Eywa is the deity from James Cameron's Avatar film. She is the creator goddess, the deity who is in everything on Pandora (the fifth moon of Polyphemus on which humans are mining unobtanium) and connects all living entities together.
The Na'vi, the native people of Pandora, see Eywa as the guiding force behind everything that happens. Birth comes through Eywa and the dead are returned to her, joining together within her after their physical bodies die.
There is a place on Pandora called The Tree of Souls which allows the Na'vi to contact their dead and commune with the psychic essence of those who have gone before. They use their queues, an extention of the Na'vi nervous system which looks like a braid from the base of their skulls, to connect with other creatures and organisms like the Tree of Souls. The human scientists believe that Eywa is a psionic consciousness created by all life on Ewya through such connections as the queues and other neuro-conductive antennae.
I know a lot of people disliked Avatar, but I thought it was a great film and I loved the mythology around Ewya and Pandora. I'm not sure if the sequels are going to be any good, but I'll give them a go.
Have you seen Avatar? Did Eywa remind you of any other deities?
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I enjoyed Avatar and liked the world they created. I'm looking forward to going back and hope the story is as good.
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
I do hope the sequels live up to the first one :)
DeleteI liked the concept of Avatar, but for some reason the movie wasn't really my speed. I can't even really tell you why. Maybe I just have an issue with James Cameron. The whole mythology of it seems very similar to some Native American lore, which I find interesting...so maybe that's why I like the idea of it despite not favoring the movie. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie
ReplyDeleteIt's still the only movie I've seen where the 3D actually worked for me :) It just wasn't to some people's taste.
DeleteYou know, I'v enever seen Avatar. And I don't feel the need to watch it, I don't know why ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's not for everyone :)
DeleteI didn't know anything about Avatar! But it sounds like good worldbuilding.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it has some great ideas. It is James Cameron's magnun opus, so I should hope so :)
DeleteLoved the movie and Eywa made me think of them a lead deity. She was this all wise and loving being. Great choice for E.
ReplyDeleteThank you :D
DeleteI liked Avatar. There is a lot of cultural overlap - the interconnectedness of the universe/planet is a very Vedic idea, therefore easy to relate to. But I liked it apart from that too :) Great choice for E.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes,
Nilanjana
from
Madly-in-Verse
Thank you - I saw some really heated reactions to it, but I really enjoyed it.
DeleteI liked Avatar. I like stories that explore the interconnectedness of all things. It speaks to me on a deep level. Of course, a little less Hollywood flair might have been nice, but that's a different topic. ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL - unfortunately for big budget movies we have to put up with hollywood :)
DeleteI liked Avatar!
ReplyDeleteYay! :)
DeleteOh good, I know one...Eywa and Avatar which I watched several times. I thought the mythology, the artwork, and the creature creations were incredible. I am glad to know the reasoning behind their 'queues'...neuro conduction. Also interesting to know it was based on Pandoraism.
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
AtoZ 2015 Challenge
Minion for AJ's wHooligans
I have the art book to go with the film and it's just beautiful.
DeleteI loved the Avatar, and Eywa was a beautiful representation of an earth goddess. It's how I imagine Gaia :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I suspect that is what Cameron was going for :)
DeleteHi Natasha - I'm still out of it .. in other words it's a movie I didn't see! Interesting to read your post and then the comments - people's imaginations are all struck ... I must be missing something in life?! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteSome movies are worth seeing and some are just fun, I think this one is one of those worth it :)
DeleteI thought Avatar was a gorgeous, amazing setting, and a "meh" story (it was essentially Pocahontas, and therefore kind of problematic). But I did love the mythology and the visuals. :)
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
I've never seen Pocohantas so I wouldn't know about that :) - I still really enjoyed it - the setting dragged me in.
DeleteI did see Avatar and really liked it. I took it as science fiction and enjoyed the concepts shared; didn't agree with all of them, but did overall think the movie was pretty good. I keep waiting for the next one to come out though, thought it would be out sooner than this.
ReplyDeletebetty
I think they have kept delaying the next one. I believe they might be doing 2 back to back.
DeleteAvatar is a film I enjoyed. I didn't dislike it.
ReplyDeleteSo today I just discovered that you and Sophie are twins!
Precious Monsters
Yes, we are :) Double the trouble!
DeleteI also really liked Avatar. And yeah, the Tree and the goddess reminded me a lot of Fern Gully, which is maybe my only gripe with the story. But, you could say the plot itself is an archetype, going all the way back to Yggdrasil.
ReplyDeleteAlex Hurst, A Fantasy Author in Kyoto
A-Z Blogging in April Participant
I love Fern Gully :D I never connected the two - funny, probably because in my head one is firmly sci-fi and the other fantasy ::g:: Way to compartmentalise, brain! Now I see what you mean. And you have a very good point about Yggdrasil.
DeleteI watched Avatar, but I didn't have any strong feelings one way or the other. It was on, I watched it, it ended. I'm very fussy about the fantasy/science fiction I like though.
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
I'm like that when I'm reading, not so much when I'm watching ... I think sometimes parts of my brain turn off :)
DeleteI just watched Avatar for the second time and liked it as much as I did the first. I, too, have doubts about the upcoming sequels but will give at least the second one a shot. Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what I think too. Sequels are either magnificent or total dross in my experience - no in-between :)
DeleteI've never talked to anyone who disliked this film. It took the box office by storm as I recall. I think some of the concepts like The Tree of Souls were beautiful. Of course, Sigorne Weaver always steals the show.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Sigourney Weaver is the queen :) I think some people disliked the trope used as the main basis for the story because basically it's white guy saves native people.
DeleteEwya! I loved Avatar. The world-building was just spectacular.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree.
DeleteI love all the fantasy flicks but I wish they expanded the story just a bit more. I've always wondered if the editing cut out something important.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you're in the A-to-Z!
Cherdo
www.cherdoontheflipside.com
I think a lot of the time the editing cuts out important things ... except with Peter Jackson who can turn a short book into 3 films ;)
DeleteI liked Avatar when I saw it in the theater, but I've not seen it since to know if it would hold up for me over time.
ReplyDeleteI have two versions of it on Blu-ray ... I think it holds up, but then when I love something I tend to cling :)
DeleteI have not "not" seen AVATAR, I am interested in it now... most people at the time gave it too much praise. I think I get turned off by it, I do have the soundtrack for this by composer James Horner.
ReplyDeleteWelcome in the letter "E"... thank you!
Jeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?
This was one movie where I think the hype about the 3D at least got it right - it's the only movie I've seen where the 3D works for me. It's stunning.
DeleteThe movie was visually impressive. I think the criticism came for how cliche it was. But it was entertaining and I'm sure I'll check out the sequels.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with cliches if they are done well. Cliches are usually cliches because they've been done so many times because people like them, IMHO :)
DeleteThis may have been the first 3D film I saw and I loved it. Thanks for saying about it, it was a nice reminder.
ReplyDeleteI still think it's the only 3D film where I really enjoyed the 3D. Mostly I find it annoying and unnecessary.
DeleteMy ex made us watch Avatar, back when he had hijacked my Netflix queue and kept bumping down my classic films so we could only see modern stuff. I thought it was pretty good, though it wasn't a perfect film. As a typophile, I hate how it made that blasted Papyrus so popular!
ReplyDeleteLOL - it was not a good font choice ;)
DeleteI liked Avatar, though not quite as much as I had hoped. I saw a comment earlier where you mentioned how it was the only 3D movie where the 3D really worked for you...have you seen Hugo? I thought the 3D in that was phenomenal.
ReplyDeleteNo I haven't seen Hugo - when we finally get the second pair of 3D specs for at home I will have to check it out.
DeleteIt reminded me of what most invading cultures did to the native tribes that lived on the land before them. I guess reminders, even if it's fantasy, makes peoples uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteIt should and I think it is good it does.
DeleteI never saw it. It doesn't seem like my kind of movie. But the mythology is certainly interesting.
ReplyDeleteWe can't all like the same things :) My mother can't stand sci-fi - all the tech throws her out of the story.
DeleteStill need to see the film.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good'un ;)
DeleteEnjoyed Avatar. It was banned in China when it was first released, because of the political theme of the people against the corporation. Visiting from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteMaui Jungalow
I didn't realise that - best way to make a film even more popular: ban it :)
DeleteI enjoyed Avatar a lot. I thought the concept behind Eywa was so beautiful - it really made the film in a lot of ways. I hope the sequels work out. It's James Cameron, so I do have some faith they will!
ReplyDeleteMe too - I just love the interconnection of everything. I have my fingers crossed for the sequel, but you never can tell :)
DeleteI loved Avatar and the whole concept of tree of souls. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too :)
DeleteMy husband loves that movie and bought the DVD. I watched it with him the first time, but don't remember all that much about it. It was a huge hit, so obviously it has many fans.
ReplyDeleteI think I've probably seen it 8 or 10 times now ... I kinda liked it :)
DeleteI had a hard time with this book, too. It probably deserves revisiting.
ReplyDeleteI loved the movie. And I loved the setting.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I saw it as a movie where the invaders lost and the natives won, so perhaps it spoke to me in a way that "descendants of invaders" couldn't appreciate?
Beautiful post.
I loved the fact the invaders lost too.
Delete