Northern Air Temple


 * This article is about the location, for the episode, see The Northern Air Temple

The Northern Air Temple was one of the four temples of the Air Nomads, and one of the two, the other being the Southern Air Temple, exclusively housing male Airbenders. It is located in the upper reaches of the northern Earth Kingdom. Its population was however wiped out at the beginning of The War during the Air Nomad Genocide. The temple is notable in that a population of Earth Kingdom refugees, led by The Mechanist, has settled and has created a large amount of technology there.

History


It was home to the Flying Bison polo championships in the days when the monks lived in it. After the extermination of the monks, the temple was rediscovered by The Mechanist and his group of refugees. During the years the refugees lived in it, some were eventually seen by other Earth Kingdom villagers, who came to call those they saw gliding as "Air Walkers". The Mechanist used the gliders within to give his paraplegic son Teo a new life in the air. However, he was extorted for weapons manufacture by the Fire Nation, who threatened to attack if he did not comply. He hid the machines in what was formerly the Sanctuary of the temple, unknown to the temple's other residents. Aang and the others discover the weapons cache and convince him to revolt against the Fire Nation, with the promise of protecting the temple from attack.

The Northern Temple was modified by the Mechanist to house more people than before, and many of the original structures were destroyed or expanded to help accommodate the new residents. The temple also underwent many technological "upgrades", as the Mechanist added new inventions to help make the lives of the residents easier. The new changes anger Aang at first, who sees it as a violation of the temple's original sanctity, but in the end he decides that the refugees are like the hermit crabs that inhabit the temple's corridors, and is happy that they have found this empty shell and made it their home, and helps to defend them against the Fire Nation. When The Mechanist and Sokka ignite a natural gas pocket to repel the Fire Nation, the resulting explosion seems to destroy the only path to the temple, there by protecting it from future attacks by the Fire Nation.

Description
The temple was large and peaceful, before Earth Kingdom refugees arrived. Like the Southern Air Temple it also has an Air Temple Sanctuary where resides numerous statues of past Avatars, before The Mechanist turned it into a workshop. As a result of being built for and by the monks, several of the temples' doors and mechanisms are operable only through means of airbending. It looks similar to the Southern Air Temple, but the Southern Air Temple has more colorful walls, and seems to be more elaborately decorated.

Customs
The original inhabitants of the Temple were Air Nomads. After the Fire nation's genocide of the Airbenders, A group of Earth Kingdom refugees came and now reside in the temple. The Customs of the Air Nomads have disappeared.

Natural resources and foods
As could be determined, air is the main and most significant power source and natural resource of the Nomads, as without it they would be rendered powerless. With the power of air channeled under their control, the Airbenders were enabled to defend and protect their homes and way of life and travel across the globe.

The Air Nomads were a tranquil and environmentally friendly race of people and did their best not to leave a mark on the land. Any industry that they engendered, such as farming and gardening, were powered naturally. They also produced their own food.

Air Nomads are also vegetarians, as are the modern monks of Tibet. This is suggested by Aang's words when he said he didn't eat meat in "The King of Omashu", as well as other various episodes.

Among the changes made by The Mechanist, there is a hot air system which powers many of the "upgrades" made in the temple. It is also shown that the mountain range of the temple contains natural gas.

Air Temple Sanctuary
Located inside the Air Temple, this great hall was originally built as a spiritual place where only the elder monks and the Avatar were allowed. Only a master Airbender can open the door to the sanctum. Because of this, Aang thought it was the only part of the temple that was untouched. But as it turns out, The Mechanist ingeniously used physics and clever mechanics to open it. Since then, the Mechanist has been using the sanctuary as his secret weapons laboratory. Although after the arrival of Aang and his friends, the mechanist stopped using it for this purpose.

Notable Figures

 * The Mechanist
 * Teo

Fauna


A less-known animal species that inhabits the Air Temples is small, land-dwelling hermit crab. They look quite similar to their aquatic cousins, with a similar shell-switching lifestyle, but are covered in a thick coat of black and white hair. They seem to prefer damp, dark places and are apparently very adaptable, as specimens in the Northern Air Temple survived a complete refurbishment of the entire complex, spearheaded by the The Mechanist. It seems fitting and is perhaps not coincidental that a nomadic animal by nature would live among the Air Nomads.