Something that I haven’t really seen categorized or analyzed in the Avatar ‘verse is instances of spirits possessing, fusing, or otherwise combining with humans. These fusions however have happened in in every main era, with many varying results. I’m going to explore the possible mechanics and methods of these fusions, or spirit forged humans, and try to theorize how it all works.
Chronologically, the first recorded and most basic of fusion would be what the franchise calls “Possession.” This is where a spirit inhabits a human’s body, whether willing or unwilling. Most possessions that are seen or described have been only temporary, usually with the spirit just phasing through the human, but the effects on the body are almost always drastic;
First seen is Yao, Wan’s friend, though we only see the after effects. He was presumably possessed by a tree spirit, which transformed his body into a misshapen, asymmetrical mix of wooden and human parts. We then see this happen to a hunter when the Aye-Aye spirit possesses him;
During the possession, we see traits of the Aye-Aye form and replace parts of the hunter’s body and features. The Aye-Aye and later Raava claim that a spirit staying too long inside a human body would kill the human, though how that happens is unclear. It is possible that if a spirit stays inside a human too long, the spirit completely takes over the human’s body. Essentially, the human would cease to be, as if the spirit consumed their body, or possibly took over their mind.
Apparently, changes in appearance are not the only effect of possession. In Rise of Kyoshi, it is mentioned that the son of a governor during the Hao Dynasty was transformed by a dragon-bird spirit flying through him. In addition to growing feathers and a beak, the boy developed unusual abilities. These abilities were not elaborated on. Corrupting possession like this would not be seen again until the era of Korra, where the full effects would be demonstrated;
Tokuga was an ambitious criminal who was transformed by the Dragon-Eel spirit flying through him. One effect was his arm being changed into a tail or tendril like appendage which could stretch great lengths. Tokuga could lift and constrict others with his new appendage and claimed that his strength and speed were enhanced by his transformation. He was even immune to poisonous gas. It can be inferred that a human possessed by a spirit obtains attributes of said spirit outside of outward appearance.
What should be noted is that in each of these instances, the human was unwilling to be possessed. However, in cases where the human was willing, a much different transformation occurs, one in which the human’s physical body and appearance are mostly unchanged.
When a human and a spirit are both willing, the human does not suffer any permanent physical transformation. This could possibly mean that physical transformations are done purposefully by the spirit while inhabiting the human’s body, as a direct form of harm or punishment, though this is unconfirmed, and may have more to do with the nature of the spirit. More animalistic spirits may cause a more directly physical transformation.
We see that Wan did not change physically when Raava passed through him, but he did describe feeling a rush of power from it. This could mean that a spirit can give humans a boost to their chi and strengthen their bending. This may be similar to how the Avatar State works, as it taps into Raava’s spirit energy latent within the Avatar. In the battle against Vaatu, Raava outright possesses Wan to allow him to bend all elements, but it put great strain on his body and would have killed him eventually.
In The Siege of the North, we see when a spirit simply gives a human its life energy. When Yue was born almost lifeless, the Moon Spirit gave her some of its own life energy to save her. It worked, and one side effect was Yue’s hair turning white. Whether or not this could be considered possession is unclear, but it may be safe to assume it is a case with a positive outcome for the human. This could be due to the spirit itself not inhabiting Yue’s body, just leaving her its energy
Another non-permanent, unharmful combination we see is Aang and the Ocean Spirit, La, to create an immense and powerful being. This form was a mixture of Aang, Raava, and La, and was only temporary, leaving Aang exhausted. This form was only created when Aang entered the Avatar State, and like other instances of possession, would likely have killed him if he stayed in the form for too long. Interestingly, Aang’s own body did not transform, and the Ocean Spirit transformed instead.
A much more rare transformation is a complete, permanent fusion between human and spirit. The first was Wan fusing with Raava to create what would become the Avatar, a being that would be reincarnated until Raava was forcefully separated from Korra thousands of years later. Raava was only able to combine with Wan temporarily in order to allow him to bend all four elements at once, but using the power of the spirit portals during Harmonic Convergence, they were able to fuse permanently. Unalaq repeated this process with Vaatu to create a Dark Avatar, and Korra did the same with Raava to recreate the Avatar.
What this could mean is that when two different sentient beings, or “souls,” try to inhabit the same body (the human soul and a foreign spirit), the body becomes overwhelmed by too much conflicting energies at once, with the more powerful one, the spirit, eventually winning out. The soul could be seen as a battery that energy or chi comes from, and a physical body can only accommodate one.
It requires a specific set of circumstances in order to create a permanent and stable fusion that leaves both parties alive. The process likely involves having to not just balance but also harmonize the two souls. This way, the two souls can share the same “will” and fuse into one soul that the body can handle. Harmonic convergence itself is a supernatural event that rebalances and harmonizes the whole planet’s spiritual energy, so tapping directly into it is likely what allows new Avatars to be created. That said, there are at least two instances of permanent, empowering fusions outside of Raava/Vaatu.
When the Moon Spirit Tui was killed by Zhao, Yue gave the energy that she was given. While this appeared to kill Yue, she instead became the Moon Spirit itself. Indeed, her physical body seems to dissolve in Sokka’s arms. The body of Tui glows and Iroh places it back into the pond, where it then rises from the water and takes the form of Yue. She speaks to Sokka and kisses him goodbye. Tui was not really brought back to life, rather Yue seemed to fuse with it and both were essentially reborn. How much of Yue remains human though is unclear.
What this could mean is that a human can take on the energy of a spirit IF that spirit has been killed or sufficiently weakened. Yue having lived so long with Tui’s life energy may have also made their fusion easier. Because Tui had died, it could be deduced that Yue’s will was not overcome by Tui’s, allowing Yue to keep her human form even after the transformation. It’s also possible that somehow Yue’s entire soul was absorbed into the physical body of the Moon Spirit, as if she were possessing it instead.
The final example of a human being reformed or “reforged” by a spirit is the most rare and most drastic, with its effects still unclear.
(Spoilers for Rise of Kyoshi and Shadow of Kyoshi)
During the era of Kyoshi, Kyoshi’s friend Yun was captured by the ancient spirit Father Glowworm and taken to the Spirit World. While there, the two battled each other to a stalemate until Glowworm proposed a deal; it would grant Yun some of its power, allowing Yun to create passages between the realms if Yun would bring Glowworm more victims to feed on. While it is possible that Glowworm was bluffing, it stands to reason that he would be able to grant Yun this kind of power, similar to how the Moon Spirit granted Yue life.
Yun appeared to agree to this, but instead, he attacked Glowworm, crushing the spirit down small enough that Yun was able to physically eat him. This gave Yun all of Glowworm’s power. It is repeatedly mentioned in the novel that Yun acted of his own will and not due to the influence of the spirit. From this is can be assumed that Glowworm was effectively killed when Yun ate him, too weak to impose his will over Yun’s. In essence, consumption is the inverse of possession; the human absorbs the spirit, rather than the spirit absorbing the human as is usually the case.
With Glowworm’s power, Yun was able to tunnel his way out of the Spirit World and into the Physical world. He also gained the ability to sense where the Avatar was, as Glowworm had formed a connection to the previous Avatar, Kuruk, though an intense battle in the past. It is unclear what other changes Yun underwent, though Kyoshi described something human was missing from him.
It could be assumed that absorbing Glowworm’s power amplified Yun’s already impressive earthbending skills to incredible levels, as he was able to liquify earth without the use of heat, something that not even Toph has been seen doing, among other feats.
And there you have it, all instances of “Spirit Forging” that occur within the Avatar universe, at least as much as I can find. From this, I think I can determine a few ground rules;
1.) Spirits, humans, animals, and plants all posses energy and souls. This energy is essential to life and can pass between beings, whether willingly or unwillingly. The soul is the source of this energy, or chi.
2.) Humans, plants and animals require a physical body to harness their souls and energy. Bodies can harness and unleash almost limitless amounts of power and spiritual energy if it is given to them. A spirit’s body is corporeal and a physical manifestation of their soul.
3.) The soul is the source of energy and willpower of a being, whether within a physical body or as a corporeal spirit. A body can harness limitless energy, but it cannot carry more than one soul for long without harmful after effects. The more out of syn or opposed the two souls within a body are, the more harm is done to the body.
4.) Energy can be taken by force through consumption or possession if the will of one being can overcome the other. If fully overcome, one soul can completely destroy the other. It can also be given freely with lesser side effects and with both souls remaining intact.
5.) Under specific circumstances, two souls can fuse into one soul by achieving a willing harmony and balance. This essentially causes the two souls to share the same will power and prevents the body from being torn apart. This fusion can be achieved with an immense outside energy source that acts as a harmonizer. Soul fusion is also possible if one or both souls are sufficiently weakened enough.
I hope that all makes sense. I haven’t seen much discussion on the topic, and I hope people find this as interesting as I do.
