Spiritual beliefs in the World of Avatar

Spiritual Beliefs in the Four Nations is defined mostly through respecting various nature spirits, with the exception of the Air Nomads. Individual nations have regional variations.

Air Nomads
The Air Nomads have spiritual beliefs that seem to be modeled after Tibetan Buddhism. To the Air Nomad Monks, all life was sacred, and they consciously refrained from harming the earth or any living being as much as possible. In the series, Aang is portrayed as a vegetarian, having made the conscious choice to exclude animals from his diet, since he believes it is wrong to kill for consumption. He is also shown to be visibly concerned during The Swamp, when Sokka began tearing into the dense vegetation with his machete, as he sensed that he was disrespecting the Swamp by hurting its plants. The Air Nomads had a philosophy of peace, and as a result, did not have a formal military. This lack of a formal military in conjunction with the power lent to Sozin's armies by the comet were probably contributing factors in the near extinction of the nomads. Though it has not been proved, the Air Nomads, might revere the Avatar, considering they have a statue for every Avatar at the Southern Air Temple, unlike the other nations who typically have only one or two.

Water Tribes


Due to the separation between the tribes, the spiritual beliefs of the Water Tribes are difficult to describe, though those of the Northern Water Tribe are the most easily explainable. There is clear reverence of the Moon and Ocean spirits: the origins of Waterbending, according to legend, come from the Moon, considered the first Waterbender. Noticing how it pushed and pulled the waves of the ocean, the people of the Water Tribes learned to do it themselves, and became the first human Waterbenders as a result. In the Northern Water Tribe there is a Spirit Oasis, a secluded cove located in a cave. There is a pond in the middle of the oasis, in which two Koi Fish swim around each other in a circular pattern, Tui and La. The oasis is the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole, although it is surrounded by a frozen land, the oasis has trees and a waterfall, this may be due to the two spirits residing here. It is unknown, if the Southern Water Tribe has or had any thing like this, though it is unlikely now due to its current near-extinct state.

Earth Kingdom
Due to its immense size, practices in the Earth Kingdom are likely very diverse: however, almost all share a common cultural thread. Small shrines, temples, and monasteries, with some dedicated to previous Avatars like Kyoshi, who has a shrine in Kyoshi Island. The Earth King, because of his divine connection, has several ceremonial temples on his palace grounds, one of which (the Royal Shrine) is forbidden to anyone else. In the past, farmers in the region of the Great Divide used to offer sacrifices to resident Earth Spirits (it is, in fact, a legend that the Divide was carved by these same spirits angry for not receiving proper tribute). Sandbenders have slightly different views of world, shaped by their forbidding home. Much of their mythology concerns the desert and its formation; for example, they believe the Si Wong Rock was dropped from heaven by the spirits as a display of strength when the people stopped obeying their priests. In Si Wong Desert, there's a library. It is an ancient collection of books, built by the "knowledge spirit" Wan Shi Tong in the Spirit World. He later transported it to the real world to collect and preserve all of the world's knowledge with the assistance of his Knowledge Seekers.

Fire Nation


Despite being the only nation with an established clergy, little is known about the Spiritual Beliefs of the Fire Nation. It is possible that since the beginning of the Fire Nation's rampant industrialization, spiritual practices have been purposefully eradicated by the government to make its citizens more obedient to the state (as in the case of Sozin's subjection of the Fire Sages or his idea of hunting dragons, an animal once held to be sacred in the Fire Nation). Today, most upper-class citizens and government and military officials show little care for the Spirit World, as evidenced through Zhao's murder of the Moon Spirit or General Mung's willingness to drive away the Painted Lady with his factory. However, many Fire Nation peasants still carry strong faith in local patron spirits, like the Painted Lady, and often look to them for guidance and intervention in problems; by the same card, many also willingly attribute problems to evil spirits or witches. Reverence for the Avatar is a sticky issue in the Fire Nation; though Roku is still revered, near universal belief in Fire Nation cultural/physical superiority and the animosity towards the current Avatar have left it, for the most part, "extinct".

Spirit World
The Spirit World is a lush and vast world that runs parallel with the World of the Avatar. Here reside the spirits, immortal supernatural entities which often embody different aspects of life and nature. It is also the final resting place of all the past lives of the Avatar. It is also known that spirits can be killed if they enter the real world.

Several Spirits

 * Tui
 * Moon Spirit (former)
 * Moon Spirit (Current)
 * Painted Lady
 * Hei Bai
 * Koh
 * Wan Shi Tong
 * Past Avatars
 * Enma