The Avatar Cycle, Defined

The Avatar franchise’s titular hero is outlined by extra than simply their means to wield the talents of all 4 parts; past their martial and non secular prowess is a transcendental hyperlink to earlier inheritors of the mantle stretching throughout hundreds of years of historical past. However as we put together for the news of a new Avatar show—and with it, the subsequent incarnation of the Avatar—we’ve realized that they’re going to be dealing with a really completely different world and status, in addition to a ramification that has modified the cycle of their ancestors perpetually.

The First Avatar

Whereas it’s by no means been explicitly acknowledged simply what number of Avatars there have been—the younger feminine protagonist of Seven Havens will likely be simply the tenth we all know of by title, however the implication is that there have been over 100—we do know that the first, Wan, ascended to the Avatar state roughly 10,000 years earlier than the occasions of The Final Airbender.

Wan did so on the climax of an untold battle between two non secular forces: Vaatu, an entity of darkness, and Raava, a symbiotically and spiritually linked entity of sunshine. Ten thousand years prior, throughout a uncommon planetary alignment often known as a Harmonic Convergence—a cyclical occasion the place the world is enveloped in non secular vitality, and Vaatu and Raava historically battled over the destiny of the world for the subsequent 10,000 years—Raava had managed to efficiently seal Vaatu inside the spirit realm, creating steadiness on this planet. However Wan, deceived by Vaatu’s personal machinations, managed to inadvertently sever the connection between Vaatu and Raava, unleashing chaos upon the world.

Hoping to make up for his grievous mistake, Wan journeyed with the spirit of Raava as he took on the duty of studying to control the 4 major parts within the bending arts, in order that he might battle alongside Raava within the subsequent Harmonic Convergence. When the time got here to battle Vaatu as soon as extra, Wan and Raava’s spirits merged, resulting in the creation of the Avatar state, and Wan’s means to wield all 4 parts without delay. Victorious over Raava and as soon as once more sealing the darkish spirit within the spirit realm, Wan resolved to return spirits from the bodily world to their very own and shut the portals between them, so solely he might act because the bridge between planes of existence.

How the Cycle Works…

Though the Avatar’s connection to Raava might grant an prolonged lifespan, they have been nonetheless mortal beings. When Wan’s life was at an finish, Raava ensured him that the duties he’d got down to obtain because the steadiness between the bodily and spirit worlds could be inherited throughout generations of future bearers of the mantle, starting a cycle of non secular reincarnation over the subsequent 10,000 years often known as the Avatar Cycle. Merely put: when one Avatar died, they’d reincarnate, being born in one other bodily physique that carried a connection to their previous lives in addition to Wan’s mastery of the 4 bending parts.

Raava and Wan’s personal journey collectively previous to their battle with Vaatu dictated a key a part of the cycle. To ensure that the Avatar to characterize a necessity for concord not simply between the bodily and spirt worlds, but in addition among the many 4 major kingdoms of the world that had risen up across the bending arts, the Avatar would reincarnate in a cycle that went by descendants from every of the nations. The order of reincarnation was primarily based on the order through which Wan mastered the weather: Fireplace, then Air, then Water, then Earth.

Though the Avatar could be born with their connection to Raava and the generations of Avatars that got here earlier than them—in addition to their inherent means to wield a number of parts—they’d not be totally realized till they gained management over the Avatar state, one thing that may solely include their mastery of all 4 elemental bending arts. Historically, the Avatar would journey between the 4 nations in the identical order Wan had earlier than them to be taught the methods of every respective bending artwork, appearing as half pan-national diplomat, and half non secular chief.

… And How It Was Damaged

The Avatar Cycle continued uninterrupted for an additional 10,000 years, every new heir of the mantle including right into a non secular legacy that may join them to their ancestors and descendants for the remainder of time… seemingly. That each one modified throughout the cycle of Avatar Korra—when she found, simply weeks earlier than the subsequent Harmonic Convergence (and the primary since Wan and Raava had sealed Vaatu away), that her uncle Unalaq had secretly been working to free Vaatu and create a brand new world.

Unalaq fused his spirit with that of Vaatu’s, creating the primary mirror to the Avatar merely often known as the Darkish Avatar. In battle with Korra on the peak of Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu managed to tear Raava out from Korra, destroying the now-weakened spirit fully and fully severing Korra from her ancestors. Though Korra, with the assistance of her allies, managed to efficiently rebirth Raava—who might by no means really be eradicated, as mild and darkness can’t exist with out each other—and re-fuse earlier than the Harmonic Convergence got here to an finish, Korra nonetheless lacked the power to connect with the spirits of the Avatars that had come earlier than her. The cycle because it had been recognized for 10,000 years had ended, and a second cycle had begun with Korra as its progenitor.

What a New Cycle Means for Avatar: Seven Havens

The quick risk Vaatu represented quelled with the dissipation of the Darkish Avatar, leaving the subsequent interval between Harmonic Convergences for the spirit to rebuild in power. However Korra’s restored connection to Raava as the start of a brand new Avatar Cycle led to her additionally selecting to re-open the spirit portals sealed by Wan hundreds of years prior. Korra declared that the Avatar was not to be the only steadiness of energy between the realms, however that spirit and human worlds alike ought to work collectively to take care of concord, with Korra, and each Avatar that may come after her, now tasked with guiding that peace.

Which… instantly doesn’t appear to go nicely. From what we realized of Seven Havens this week, by the point that Korra has handed on and a brand new Avatar has been born—we don’t at present recognized her title but, however we do know that she is an Earthbender no less than, so the order established by Wan and Raava has persevered throughout cycles—the world of the 4 nations has been ravaged by a cataclysm, leaving the titular havens because the remaining bastions of civilization. For causes nonetheless unknown as nicely, the mantle of the Avatar itself has turn into tarnished in simply that singular era too, with each spirits and people alike now persecuting the brand new Avatar as a harbinger of the world’s destruction, reasonably than a determine of concord.

Little doubt as Seven Havens progresses we’ll be taught extra about what precisely went down, however we could be no less than considerably sure of 1 factor already: that we are able to most likely count on to see Korra’s spirit within the new present sooner or later. The creation of a brand new cycle implies that whereas the newest Avatar will seemingly by no means regain a connection to the Avatars that got here between Wan and Aang, they ought to be capable to join to each spirit that’s a part of the second Avatar Cycle. Which principally is simply Korra at this level.

Whether or not or not that is still the case, or simply how a lot we’d see her in some kind throughout Seven Havens stays to be seen. Hopefully the brand new Avatar will be capable to flip to Korra and discover out simply what went down with the world and what could be finished to avoid wasting the remnants of civilization… and hopefully we’ll discover out simply what sort of position Korra performed in all that, as a lot as that’s not stopped folks from already getting ready for another decade of discourse over her character.

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