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James Cameron's Avatar series is widely praised
for achieving a digital film revolution through
stunning visual technology, utilizing motion capture and virtual cameras.

But the reason why we feel awe at this movie is because
it has brought to life a story that has long been ingrained in the subconscious of humanity
by harnessing state-of-the-art technology.

In the movie Avatar, various mythologies from different countries,
including Sumerian mythology from around 5,000 BC,
Greek and Roman mythology, and Indian mythology, are blended together,
showcasing the boundless imagination of different cultures.

The secret of Avatar

James Cameron responded to the question of ‘What is Avatar?’ by saying,
"Avatar is the manifestation of a Hindu deity in physical form."
He added, "In this movie, human intelligence is injected into a distant body
using future technology."

The word "Avatar" originated from the Sanskrit term "avataara"
which means 'incarnation' or 'embodiment' in English.
The term "avatar" is derived from the Sanskrit words "ava" meaning "down" and "terr" meaning "earth."
In Hinduism, it refers to a divine being
who manifests on Earth in the form of a human or an animal.

There are approximately 330 million gods worshipped in India.
Among them, the three major gods of Hinduism are the creator god Brahma,
the preserver god Vishnu, and the destroyer god Shiva.
Vishnu is believed to descend to the world as an avatar
ten times to save humanity from crisis.

A sculpture of Vishnu, one of the three main deities in Hinduism. The bird supporting him on both shoulders
is Garuda, Vishnu's vahana (vehicle), which symbolizes the deity's nature and power.
Garuda is depicted as grasping a tortoise and a serpent with his talons. (Asian Culture Museum collection)

Return of the gods

To prevent the spread of poison in the human world,
Vishnu, whose body turned blue from ingesting the poison,
rides on Garuda, who has the face of an eagle and the body of a human,
and soars through the sky.

In the movie Avatar, the blue-skinned Na'vi ride
giant bird-like creatures called mountain banshees
and soar through the sky, reminiscent of Garuda.

In the realm of ancient mythology, the imagined avatars possess advanced technology
and spectacularly ascend beyond Earth.

In the movie Avatar (2009), the red-striped toruk, which Jake rode to instill belief in himself among the Na'vi,
evokes the imagery of Garuda, the vahana ridden by the god Vishnu. (Naver Movie: Avatar)

James Cameron has stated, “I waited 15 years for the technology to catch up with my vision and for the story to be ready before completing the 'Avatar' screenplay.
Whatever you can imagine becomes possible in this extraordinary era of achievable wonders, and going back to the classics becomes a powerful force.”

In the cultural industry, including games, animation, and movies, cutting-edge technology often intersects with the oldest human stories, such as mythology.
Technology, at a certain stage, becomes an aim in itself, driving innovation. However, the stories that originate from humans circle back to humans,
providing meaning and direction to technology.

The images on the screen enhance intuition,
while the words on paper deepen thinking.
The fusion of technology and mythology,
the harmonious combination of images and words,
is likely to be the essence of creativity in this era.