Energy being
Encyclopedia
An energy being or astral being is a name given to a group of fictional or alleged life forms sharing some aspects of their appearance or abilities attributed to the idea that they are composed of pure energy
and not made of matter
. They appear in myths/legend
s, paranormal
/UFO accounts, and in various works of speculative fiction
.
Rather than being literally composed of energy in the physical sense, energy beings are typically rendered as being composed of a translucent glowing fluid, somewhat in common with the representations of ghost
s.
The above being common, is not universal. Thanks to fictional representations such as the Q, the distinction between Energy Beings, Elemental spirits
, and Cosmic beings is not always distinct. While some such as the Taelons are barely more powerful than mortals, others such as the Q
, from Star Trek
; the Ascended Ancients/Ori from Stargate SG-1
; the Anodites from Ben 10: Alien Force
, which are made of "pure" Mana Energy
; and the Meekrob from Invader Zim
possess god-like powers on par with characters often classified as conceptual or higher dimensional beings, AKA Cosmic beings. Often, but not always, being those races that stand in power between the more limited Elemental spirits and the more cosmically powerful Cosmic beings.
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and not made of matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
. They appear in myths/legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
/UFO accounts, and in various works of speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
.
Rather than being literally composed of energy in the physical sense, energy beings are typically rendered as being composed of a translucent glowing fluid, somewhat in common with the representations of ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s.
The above being common, is not universal. Thanks to fictional representations such as the Q, the distinction between Energy Beings, Elemental spirits
Elemental
An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
, and Cosmic beings is not always distinct. While some such as the Taelons are barely more powerful than mortals, others such as the Q
Q
Q is the seventeenth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.- History :The Semitic sound value of Qôp was , a sound common to Semitic languages, but not found in English or most Indo-European ones...
, from Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
; the Ascended Ancients/Ori from Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
; the Anodites from Ben 10: Alien Force
Ben 10: Alien Force
When it recalibrated it gained a more watch-like shape, a green wristband, became smaller and sleeker, and the face dial became black and green. The inside of the hourglass shape glows in different colors at special moments; these colors signify the state that the Omnitrix is presently in...
, which are made of "pure" Mana Energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
; and the Meekrob from Invader Zim
Invader Zim
Invader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez. It was produced by and subsequently aired on Nickelodeon. The series revolves around an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy Earth...
possess god-like powers on par with characters often classified as conceptual or higher dimensional beings, AKA Cosmic beings. Often, but not always, being those races that stand in power between the more limited Elemental spirits and the more cosmically powerful Cosmic beings.
Fictional energy beings
- VorlonVorlonA Vorlon is a member of a fictional alien species in the Babylon 5 television series and fictional universe. The Vorlon species is a member of the First Ones, a group made up of the earliest species to gain sentience in the galaxy...
s (Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
) - Some of the First OnesFirst OnesThe First Ones is the collective name of a group of aliens from the television science fiction drama Babylon 5.-Overview:The First Ones are the ancient alien races of the galaxy, the first organisms to achieve sentience and the first to become spacefaring. Of these races, Lorien's was the first,...
(Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
) - OrganianOrganianThe Organians are a fictional race in the universe of Star Trek, appearing in the episode "Errand of Mercy." They are one of the most evolved, advanced alien races ever encountered by the crew of the original Enterprise. It is not known whether they are "moral" beings or, because they have no...
s (Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
) - ProphetsProphet (Star Trek)In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Prophets, also known as Wormhole Aliens, are non-corporeal beings who inhabit the artificially constructed Bajoran wormhole which connects a distant point in the Gamma Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant, near the planet of Bajor and the space station Deep Space...
and Pah WraithPah WraithIn the fictional Star Trek universe, Pah Wraiths are the opposing force to the Bajoran Prophets. Non-corporeal life-forms, they were expelled from the Bajoran wormhole and imprisoned in the Bajoran Fire Caves on the planet Bajor...
s (Star Trek) - The QQ ContinuumIn the fictional televised Star Trek universe, the Q Continuum is an extradimensional plane of existence inhabited by a race of extremely powerful, hyper-intelligent beings known as the Q...
(Star Trek) - Etherials from Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
- Ascended people in Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
(mostly AncientsAncient (Stargate)The Ancients are a humanoid race in the fictional Stargate universe. They are called "Ancients" in the Milky Way, but are also known as Lanteans or Ancestors in the Pegasus galaxy and as the Alterans in their home galaxy, and they sometimes call themselves Anquietas in their language...
but every human is capable of Ascension) - Drej (Titan A.E.Titan A.E.Titan A.E. is an American animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman released in 2000. The title refers to the spacecraft that is central to the plot, with A.E. meaning "After Earth."...
) - C'tan (Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
) - Naaru and Ethereals (World of WarcraftWorld of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
) - The TaelonTaelonThe Taelons are a fictional race of humanoid aliens appearing in the Canadian science fiction television series Earth: Final Conflict. The arrival of the Taelons on Earth at first appears to be an unmitigated blessing, with their advanced technology bringing great prosperity...
s (Earth: Final ConflictEarth: Final ConflictEarth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
) - Megawhatt from Ben 10Ben 10The Omnitrix was originally created by a Galvan named Azmuth. The Omnitrix was intended to allow beings to experience life as other species in order to bring understanding and foster peace in the universe....
- Gwen Tennyson, and her grandmother Verdona are Anodites from Ben 10: Alien ForceBen 10: Alien ForceWhen it recalibrated it gained a more watch-like shape, a green wristband, became smaller and sleeker, and the face dial became black and green. The inside of the hourglass shape glows in different colors at special moments; these colors signify the state that the Omnitrix is presently in...
They are made of "pure" Mana EnergyEnergyIn physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
. - The Meekrob from Invader ZimInvader ZimInvader Zim is an American animated television series created by Jhonen Vasquez. It was produced by and subsequently aired on Nickelodeon. The series revolves around an extraterrestrial named Zim from the planet Irk, and his ongoing mission to conquer and destroy Earth...
- Cirronians and possibly Vardians (TrackerTracking (hunting)Tracking in hunting and ecology is the science and art of observing animal tracks and other signs, with the goal of gaining understanding of the landscape and the animal being tracked...
) - Chenjesu from the video game Star Control 2
- The astronaut David Bowman is transformed into a 'Star Child' at the conclusion of 2001 A Space Odyssey
- Kheldians and Nictus (City of HeroesCity of HeroesCity of Heroes is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft. The game was launched in North America on April 27, 2004 and in Europe on February 4, 2005 with English, German and French language...
). Kheldians are energy beings that can bond with living creatures in a symbiotic relationship, and after generations are able to 'memorize' their 'host pattern' to transform to one of these species at will. - FMians, AMians, UMAs, and Wizards from Megaman Starforce which also have the ability to merge with a human in which form they can go between energy and physical.
- Andromeda (Heroes of NewerthHeroes of NewerthHeroes of Newerth is a free-to-play science fantasy, action real-time strategy game developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The game was heavily inspired by the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map, Defense of the Ancients and is S2 Games' first game title in the...
) - The Messengers (Head Six and Head Baltar) from Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
- The Embers of Muuat and the Ghosts of Creuss from Twilight ImperiumTwilight ImperiumTwilight Imperium is a strategy board game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. It was designed by Christian T. Petersen and was first released in 1998. The game is currently in its third edition, released in 2005...
- The Zoni (Ratchet & ClankRatchet & ClankRatchet & Clank is a 3D platformer/shooter video game for the PlayStation 2, developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002, it is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series....
)
Fictional individuals as Energy beings
Who do not fit into a specific race- ZzzaxZzzaxZzzax is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in The Incredible Hulk #166 and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe.-Fictional character biography:...
(Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
) - Pyron (Darkstalkers)
- Tornatron
- GiygasGiygasGiygas, known in Japan as or Giegue in the unreleased English translation of Mother, is the main antagonist of the video games Mother and EarthBound. He is an evil alien being bent on destroying the Earth, and is referred to by the titles "Universal Cosmic Destroyer" and "Embodiment of Evil"...
(EarthboundEarthboundEarthbound may refer to:*EarthBound , a role-playing video game series for Nintendo**Mother , a Japan-only game that was to be called Earth Bound in the US...
)