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 2005 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 and is home to the spirits of the planet as well as the spirits of past Avatars.

1 Appearance
2 Gateways
3 Locations
4 Notable Spirits
5 Minor Spiritual Creatures
6 See also

[edit] Appearance

When a spirit is in the Physical World, they are seen as a bright sky blue and are slightly transparent, as seen in The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1). In the Spirit World, though solid and colored as though real, everything is cast into a darker light.

[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 is the "Bridge between the Spirit World and the Physical World".

Hei-Bei's Statue: Hei-Bei is the patron spirit of a forest within the Earth Kingdom, with a dedicated statue located within the center of the forest. 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 Sacred Oasis: Located in the North Pole, this oasis is the spiritual center of the Northern Water Tribe and is the home to the mortal incarnations of the Ocean and Moon Spirits. Seen in the episode "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.

The Swamp

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. Clear water covers the ground. Enma resides here.

Koh's Home

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 monkey 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 spirits' vast library. They are highly intelligent and can work the planetarium and guide visitors to wherever it is that they need to find information. However, they like a reward after assisting. They can understand humans, can stand on their hind legs like humans, and can even 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 I" the creators talk of the relation of the totems and other traditions of the water tribe members.