The concept of four elements in Europe dates back to before written records began. Other cultures however have different numbers of elements.
In the Hindu tradition, there are five elements, the familiar four plus Aether.
In China there is a set of six elements, including wood and metal. There is also a set of eight elemental trigrams representing sky, earth, thunder, mountain, water, fire, lake and wind.
In Modern Chemistry there are 92 natural elements plus various manufactured ones (of which the best known is Plutonium). Closer investigation however reveals a correspondence as
| Modern chemical element | Symbol | Traditional element |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen | H | Water |
| Oxygen | O | Air |
| Carbon | C | Fire |
| Nitrogen and everything else | N etc. | Earth |
These correspondences are justified in terms of chemical composition and by reference to the functionality of living organisms.