Spirit world (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
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The Spirit World is a collective term for a spiritual realm in the fictional universe of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. A secondary location accessible only by a few select individuals, the Spirit World is a parallel universe connected to the Avatar world. It is home to the spirits of the planet as well as the spirits of past Avatars. Some spirit creatures act as guardians of rivers, mountains, and forests.
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[edit] Appearance
When a spirit is in the Physical World for a brief period of time, they are seen as a bright sky blue and are slightly transparent, as seen in The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1). A spirit choosing to reside within the physical world, such as Wan Shi Tong and his assistants or the Moon and Ocean spirits Tui and La, however, appears fully formed and tangible. Some such as Hei Bai exhibit the ability to freely pass or pass others between the two realms. In the Spirit World, though solid and colored as though real, everything is cast into a darker light.
[edit] Rules of the Realm
If a person crosses over to the Spirit world, he or she are still able to observe and hear the natural world, but cannot be seen or heard themselves. Likewise, those in the natural world cannot observe or hear the spirit world, although Iroh seems to be an exception to this rule. Also, if something were to happen to his or her body in the natural world, their spirit may not be able to return to the body.
One vital hindrance in the Spirit world is that, if a bender were to enter it, they would not retain their bending ability. Due to the fact that the Spirit world has no physical form, a bender is incapable of manipulating any of the four physical elements.
[edit] Winter solstice
The solstice is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun is at its greatest distance from the Earth's equator. In the Avatar world, as the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit world grow closer together until the line between the two is almost completely blurred. During the solstices and equinoxes, the spirits are able to exert incredible power when within the natural world. This is also the ideal time for people who possess the ability to enter the Spirit world to do so.
[edit] Gateways
Many spiritual locations in the Physical Universe are "gateways" that connect with the Spirit World. The ultimate gateway is the Avatar, for he or she is the "Bridge between the Spirit World and the Physical World."
- Hei Bai's Statue: Hei Bai is the patron spirit of Senlin's Forest, a forest within the Earth Kingdom, with a dedicated statue located within the center. Aang transported to the Spirit World while his body remained atop the statue in a meditative pose; seen in "The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)."
- The Spirit Oasis: Located in the North Pole, this sacred oasis is the spiritual center of the Northern Water Tribe and is the home to the mortal incarnations of the Ocean and Moon Spirits. After meditating for a period of time in front of the pond in which two koi fish swim, Aang’s tattoos began glowing and he crossed over into the spirit world. He was later able to return to the physical world through the spirit gate that the oasis contained. Seen in the episode "The Siege of the North."
- Foggy Swamp: A large swamp composed of a single superorganism, the swamp is capable of many mysterious things, including causing mysterious weather patterns and inducing visions of the past and future. The Avatar can use his connection to the spirit world to commune with the tree that envelopes all of Foggy Swamp.
- Avatar Roku's Temple: A large temple built on a crescent shaped island in the heart of the Fire Nation, it is dedicated to the reincarnations of the Avatar and was built by Avatar Roku. When the Winter Solstice occurs, Avatar Roku is able to enter the Physical World within this temple. It was destroyed by Roku to allow Aang and his friends to escape Admiral Zhao, who planned to capture the Avatar and his companions within the temple. It was first seen in "Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2)."
[edit] Locations
A list of locations within the Spirit World.
Realm of Koh
- A large swamp that seems to exist throughout the entirety of the Spirit World. It is made up of tall trees whose roots spread across the ground, which is covered by clear waters. Enma, along with various other spirit creatures inhabit the region. At the center stands an especially large, gnarled tree whose roots stretch into the sky, rather than the ground. Beneath this tree is Koh’s lair.
Koh's Lair
- A large tree whose branches spread out at the top. There are pillars of stone set up in front of the tree so people can reach Koh's home. There is nothing set around Koh's home except fog. There is cave beneath the tree, accessible by stone steps from the gaping hole at the base of the tree.
[edit] Notable Spirits
[edit] Minor Spiritual Creatures
[edit] Enma
A spirit resembling a humanoid baboon that resides on a mound of dirt in the swamp of the Spirit World where he meditates. Enma does not like his meditation to be disturbed and is quite cranky on the occasion that he is interrupted. He is dressed like a monk. When Aang was looking for Koh, he asked Enma for directions, but was rudely rebuffed twice. When Aang returned to the real world, Enma vocally expressed his relief.
Enma or Emma is the Japanese name for Yama, the ruler of the underworld in Buddhist mythology. Also, the Mystical Monkey mediating beneath a giant tree is an allusion of the Bodhi tree where Siddhartha Gautama sat under and achieved enlightenment in becoming Buddha.
[edit] Knowledge Seekers
The servants of Wan Shi Tong that resemble conventional earth foxes. These small creatures scour the world for Wan Shi Tong, bringing back a scroll or book to add to the knowledge spirit's vast library. They are highly intelligent and are willing to work the planetarium and guide visitors to wherever it is that they need to find information. However, they like a reward after assistance. They can understand humans, can stand on their hind legs, and can scale vertical walls, useful for entering and exiting the library.
[edit] Spirit Crane
A large white crane that resides in the swamp. It at first appears to have no importance, until later on in "The Library" where a large statue of the crane can be seen. Nothing else is known.
[edit] Spirit Wolf
A colossal light gray wolf, seen walking about behind Koh's tree. Nothing is known about this creature, but its face has appeared on ice totem poles in the North Pole; hinting a greater purpose. In the special feature commentaries of the episode "The Siege of the North, Part 1" the creators talk of the relation of the totems and other traditions of the water tribe members.
[edit] See also
| Franchise |
|---|
| Episodes · Media information · Trading cards · Video game |
| Universe |
| Water Tribe · Earth Kingdom · Fire Nation · Air Nomads · Spirit World Waterbender · Earthbender · Firebender · Airbender · Chakra |
| Characters |
| Aang · Katara · Sokka · Appa · Toph · Zuko · Iroh · Azula Major secondary characters · Minor secondary characters · Creatures |
