Comparative analysis of the TV series Avatar: The Legend of Aang and several Asian mythologies

1. Avatar: A Hero’s Journey
A quick look into the history of
Asian cultures
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2. Long ago, the four nations lived
together in harmony…
• These elements are Earth, Water, Fire, and Air

3. The Call to Adventure
• An Avatar was born – master of all the
elements, destined to become the bridge of
the spirits
• Little did Aang know of this destiny, which
was given upon him after the death of the
previous Avatar

4. The Call to Adventure
• Yin and Yang,
according to Chinese
philosophy, is the
balance between the
forces of good and evil
• Raava, the light
spirit, and Vaatu, the
dark spirit, constantly
fought each other for
control of the spirit
world

5. The Call to Adventure
• Hindu’s Vishnu is
believed to have several
avatars, something
prominent in Hindu
mythologies
• The belief of
reincarnation is greatly
emphasized as Avatars
are reincarnations of
the first and the
original being

6. Refusal of the Call
• After learning that he
was to be separated
from all the people he
knew, to train to
become the Avatar,
Aang ran away and
trapped himself inside
an iceberg

7. Refusal of the Call
• Shiva, one of the
three main deities of
Hindus, was
supposedly the deity
for rebirth, but
instead, became the
deity for destruction
• The role upon which
he decided on stuck
to him, thus became
the “Destroyer” or
“Transformer”

8. Supernatural Aid
• A hundred years
later, two
siblings, Katara and
Sokka, found the large
iceberg and happened
to release Aang from
this

9. Supernatural Aid
• In many Eastern cultures, their mythologies
consist of certain creatures that would guide the
creation of the world, such as the beasts of
China,

10. The Crossing of the First Threshold
• With their friendship
quickly establish, the
three set out to
discover the changes
after a hundred years
of the Avatar’s absence

11. The Crossing of the First Threshold
• The number ‘3’ is a significant theme in most
stories, and as such, follows in the concept of
“Triple Deities,” a theme some mythologies
follow
Greek - The Fates
Hindu
Taoism – Fu Lu Shou

12. Belly of the Whale
• Finally meeting his
predecessor, Aang
learns of a catastrophe
that was about to
happen when the
Sozin’s comet passes,
giving the Fire Nation
(one of the elements)
power to defeat the
other three

13. Belly of the Whale
• In some
cultures, comets hold
deep significance as they
are signs of the world
ending
• In Middle Eastern
culture, they are
regarded as evil or an ill
omen as some believe
they brought about the
Deluge that happened
thousands of years ago

14. The Road of Trials
• Aang sets off to parts of the world in search for element
masters who would train him in Water, Earth and Fire

15. The Road of Trials
• Buddha undergoes
challenges in
poverty, hunger, illness
es and death
• He left the riches he
had as a prince and
ventured through
mountains, forests and
jungles in search for
enlightenment

16. The Meeting with the Goddess
• Entering the Northern
Water Tribe, he meets
waterbending master
Pakku, and begins to learn
under him
•Aang also meets the
Ocean and Moon
spirits (the
fishes), embodied by
Princess Yue.

17. The Meeting with the Goddess
Chinese Nuwa known
for helping Fu Xi
repair the walls of
heaven, and the
creation of mankind
Inuit Sedna, goddess
of the sea, known for
helping sea voyagers
in deep oceans, and
deity for Inuit hunters
Japanese Izanami is
responsible for creating
the islands of Japan and
the birth of minor
deities

18. Atonement with the Father
• In a battle against
Princess Azula, daughter
of the Fire Lord, Aang
was struck by a firelightning attack that left
him in a state of death

19. Atonement with the Father
• In Mulan, a legendary Chinese hero, she was
discovered a female, and was “casted” off from
the army before the war actually started
• This gave her the strength to continue what
she has begun as she fought for her father, and
for what she believed in

20. Apotheosis
• While his physical
body is in a very bad
condition, he goes into
his Avatar state, in
which his mind
becomes linked with
the spirit world

21. Apotheosis
Japanese Amaterasu is
immortalized after death
and passing on the
heavenly treasures
Sumerian Gilgamesh
went on a quest for
immortality, and after
death, becomes
known for his epic
adventure

22. Ultimate Boon
• The time finally comes when the comet
arrives, and he is faced with the Fire Lord for the
battle that would either balance the scales or
completely destroy the balance of nature.

23. Ultimate Boon
Japanese Susanoo slays
the water dragon to
redeem himself
Chinese Huang Ti defeats
Chi You, a tribal leader of the
Nine Li tribe, and became a
cosmic ruler the initiator of
Chinese civilization
Hindu Krishna in the
Kurukshreta War
mediated the
opposing sides for
peace

24. Rescue from Without
• Upon victory and his
mastery of all four
elements, he meets with
the lion turtle that
originally gave him his
bending ability
Katara - Water
Zuko - Fire
Toph - Earth

25. The Crossing of the Return
Threshold
• With their victory, his firebending
teacher, Prince Zuko, the son of the Fire Lord, is
now crowned the Fire Lord
• Aang, together with his team and Zuko, plans to
rebuild the relationship of all four nations

26. Master of Two Worlds
• And so, Aang decides to
begin a relationship with
his friend Katara, and
continues to protect the
world from elemental
forces, spirits, and
conflicts

27. Freedom to Live

28. Rebirth
• And so begins the story of the next Avatar, Korra.

29. END.
ELECLIT A53 – MYTHPOP
Craig Timothy Y. Gan
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