In Professor O’Neill’s lecture on the human/nature conflict in society, he described how magic was used to control nature in relation to human feelings. He used several examples of love potions being used to control natural urges and people using magic to transform people into animals, denizens of nature. However, there was very little discussion of how people use magic to control the forces of nature, which is an interesting difference that could be explored more deeply. There have been many myths about different amalgamations of humans and nature such as satyrs and druids who are both have aspects of human and nature within mythology.
These forces of human and nature can be both mischievous and serious although they are united by a peace-loving nature, as well as a desire to see a stronger natural presence throughout the world. However, it is very rare to hear about these figures today because perhaps these concepts were created back in a time where people felt more distanced from nature. However it is also interesting to note that although we are currently very distant from nature, we do not have these strange creatures in our current mythology although perhaps some day in the future, the hippies and environmentally conscious of us will also be looked on like druids, keeping watch of what little wilds we have left.