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Is an Avatar destined to a life of solitude?

  • Avatar of PrimoNation

    PrimoNation

    [1]Dec 10, 2006
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    Okay... I saw this kinda touched on in a thread that has been locked BUT I really think it has a good point hidden in there.

    We have so far seen Avatar Roku's castle and Kyoshi's shrine.?? Although there were numerous pieces of memorabilia at Kyoshi's shrine, there were no signs of a 'family life'.?? And although Fire Sage Shyu knew much about the history of the sages and spoke of Avatar Roku, he never mentioned anything of Roku having a family although he discussed his own family ancestory.

    Now I know we haven't heard anything about other Avatars but it would appear to me that an Avatar leads a life of solitude.?? Is it because of their great responsibility of having to maintain balance or is it because if an Avatar were to have a family, that could be a simple of weakness (i.e. the Guru did say??Aang had to let her go).?? And if there were a weakness than of course, the Avatar could not be the most powerful bender on the planet because there would be a way to stop him/her.

    Just a thought... feel free to speculate

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  • Avatar of PrimoNation

    PrimoNation

    [2]Dec 10, 2006
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    I also failed to mention my theory on where will the next airbender come from then for the cycle to continue for the Avatar... well at first I thought it would come thru Aang's lineage but upon further thought, and watching the Cave of Two Lovers again, I came to another conclusion.

    Just like Katara was supposedly the only Water Bender at the South Pole, it is not just about your bloodline but whether the "bending spirit" is born into you.?? Remember Chong, Lily, and Moku, one of them stated "We're nomads"... not earth nomads, not air nomads, not any distinction, they just said "We're Nomads"... and then Aang said, "I'm a nomad too.".?? So who's to say that although all the 'existing' airbenders were destroyed by the Fire Nation that new ones have not been OR cannot be born into a nomad couple.?? Again, not about the ancestory, but simply about having the Air spirit instilled into you at birth.??

    Again, think about the twins in "The Fortuneteller"... its not about the bloodline...

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  • Avatar of Spike815

    Spike815

    [3]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:

    I also failed to mention my theory on where will the next airbender come from then for the cycle to continue for the Avatar... well at first I thought it would come thru Aang's lineage but upon further thought, and watching the Cave of Two Lovers again, I came to another conclusion.

    Just like Katara was supposedly the only Water Bender at the South Pole, it is not just about your bloodline but whether the "bending spirit" is born into you.?? Remember Chong, Lily, and Moku, one of them stated "We're nomads"... not earth nomads, not air nomads, not any distinction, they just said "We're Nomads"... and then Aang said, "I'm a nomad too.".?? So who's to say that although all the 'existing' airbenders were destroyed by the Fire Nation that new ones have not been OR cannot be born into a nomad couple.?? Again, not about the ancestory, but simply about having the Air spirit instilled into you at birth.??

    Again, think about the twins in "The Fortuneteller"... its not about the bloodline...


    There can't be any new airbenders. The airbenders learned to bend from the sky bison, Appa is the last sky bison. Therefore no new people can learn from them, so there are no more airbenders. People could also learn from other people, so unless Aang teachs them or they learn from Appa there is no hope.
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  • Avatar of xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    [4]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:

    Okay... I saw this kinda touched on in a thread that has been locked BUT I really think it has a good point hidden in there.

    We have so far seen Avatar Roku's castle and Kyoshi's shrine.?? Although there were numerous pieces of memorabilia at Kyoshi's shrine, there were no signs of a 'family life'.?? And although Fire Sage Shyu knew much about the history of the sages and spoke of Avatar Roku, he never mentioned anything of Roku having a family although he discussed his own family ancestory.

    Now I know we haven't heard anything about other Avatars but it would appear to me that an Avatar leads a life of solitude.?? Is it because of their great responsibility of having to maintain balance or is it because if an Avatar were to have a family, that could be a simple of weakness (i.e. the Guru did say??Aang had to let her go).?? And if there were a weakness than of course, the Avatar could not be the most powerful bender on the planet because there would be a way to stop him/her.

    Just a thought... feel free to speculate



    That's very true, no Avatar has had their family past shown. They probably had to let everyone go in able to control the Avatar State. With Aang he doesn't have a past anymore so all he has to do is set free the one he loves..=[
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  • Avatar of MCMLXVI

    MCMLXVI

    [5]Dec 10, 2006
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    Spike815 wrote:
    The airbenders learned to bend from the sky bison.
    This statement is, by no means, certain. I believe that the more likely way the first airbenders learned airbending was by observing the way air works, as in breezes, tornadoes, breath, suction.
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  • Avatar of Maki_P

    Maki_P

    [6]Dec 10, 2006
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    Maybe the avatar should stay above all the mortals, but not necesarly. I think that the Avatar can live among us if he/she want it.
    Living in a far away temple without friends or family is kinda sad and pathetic
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  • Avatar of KilalaRose

    KilalaRose

    [7]Dec 10, 2006
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    i really don't think an airbender could be born to just some random nomad couple. i mean, although this isn't confirmed, i think it makes more sense that the element you bend is based on your heritage, but that also the spirit of that element is born into you as well.
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  • Avatar of MCMLXVI

    MCMLXVI

    [8]Dec 10, 2006
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    If an avatar lives a life of solitude, I believe that would be likely due to the avatar's difficulty in reconciling a family life with a life of service.

    It's not impossible, however. One can go about living life while still accepting the transient nature of most things (including oneself). Only energy is permanent. Love is a form of energy, so it doesn't vanish; it reintegrates as new love.

    Edited on 12/10/2006 9:17am
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  • Avatar of Kyusho-Jitsu

    Kyusho-Jitsu

    [9]Dec 10, 2006
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    C'mon people, think about this. The airbenders had to have come from somewhere, right? There had to have been a beginning. Who's to say that there can't be another beginning? We just can't know for sure until the creators tell us.

    But anyway, I agree with you completely, PrimoNation. In fact, I think I was the one who posted on that thread

    Basically the way I reason is that Aang is the embodiment of the planet. Basically, it's the planet trying to take care of itself. But from what I've seen, I have concluded that the spirit of the planet goes into a already living human, because Aang has emotions and I don't think the planet has emotions... But anyway, once the Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit takes the spirit of the person with it and goes to the next Avatar. So, in a sense, the Avatar is picked by the Avatar Spirit, but not CREATED by the spirit. It's kinda like "the chosen one" from Star Wars

    Mind you, this is all speculation on my part.

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  • Avatar of PrimoNation

    PrimoNation

    [10]Dec 10, 2006
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    Kyusho-Jitsu wrote:

    C'mon people, think about this. The airbenders had to have come from somewhere, right? There had to have been a beginning. Who's to say that there can't be another beginning? We just can't know for sure until the creators tell us.

    But anyway, once the Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit takes the spirit of the person with it and goes to the next Avatar. So, in a sense, the Avatar is picked by the Avatar Spirit, but not CREATED by the spirit. It's kinda like "the chosen one" from Star Wars

    Mind you, this is all speculation on my part.

    And as you say... they have to come from somewhere AND we have already been told it is not heritage or bloodline.?? That was already confirmed in the episode "The Fortuneteller" when you had the set of twins and one said he could earthbend and the other said he could not... same as with Sokka & Katara.?? I think certain indivduals inherit some sort of BENDING SPIRIT which allows them to exhibit an extraordinary ability - i.e. bending.??

    Just as the Avatar is chosen in this world - I truly believe so are the benders.?? Yes, they did indeed learn to manipulate their ability by using their??particular guides: Bisons for airbenders, Badger moles for earthbenders, the moon spirit for waterbenders and as of yet, an underdetermined source for firebenders.?? BUT the bending itself has to be prsesent in the individual for them to be able to manipulate that... and that ability is born INTO them.?? And where do the airbenders hail from... the nomads.?? And we know there are still nomads.

    Reincarnation is a MAJOR part of this storyline.?? With that said, the bending ability may be something that is based thru reincarnation much like the avatar ability.

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  • Avatar of tokyoberry

    tokyoberry

    [11]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:

    Okay... I saw this kinda touched on in a thread that has been locked BUT I really think it has a good point hidden in there.

    We have so far seen Avatar Roku's castle and Kyoshi's shrine.?? Although there were numerous pieces of memorabilia at Kyoshi's shrine, there were no signs of a 'family life'.?? And although Fire Sage Shyu knew much about the history of the sages and spoke of Avatar Roku, he never mentioned anything of Roku having a family although he discussed his own family ancestory.

    Now I know we haven't heard anything about other Avatars but it would appear to me that an Avatar leads a life of solitude.?? Is it because of their great responsibility of having to maintain balance or is it because if an Avatar were to have a family, that could be a simple of weakness (i.e. the Guru did say??Aang had to let her go).?? And if there were a weakness than of course, the Avatar could not be the most powerful bender on the planet because there would be a way to stop him/her.

    Just a thought... feel free to speculate


    wow.... i never noticed that. and yes, you're right about that. good observing!!!
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  • Avatar of xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    [12]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:
    Kyusho-Jitsu wrote:

    C'mon people, think about this. The airbenders had to have come from somewhere, right? There had to have been a beginning. Who's to say that there can't be another beginning? We just can't know for sure until the creators tell us.

    But anyway, once the Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit takes the spirit of the person with it and goes to the next Avatar. So, in a sense, the Avatar is picked by the Avatar Spirit, but not CREATED by the spirit. It's kinda like "the chosen one" from Star Wars

    Mind you, this is all speculation on my part.

    And as you say... they have to come from somewhere AND we have already been told it is not heritage or bloodline.?? That was already confirmed in the episode "The Fortuneteller" when you had the set of twins and one said he could earthbend and the other said he could not... same as with Sokka & Katara.?? I think certain indivduals inherit some sort of BENDING SPIRIT which allows them to exhibit an extraordinary ability - i.e. bending.??

    Just as the Avatar is chosen in this world - I truly believe so are the benders.?? Yes, they did indeed learn to manipulate their ability by using their??particular guides: Bisons for airbenders, Badger moles for earthbenders, the moon spirit for waterbenders and as of yet, an underdetermined source for firebenders.?? BUT the bending itself has to be prsesent in the individual for them to be able to manipulate that... and that ability is born INTO them.?? And where do the airbenders hail from... the nomads.?? And we know there are still nomads.

    Reincarnation is a MAJOR part of this storyline.?? With that said, the bending ability may be something that is based thru reincarnation much like the avatar ability.



    The sun could be for firebending. That seems very sensible, having to MANIPULATE it. Sort of like Pyro from X-Men. Anyway, I'm sure if thr creators want more airbenders, some will "mysteriously" appear, even though I doubt it because that would seem a little unrealistic (then again we are watching people bend elements).
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  • Avatar of PrimoNation

    PrimoNation

    [13]Dec 10, 2006
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    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx wrote:
    The sun could be for firebending. That seems very sensible, having to MANIPULATE it. Sort of like Pyro from X-Men. Anyway, I'm sure if thr creators want more airbenders, some will "mysteriously" appear, even though I doubt it because that would seem a little unrealistic (then again we are watching people bend elements).

    I'm sure it is something that simple as well - the sun.?? But just like we learned of the??waterbenders??in the book of water, earthbenders in the book of earth... I am sure we will learn about the firebenders in the (TA-DA) book of fire!?? LOL ... and of course we learned about airbenders thru flashbacks and history given to us by the??creators on websites and of course thru interviews... it is just a matter of time.????

    But man,??the waiting is the hardest....????

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  • Avatar of xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx

    [14]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:

    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx wrote:
    The sun could be for firebending. That seems very sensible, having to MANIPULATE it. Sort of like Pyro from X-Men. Anyway, I'm sure if thr creators want more airbenders, some will "mysteriously" appear, even though I doubt it because that would seem a little unrealistic (then again we are watching people bend elements).

    I'm sure it is something that simple as well - the sun.?? But just like we learned of the??waterbenders??in the book of water, earthbenders in the book of earth... I am sure we will learn about the firebenders in the (TA-DA) book of fire!?? LOL ... and of course we learned about airbenders thru flashbacks and history given to us by the??creators on websites and of course thru interviews... it is just a matter of time.????

    But man,??the waiting is the hardest....????


    I know. Well all in all I just hope it will be very well written episodes...since we have to wait this long.
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  • Avatar of MCMLXVI

    MCMLXVI

    [15]Dec 10, 2006
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    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx wrote:
    The sun could be for firebending. That seems very sensible, having to MANIPULATE it.
    Since the sun heats the solar system by radiation, the first firebenders must have found a way to observe radiation in nature, i.e. observe how heat is transferred in nature-- from what is hotter to what is cooler.
    xlA_V_A_T_A_Rlx wrote:
    if thr creators want more airbenders, some will "mysteriously" appear, even though I doubt it because that would seem a little unrealistic.
    There is no need for it to be mysterious, as far as the world of Avatar??? is concerned. A bender's energy is intimately tied to the energy of the element the bender bends, so there could still be people alive who have yet to realize their intimate ties to air. They just never had the proper guidance.
    Edited on 12/10/2006 11:05am
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    Kyusho-Jitsu

    [16]Dec 10, 2006
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    Or maybe some of the airbenders survived? It's not so unlikely that you can say honestly that it's impossible.

    Really, I mean, Zuko and Iroh were living amongst Earthbenders without being noticed. Who's to say that Airbenders couldn't have done the same? Maybe a young airbender was given to an Earthbender, and he/she grew up not knowing that he/she was an Airbender, and he/she had children and maybe they had children (to account for the whole 100 years thing), so maybe there's an Airbender who just now figured out that he/she was an Airbender. And he/she wouldn't be able to be recognized as an Airbender because her head wouldn't be shaved/have an arrow.

    And I'm basically referring to "Malu the Ghost Witch" from the official Trading Card Game. I really hope that at least SOME of the characters from the Trading Card Game come into the anime. Especially Malu.

    But then again, we can't know for sure until we see it in the anime itself .

    (PS Yes, I know that it would be weird for the title of the show {Avatar The Last Airbender} to be a lie, but hey, you never know )

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  • Avatar of Nalesnik

    Nalesnik

    [18]Dec 10, 2006
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    Maybe the avatar can indeed love. Because we know that at least one past avatar had a lover. (remember Koh the face stealer stole the face of the avatar's love) Or this could have been a forbidden love, (kinda like Aang's)

    As for the "last airbender" bit. I always wonder about that myself, but reading these posts made me realize something. Ok, you know how in every nation, there are benders and non-benders. Even though some people can't bend they are still considered part of that nation. (Ex. EK peasant who can't bend is still considered EK). Ok, so there was probably non-bender Air nomads right. So, the FN couldn't have killed them, because they couldn't be recognized as an "airbender." So maybe there is still some non-bending air nomads around, and they have the genes for airbending, so they just have to learn to airbend. And Voila! instant airbender.
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    Law20

    [19]Dec 10, 2006
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    I'm only responding to the original question, 'cause the rest of this. . . is a bit much.

    When Aang went to see the oldest spirit Ko, in The Seige of the North Pt. 1, Ko revealed that he had stolen the face of the Avatar's past life; the Avatar had tried to kill Ko for stealing the face of the Avatar's love. Ko then shows the face of a woman, obviously the past Avatar's love, trying to goad some emotion from Aang (or Aang's past life) so he could steal Aang's face. If the past Avatar could go to the spirit world to fight the facestealer over his lost love, then this probably means that the Avatar is allowed to love, however distantly, and get married. I think the final chakra is a way to make smarter decisions for the world, and not just one person's benefit.
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    salsadestroyer

    [20]Dec 10, 2006
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    PrimoNation wrote:
    Kyusho-Jitsu wrote:

    C'mon people, think about this. The airbenders had to have come from somewhere, right? There had to have been a beginning. Who's to say that there can't be another beginning? We just can't know for sure until the creators tell us.

    But anyway, once the Avatar dies, the Avatar Spirit takes the spirit of the person with it and goes to the next Avatar. So, in a sense, the Avatar is picked by the Avatar Spirit, but not CREATED by the spirit. It's kinda like "the chosen one" from Star Wars

    Mind you, this is all speculation on my part.

    And as you say... they have to come from somewhere AND we have already been told it is not heritage or bloodline.?? That was already confirmed in the episode "The Fortuneteller" when you had the set of twins and one said he could earthbend and the other said he could not... same as with Sokka & Katara.?? I think certain indivduals inherit some sort of BENDING SPIRIT which allows them to exhibit an extraordinary ability - i.e. bending.??

    Just as the Avatar is chosen in this world - I truly believe so are the benders.?? Yes, they did indeed learn to manipulate their ability by using their??particular guides: Bisons for airbenders, Badger moles for earthbenders, the moon spirit for waterbenders and as of yet, an underdetermined source for firebenders.?? BUT the bending itself has to be prsesent in the individual for them to be able to manipulate that... and that ability is born INTO them.?? And where do the airbenders hail from... the nomads.?? And we know there are still nomads.

    Reincarnation is a MAJOR part of this storyline.?? With that said, the bending ability may be something that is based thru reincarnation much like the avatar ability.

    remember in the northern water tribe when katara and zuko fought? katara became much more powerful during the moon, because they learned from the moon. but, zuko became more powerful with the sun because firebenders learned to bend from the sun
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