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▸the air nomads
air nomads is the collective term for the monastic order of men and women who practice the discipline of airbending and their seclusive, theocratic society. One of the four major nations, the air nomads were wanderers by definition, but had four air temples, one at each corner of the globe, hidden away atop mountain ranges and under cliffs, in the northern earth kingdom and on three remote islands. unlike the other nations, the people of the air nomads were, without any seen exception, all benders due to the high level of spirituality of their people.
the air nomads made up the smallest of the four nations in the world. they had a small economy, based entirely on limited agriculture. the population of the air nomads was small compared to even the water tribe and was far smaller than either of the world's two major powers, the fire nation and the earth kingdom.
they lived in large temples and traveled the world on flying bison. they were the most spiritual of all the cultures and lived in harmony with nature. they also were fun-loving and had a strong sense of humor.
▸geography
in the era before the avatar, the precursors of the air nomads lived on top of lion turtles, but with the rise of the avatar, they left the safety of the lion turtle cities and came to live in large temples on remote mountains. there were four temples in all, one for each direction on the compass; two were run for and by males, and two were run for and by females. the young boys of the southern air temple were known to travel to the eastern air temple in order to choose their own personal sky bison. this was considered an important choice as the intelligent animals would be with the choosing airbenders for the rest of their lives
▸culture
while other nations possess royalty and are run by hereditary monarchies, the air nomads were led by the senior monks and nuns of the air temples. due to the peaceful teachings of their leaders, the nature of the people was calm and tranquil. they also believed in equality for all, that people should live without divisions in society. in that spirit, same-sex relationships were completely accepted in air nomad culture, as their generally peaceful and open-minded way of life led them to embrace all forms of consenting love. because of this, air nomads had no need to "come out" about their sexual orientations.
the air nomads are the only nation comprised entirely of benders. meditation was an important part of the airbenders' daily routines, as it helped them to focus their energies and understand the potency of their element. due to their high spirituality, the monks believed that hope was only a distraction.
the air nomads also revered certain events and holidays, such as yangchen's festival, which celebrated the avatar's victory over a dark spirit. the holiday was marked as one of the highest on the air nomad calendar and was also one of the funniest celebrations of their culture.
the arrow tattoos adorning an air nomad's body signifies that he or she has mastered airbending. this is an emulation of the natural arrows on the heads of flying bison, who can naturally airbend and are the original teachers of the art, much like the badgermole is to the earthbenders. aspiring airbenders have no tattoos and in order to receive the tattoos as well as the title of a master, an airbender must pass the thirty-six levels of airbending or engineer a new technique. after receiving their tattoos, the airbender is anointed a master during a special ceremony.
the air nomads also preached against the concept of revenge, viewing it as being akin to a two-headed rat-viper: by destroying your enemy, you poison yourself.
each nation of the four nations is influenced by their own distinct, dominant season, in which their bending is at its peak. autumn is the dominant season of the air nomad race. airbenders are thus at their strongest in this season. more air nomad children were born during autumn than any other season, all retaining bending abilities.
▸airbending
airbending, one of the four elemental bending arts, is the aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate air. the peaceful air nomads utilized this type of bending in their everyday lives.
air is the element of freedom. the air nomads detached themselves from worldly problems and concerns; finding peace and freedom was the key to solving their difficulties in life. airbenders continually sought spiritual enlightenment, and, as a result, all children born into the Air Nomads were benders. the first airbenders learned their art from the flying bison.
the key to airbending is flexibility and finding and following the path of least resistance. airbending is notable for being almost purely defensive, as well as the most dynamic of the four bending arts. airbenders can overwhelm many opponents at once with large and powerful attacks that could prove fatal; however, due to the pacifist nature of the air nomads, such attacks are rarely used. instead, an airbender strives to use the opponents' energy against them. due to their aforementioned spirituality, they often adapt to the situation surrounding them and employ negative jing, preferring evasive maneuvers as opposed to direct confrontation.
