Laura |date=2016 |chapter=Children's Media Landscapes and the Emotional Geographies of Urban Natures |title=Identities and Subjectivities, Geographies of Children and Young People 4 |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media Singapore |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1007/978-981-4585-91-0_22-1|isbn=978-981-4585-91-0 }}</ref> Kevin Fletcher wrote that while the show promotes [[individualism]] via the [[cutie mark]]s and distinct personalities of the ponies, it also emphasizes "communalism and sharing" through the collective responsibility required to wield the Elements.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fletcher |first=Kevin |date=2018 |chapter=My Little Pony, Communalism and Feminist Politics |title=Orienting Feminism |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Cham |pages=25–42}}</ref> Historian Louis Clerc described the Elements of Harmony in ''[[The Hague Journal of Diplomacy]]'' as the [[Equestria|Equestrian]] equivalent of a [[nuclear arsenal]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clerc |first=Louis |date=2023 |title=A Better Hegemon? My Little Pony as a Pop Representation of Diplomacy in the Context of American Hegemony |journal=[[The Hague Journal of Diplomacy]] |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=534–557 |doi=10.1163/1871191x-bja10146}}</ref> History professor Andrew Crome wrote that some Christian bronies view the Elements as having explicit [[allegory#biblical allegory|biblical parallels]] (particularly as allusions to the [[Fruit of the Holy Spirit]]) and describe the Elements as "a tool God has given us to diagnose friendship problems" or as "the [[Seven Spirits of God]]."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Crome |first=Andrew |date=2019 |title=Cosplay in the pulpit and ponies at prayer: Christian faith and lived religion in wider fan culture |journal=Culture and Religion |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=129–150 |doi=10.1080/14755610.2019.1624268|url=https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/623009/3/Faith%20and%20Fandom%20submission%20revision%20deposit.pdf }}</ref>
== See also == * [[Cutie mark]] * [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fandom|''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' fandom]] * [[List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters]]
== References == {{reflist}}
[[Category:My Little Pony]] [[Category:My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]] [[Category:Magic items]] [[Category:Fictional story elements introduced in 2010]]
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