Amongst the elements I reside,
Beneath the earth, below the tide.
Through air and aether you dread my flight,
Fire descends on the stroke of midnight.
What am I? And will we ever come in, out of the cold?
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2 Answers
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A more practical application of Ben Frankel's answer would be
Nuclear weapons
Amongst the elements I reside, Beneath the earth, below the tide.
Nukes are housed in silos below the earth and submarines under the sea. Earth and water were once believed to be elements (along with air and fire that are mentioned later)
Through air and aether you dread my flight,
No one wants nukes in the air
Fire descends on the stroke of midnight.
This line is a reference to the doomsday clock. A nuclear war (fire descending) would mean the clock has struck midnight.
And will we ever come in, out of the cold?
Will we ever see nuclear disarmament and an end to the cold war style stand offs that we currently have? I hope so but I doubt it.
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$\begingroup$ This is indeed the answer. Kudos to Player One and the estimable Mr Frankel. $\endgroup$– Damien HSep 16, 2015 at 3:46
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Guess:
Uranium or Plutonium etc
Amongst the elements I reside,
They are examples of elements.
Beneath the earth, below the tide.
They are probably found under the ground (I am no expert).
Through air and aether you dread my flight,
"my flight" is a nuclear bombing. Through air, of course.
Fire descends on the stroke of midnight.
I'm not sure how "midnight" fits. "Fire descends" though does seem to potentially be referring to a bomb.
And will we ever come in, out of the cold?
"cold" as in cold wars? In that case, no.
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3$\begingroup$ I'm guessing midnight refers to the Doomsday clock. $\endgroup$– TimSep 15, 2015 at 13:53
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$\begingroup$ If this is the right answer, the "cold" could be a reference to nuclear winter! $\endgroup$ Sep 15, 2015 at 15:50
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$\begingroup$ @TheMadHaberdasher, Oh right, I remember thinking of that. However, "will we ever come in, out of the cold" I think makes less sense if "cold" is interpreted as a reference to nuclear winter. $\endgroup$ Sep 15, 2015 at 17:38
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$\begingroup$ A very good guess, and achingly close, but you want a more practical application. And a slightly more classical view of the elements. $\endgroup$– Damien HSep 15, 2015 at 23:42
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$\begingroup$ "beneath the earth" sounds like "below the lanthanides" $\endgroup$ Sep 16, 2015 at 3:31