Interbody transference

[neytirifanboy]

I found the concept of the interbody transference used for Jake and Grace interesting.

What occurs to me is that the process was not one that seemed to be particularly new to the Na'vi. It is obviously something that takes a lot of planning and effort to do successfully. But it must be something the Na'vi have done before, probably before the Skypeople arrived.

This of course raises the question: When, how and why did they use it before? Was it done with other species in the past.

It just makes me wonder under what circumstances they have done this before. Apart from the fact that it is just a plot device, it may be interesting to speculate how the Na'vi have used this in the past and how it could be used if at all in the sequels.

Anyone thought about this?

[Isard]

Now that you point it out... It did seem like they knew what they were doing.


But for the life of me, I cannot see what they would use it for. Hmmm...

[Mika]

Ummm very good question ... how, when, where, why?

[Tsyal Makto]

Maybe not for transfering people, but healing them? Maybe praying over an injured/weak Na'vi, and that energy being given to them, helps the healing process? Maybe in the case of Grace and Jake they just thought that they could modify the process to do a conscience transfer, to change a person's body, rather than heal the one they are in?

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

Maybe not for transfering people, but healing them? Maybe praying over an injured/weak Na'vi, and that energy being given to them, helps the healing process? Maybe in the case of Grace and Jake they just thought that they could modify the process to do a conscience transfer, to change a person's body, rather than heal the one they are in?

Sounds feasible. It could be used to say revive someone in a coma. If the Na'vi consciousness has to go through Ewya and come back, then perhaps they may come out the coma.

There are other potential uses that I can think off. Please note that they are only off the wall suggestions. I am not saying the Na'vi did do these things. It's just pure specualtion.

For example, you could transfer your consciousness into an animal like say a Thanator or a Titanothere. That could be useful in war scenarios.

They could also have used it to speak to their ancestors in the past. For example, they could have got an ancestor to take temporary possession of a body to give them news. However, I would assume that this would not be necessary at the time Avatar took place because the Na'vi can communicate with thei ancestors through the Tree of Voices. So perhaps this method pre-dated the Tree of Voices

Anyway these are just a couple of thoughts.

[Human No More]

Mo'at is intelligent, I guess she probably at least partly understood the nature of Eywa, and it's obvious enough that the Tree of souls has the most connections to the rest of Pandora, so would be the obvious place where connecting would give the strongest link, allowing more memories and information to be transferred. I really doubt a Na'vi could be transferred into a thanator or something, because their neurology would be too different.

Of course, in the game, the tsahik already did it with the player there, but the game isn't canon.

[Sothis]

Scott Washburn's "Aftermath" had an interesting idea where the Na'vi use the ritual to transfer memories from one Tsahik to the next, when the old Tsahik is dying. The mother's spirit isn't transplanted into her daughter's in the way they were attempting with Grace and Jake, but her memories are (including the memories she inherited from her own mother). In this way, the clan's history is preserved from one generation to the next.

In this "traditional" case, the recipient isn't an empty vessel, so only the memories are transferred, not the entire "soul." The avatars, by contrast, ARE empty vessels when the driver isn't linking with it, so Mo'at probably deduced that the ritual could potentially allow the "soul" to completely inhabit the avatar body.

[Ashen Key]

Originally Posted by Sothis

Scott Washburn's "Aftermath" had an interesting idea where the Na'vi use the ritual to transfer memories from one Tsahik to the next, when the old Tsahik is dying. The mother's spirit isn't transplanted into her daughter's in the way they were attempting with Grace and Jake, but her memories are (including the memories she inherited from her own mother). In this way, the clan's history is preserved from one generation to the next.

In this "traditional" case, the recipient isn't an empty vessel, so only the memories are transferred, not the entire "soul." The avatars, by contrast, ARE empty vessels when the driver isn't linking with it, so Mo'at probably deduced that the ritual could potentially allow the "soul" to completely inhabit the avatar body.

...oh, wow, that's an utterly brilliant idea. And it makes perfect sense, both in a cultural-way, and also in a plot-way.

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Ashen Key

...oh, wow, that's an utterly brilliant idea. And it makes perfect sense, both in a cultural-way, and also in a plot-way.

Yes, I agree. What Sothis says does make sense and would provide an explanation.

[Fighter-of-Wars]

I think they could have used it before to save people who were terminally ill. Like where Mo'at says "We wish the all mother to save all that she is, in this body."

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Fighter-of-Wars

I think they could have used it before to save people who were terminally ill. Like where Mo'at says "We wish the all mother to save all that she is, in this body."

Yes, I think that is another possible use.

[Sothis]

Originally Posted by neytirifanboy

Yes, I agree. What Sothis says does make sense and would provide an explanation.

All credit to Scott Washburn and this fic:
Aftermath Chapter 3, an Avatar fanfic - FanFiction.Net

The part I referenced is about half-way through chapter 3.