Spirits

The Spirit World


The Spirit World is a parallel plane of reality that coexists alongside the mortal world, and is home to the spirits, immortal supernatural entities which often embody different aspects of life and nature.

It is difficult and extremely rare for a human, other than the Avatar, to enter the Spirit World; conversely, only a handful of spirits are able to exist physically in the mortal world and they must give up their immortality to do so. The Spirit World and the physical world are closest together during the solstices, which made it possible for spirits to manifest in the mortal world and for humans to pass into the Spirit World. There are also certain locations in the physical world which act as bridges to the Spirit World; these locations are often revered by the cultures living near them, such as the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. The Avatar acts as a spiritual bridge between both worlds and can travel between them freely. Humans who cross over to the Spirit World cannot use their bending, unless they enter physically, such as through the spirit portals.

There are few known ways for a mortal to enter into the Spirit World, though humans are sometimes carried there by a spirit as the entity shifts between planes. The Avatar is able to pass fully into the Spirit World at times when and locations where the barrier separating the two realities is unusually weak, such as at Avatar Temples on a winter solstice or at the Northern or Southern spirit portals. The Avatar is also able to enter the Spirit World at any time by meditating, but in doing so, their own spirit leaves their physical body, which is then totally defenceless, and as such should only be done in places of security. If the Avatar, or any other person whose spirit has entered while leaving their mortal body dies in the Spirit World, their mortal body will also die.

Overview
In certain places, the landscape of the Spirit World seems to conform closely to an area of the physical world, to the extent where a mortal making the transition might not immediately take notice of the difference. In other places, the geography of the Spirit World has no relation to the physical world and the two settings vary considerably.

Realm of Koh
The lair of the spirit Koh, the Face Stealer, lies below a gigantic, twisted tree. The land surrounding his covert is barren, dark, and scarcely inhabited, except for Koh's faceless victims and at least one gargantuan wolf. For anyone who enters his lair it is advisable to remain emotionless, as Koh steals the face of anyone who expresses their emotions in front of him.

Hai-Riyo Peak
Hai-Riyo Peak is a large mountain in the Spirit World. Its summit is the nesting site for several dragon bird spirits.

The Fog of Lost Souls
The Fog of Lost Souls is a prison for humans in the Spirit World. The fog spirit that is the prison has the ability to drive humans into madness, trapping hem within their own darkest memory and subsequently prohibiting them from escaping.

Forgetful Valley
Situated in the Fire Nation, the Forgetful Valley is comprised of thick wilderness and four mystical, crystal-clear pools of water. Occasionally, a wolf spirit will drink from one of the four pools. The valley is home to the Mother of Faces, whose presence is clear upon observing the various fauna and flora which exhibit face-like markings.

Solstices
A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice a year. During these solstices, the Spirit World and the physical world are significantly closer to each other compared to the rest of the year. Therefore, during one of the solstices, it is somewhat easier for one to cross into the Spirit World.

Spirit Oasis
The Spirit Oasis is a verdant oasis located in the Northern Water Tribe at the base of a waterfall behind the chief's palace. It is the center of all the spiritual energy in the entire North Pole and, unlike the rest of the region, has a warmer climate able to facilitate the growth of vegetation. Two koi fish swim in a central pool of the oasis and are the mortal forms of Tui and La, the Moon and the Ocean Spirits. Under normal circumstances, if one sets foot in the pool it acts normal. However, sometimes it can open as a portal to the Spirit World, and even be used to drag people nearby it to the Spirit World.

The North and South Poles
Both poles once have Spirit World portals in each of their Spirit Forests.

These portals were closed by Wan, in order to create and maintain balance between the spirits and humankind, as well as to keep any human from ever physically crossing over to the Spirit World again and risk freeing Vaatu. Only the Avatar currently can access the portals.

The two portals lead to a field where Raava and Vaatu battled during Harmonic Convergence. The plain consists of streams of water and rocky formations and is enclosed by a chain of mountains. In its center stands the Tree of Time, where Vaatu was imprisoned after his defeat.

The Avatar
The Avatar was the natural bridge between the Spirit World and the physical world. The Avatar can use meditation to enter the Spirit World. When doing so, the spirit of the Avatar leaves their physical body defenseless.

Known Spirits
The entities of the Spirit World are classified into four categories: light spirits, dark spirits, creature spirits, and human spirits, which includes the past lives of the Avatar. There is a special relationship between light and dark spirits, as one cannot exist without the other, and even if one manages to defeat the other, their counterpart will always reemerge again over time.
 * The Avatar: The Avatar themselves are considered a spirit, as the Avatar is the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit world.
 * Aye-aye spirit: A lemur-like spirit who guarded a Spirit Oasis in the Spirit Wilds.
 * Baboon spirit: A monkey-like spirit that spends his time meditating.
 * Dark spirits: Unbalanced spirits in whom the darkness has taken over the light.
 * Dragon bird spirits: Chimerical creatures often found nesting on top of large mountains.
 * Dragonfly bunny spirits: Bunny-like spirits capable of flight that inhabit the Eastern Air Temple.
 * Fog Spirit: A spirit that makes up the Fog of Lost Souls. It possesses the ability to effect the minds of individuals who wander through it, effectively driving them insane by imprisoning them in their own darkest memories.
 * Frog spirit: An amphibian-like spirit who inhabited the Spirit Wilds that increased in size when provoked.
 * Hei Bai: Typically taking the form of a panda bear, he manifests himself as a ferocious monster when provoked. A spirit of a dense forest near Senlin Village.
 * Kind spirits: A couple spirits who frequented the aye-aye spirit's oasis in the Spirit Wilds. They were the first spirits to sympathize with Wan.
 * Knowledge Seekers: Fox-like spirits that assist Wan Shi Tong by gathering old books and parchments to compile more information.
 * Koh, the Face Stealer: An ancient, malicious spirit that steals the face of any creature who shows emotion in his presence. As one of the oldest spirits in existence, he is extremely knowledgeable and possesses the ability to predict future events.
 * Lion dog spirits: Chimerical creatures often found near mountains.
 * May-Jim: May-Jim is frog spirit with two heads, a female one named May on its left shoulder and a male one named Jim on its right.
 * Mother of Faces: A giant woman with various blank faces encircling her head, she has the ability to give someone a new face. She appears in the Forgetful Valley after her wolf spirit has drank from one of the pools, and it is there she will give her gift of a new face.
 * Moth wasps: Moth-like spirits branded by expressive markings that are highly attracted to light.
 * Painted Lady: The spirit of the Jang Hui River, located in the Fire Nation, where villagers worship and build statues of her in her honor. The Painted Lady is known to possess healing and spiritual abilities.
 * Raava: The spirit of light, peace, and balance in the world. Raava had dueled her counterpart, Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness, for ten thousand years, before Wan was tricked into setting him free. Raava fused with Wan to defeat Vaatu and thus Wan became the first Avatar.undefined
 * Tui and La: Near the beginning of the world's creation, the Moon and Ocean Spirits departed for the mortal world and manifested themselves as two koi fish in the sacred Spirit Oasis of the North Pole. Tui and La were the original waterbenders, with La being the source and Tui being the originator.
 * Vaatu: The spirit of darkness and chaos in the world. He and Raava had dueled for ten thousand years before he tricked Wan into freeing him from Raava's restraint. He was later sealed by Wan into the Tree of Time, and has resided in his prison ever since.
 * Wan Shi Tong: Wan Shi Tong brought his immense library of knowledge into the mortal world in the hopes of bettering mankind with wisdom. With the use of fox-like animals known as Knowledge Seekers, he seeks out valuable sources of knowledge, varying from scrolls to ancient tomes. The library, originally located in the Si Wong Desert, was freely available to anyone who wished to use it until mortals used the knowledge contained therein to further warfare, prompting Wan Shi Tong to bury the library beneath the sand and make it impossible to find. He typically takes the shape of a gigantic black-and-white barn owl, but when angered becomes a wyvern-like creature.
 * Wolf spirit: A giant, ferocious wolf spirit with a prominent image of a face on its chest. It can swallow fire and throw up moth wasps