Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked by Dungarth on September 30, 2021
Technically, a comet is a huge ball of rock, dirt, ice and frozen gases. In the series, Sozin’s comet catches fire by entering the upper atmosphere, giving a boost to firebenders all around the world by simply having a lot of their element floating in the sky.
Wouldn’t earth benders also be strengthened by the appearance of such a large rock? If nearby presence is enough for firebenders, why isn’t it for earthbenders?
The same argument could go for waterbender, ice being a primary component of the comet and water vapor possibly accounting for nearly 80% of it’s tail’s gaseous volume (like in Halley’s comet’s case).
The case could even possibly be made for airbenders, as large quantity of gases would be released in the air by such a comet that actually entered the atmosphere. Also, it’s entirely possible that the air movements caused by the passage of such a massive object actually create wind in the upper atmosphere.
Thus, my question would be “why are only firebenders affected by Sozin’s comet?”
Preferably, an accepted answer would be based on known canon.
Thank you for your time, everyone!
This may not be the most satisfying answer to a scientifically minded individual, but it is canonical. The reason other Benders are not assisted by Sozin's Comet is a similar reason to why Waterbenders cannot bend air (which is largely water): because the rules of the Avatar universe do not allow them to.
From Winter Solstice, Parts 1 and 2, we learn that each Element can be strengthened by certain events in the world. The Moon, as controller of the tides, represents Waterbending. When the Moon is out and full, Waterbenders have their strength greatly increased. We also learn from Avatar Roku that Sozin's Comet grants Firebenders the same elevated power. Why is this the case? It is not fully explained. We know Firebenders normally draw their power from the sun, and lose it during a solar eclipse. We can assume that because the ball of frozen dust and gases dips into the atmosphere of the planet as it whips by, the gases ignite, and the fire merely overpowers the ice and dust that comprises the rest of the comet. The flaming ball low in the atmosphere serves to provide more Fire energy than the sun does on normal day.
We are never told in an episode what the event that ties to Airbenders or Earthbenders is, but in a leaked portion of the Avatar: The Last Airbender IP Bible, we are told that an Earthbender's power is strengthened by standing on a fault line and absorbing the energy from the moving Earth. The IP Bible doesn't mention any similar event/condition for Airbenders to benefit from.
Correct answer by Gabe Willard on September 30, 2021
Classically in the canon, we see the bending-elements have more to do with the spirit world than with physical elements.
Waterbenders are strengthened by the full moon, which is mostly rock and not ice or water. This is because it was the moon spirit that first taught waterbending, or at least the tribes learnt from the example of the moon. It appears to be bending water (we know this is not true, it's just gravity). So we can surmise that the moon spirit is what aids water benders under a full moon. This is proven when the current moon spirit dies and the water bender's powers wane (pun intended).
tl;dr The spirits aid bending, not the physical object that they are associated with.
Sozin's comet is going to appear mostly like a ball of fire in the sky, regardless of it's actual composition. Thus it's likely a similar fire spirit is responsible for the enhancement of the firebender's during the approach of Sozin's comet.
Answered by AncientSwordRage on September 30, 2021
I would like to point out that the whole concept of a recurring comet that collides with the Earth is nonsensical. The reason comet's are visible in a predictable cycle (e.g. Halley's Comet) is due to their orbit around the Sun. A comet that collides with the Earth would no longer be orbiting the Sun and wouldn't be able to collide again. Nor would similar comets be able to collide in a predictable cycle. I don't think the Avatar Universe is concerned with logicality and is just suppose to be a mythical world where logic does not necessarily apply.
Answered by Liam on September 30, 2021
I think we can extrapolate from the Moon Spirit in Winter Solstice, Parts 1 and 2 and say that celestial bodies in general have associated spirits. The spirit associated with the Moon is a water spirit. The spirit associated with Sozin's Comet happens to be a fire spirit of some sort, for whatever reason, even if the comet's physical nature is not fiery. Perhaps it's related to the way the comet burns the planet's atmosphere as it clips it briefly at the closest pass.
Answered by orielwen on September 30, 2021
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