Audrey Misner

Mr. Thompson
English 1301.15
November 13, 2016
Avatar Project
Avatar the movie is the story of Jake Sully, a wheelchair-bound former marine, and his
journey fighting a mega-corporation alongside the Navi, the blue, native inhabitants of the
planet Pandora. Although he was brought to the planet to assist the corporation in the
procurement of unobtanium, a precious substance under the Navis home tree, Sully decided to
use his avatar body to help the natives and fight alongside them. James Cameron, the director of
the movie, uses numerous literary tactics and themes to capture the attention of audiences. He
does this through allusions to religion and beliefs that are common. The Navi beliefs of death
and rebirth, the connectedness of all life, and the sacredness of nature throughout the movie
allude to Druidism, a religion in which these beliefs are key.
Throughout the movie, death and the rebirth of spirits and the human body is a major
element. When Jake first enters the link chair and wakes up in his new avatar body, he is being
reincarnated in a healthy body and dying in his injured body. Although it is not permanent, he
continues to be reincarnated every time he transfers from his true body to his avatar body. In the
first experience Jake has outside with his avatar body, he comes across Neytiri, the Navi, female
protagonist of the film. At their first encounter, after Neytiri kills animals trying to harm Jake,
they run into Atokirina. Seeds of the Great Tree -- very pure spirits (Neytiri, Avatar). The
Great or sacred tree represents the otherworld in Druidism, the place a person goes to when they
die and where they are reborn. Druids believe that that the soul undergoes a process of
successive reincarnations-either always in human form, or in a variety of forms that might
include trees and even rocks as well as animals (Carr-Gomm). They believe that when you die,

you are actually being born again in another form. As reincarnated spirits, the Atokirina
surrounded Jake in a glowing light, showing a sign to Neytiri that he was not just a vicious alien.
A large expanse of the movie shows how connected the Navi are to their planet, as well
as the animals and plants on it. They believe that everything has a heartbeat and you need to
respect every living thing on the planet. When they go hunting, the Navi thank the animals for
their sacrifice and wish their spirits to be with Eyowa, the sacred mother of Pandora. The Navi
also recognize the resources that nature provides, such as trees for protection and shelter, food,
and water. In Druidism, it is a strong belief that humans are part of a great web or fabric of life
that includes every living creature and all of creation (Carr-Gomm). This means that Druids
accept that humanity is on the same level of importance as plants and animals (Slick). Druids
recognize that every living thing on earth has a purpose, and one purpose does not outweigh
another.
The Druids and the Navi both believe that the sacredness of nature is the most crucial
element of their existence. The name Druid means, "knowing the oak tree" in (the Celtic
language). As part of their religion, people that practiced Druidism would meet in the groves
and forest to perform their ceremonies (Druidism). In Avatar, the Navi perform rituals sitting at
the roots of The Tree of Souls. This is tree is where they believe Eyowa lives and where they
can best communicate with her by connecting their braids to the leaves of the tree. As the Navi
are pushed from their home by the corporation, they sit around the tree, connecting to the roots
and singing to Eyowa. Jake prays to the mother and asks her to be on their side and help in the
fight against the corporation; and the wild animals begin to assist the Navi. As the fight for their
planet goes on and the natives and animals begin to die, the Navi mourn for the loss of the
plants as well.
Using the literary element of allusion, James Cameron brought the beliefs of Druidism to
his movie Avatar. After winning the battle between the sky people and the natives, Jake

decided he wanted to stay on Pandora as a Navi. The last seen of the movie contains all of the
examples from above. The Navi people are sitting at the roots of the Tree of Souls, with their
arms connected. They are all connected to the tree, are singing to Eyowa (thanking her for
helping the tree remain safe), and Jake is being reincarnated permanently to his avatar body. The
Navi welcome Jake into their culture, and he wakes up in his new, healthy body.

Works Cited
Carr-Gomm, Philip. "Druid Beliefs." Order of Bards and Druids. Druidry.org, 2006. Web. 07
Nov. 2016.
"Druidism." Druidism. Themystica.com, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Slick, Matt. "What Is Druidism?" CARM. Carm.org, 2014. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.