u/AffectionateScale525

There is no doubt that ATLA is predominantly Asian inspired. However, there are some European aspects in it, some are obvious, some are lesser known.

1. The Four Elements
I think this one that most people already know, the four element concept is based on the classical element of Ancient Greece. Asian cultures do have their own concept of classical element, however, it is not the four classical elements. For example, one of the most popular Asian classical element is Wuxing. It's a Chinese classical element, but it consist of five classical elements (Wood, Earth, Fire, Water, Metal).

Edit: Some people in the comments pointed out it's inspired by Indian classical element. So I guess this one is wrong. But I'm going to keep it for the context.

2. Fire-breathing Winged Dragons
ATLA's dragons seems to blend Chinese and European aspect of dragons.

The appearance and design of the Dragons is heavily inspired by the Chinese dragon. Chinese dragons look more like a serpent (like in ATLA), while European dragons are more reptile-like. ATLA's dragons are also viewed positively, not a malicious creature, that's also how The Chinese viewed dragons, while European dragons are mainly depicted as malicious.

On the other hand, ATLA's dragon is associated with fire and can breath fire, this popular trope is actually based on European dragon. Chinese dragons are not known for that ability, in fact, they're heavily associated with water, not fire. Another one is that ATLA's dragons have wings, that's an European dragon trait, Chinese dragons do not have that.

3. Northern Water Tribe Architecture
The Northern Water Tribe architecture is based on European architecture.

>The canal system in Agna Qel'a (Northern Water Tribe's Capital City) was inspired by the canals found specifically in Italy.^([27]) The design of the bridges connecting the two sides of each canal resemble that of Venice, and the architecture of most of the city is strikingly European.

https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Agna_Qel%27a

4. Fire Nation terrain.
Fire Nation terrain, or at least some of them, is actually based on Iceland. This make senses since Iceland are also known for its volcanoes. One fun fact is that in one scene of the show, the landscape was directly inspired by the scenery of Iceland, as shown in the fourth image.

Do you find more European aspect of ATLA that I miss?

The Four Temperaments are an old personality theory from ancient Greece. It says people tend to lean toward one of four basic personality types:

• Sanguine: social, energetic, optimistic, talkative
• Choleric: ambitious, driven, confident, sometimes impatient
• Melancholic: thoughtful, sensitive, detail-oriented, reflective
• Phlegmatic: calm, reliable, peaceful, easygoing

Today they're treated like the classical elements, an ancient theory that we now know is inaccurate but still used as a trope/theme for the purpose of fiction. The four temperaments are also associated with the four elements.
Sanguine - Air
Choleric - Fire
Melancholic - Earth
Phlegmatic - Water

Sometimes Melancholic is water while Phlegmatic is earth but in most cases it is the other way around. Due to this association I wonder whether the four elements philosophy in ATLA align with their corresponding temperaments. Tv Tropes associate it (as shown in the first image). However, I think the only nation/element that has strong association with the corresponding temperament is Fire (Choleric). So I rather disagree with them.

If you look at the personality of Sanguine, Melancholic, and Phlegmatic, the three nations don't seem to strongly reflect that personality. The association is pretty weak, it doesn't significantly capture it. But I think The Fire Nation give a really strong choleric vibes.

Choleric is described as:

>People with this temperament tend to be egocentric and extroverted. They may be excitable, impulsive, and restless, with reserves of aggression, energy, and/or passion, and try to instill that in others. They can be ambitious, strong-willed and like to be in charge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_temperaments#Choleric

Their most defining traits are goal-oriented, ambitious, and energetic, but also domineering, aggressive, and impatient. I think this is very close to canon Fire element's philosophy. Uncle Iroh said:

>Fire is the Element of Power*. The people of the Fire Nation have* desire and will and the energy and drive to achieve what they want

This is just straight up being goal-oriented and ambitious. Furthermore, the negative traits of The Fire Nation is being aggressive and dominating, which is also the negative traits of the Choleric temperament.

But what do you think? Do you find that that there is a connection?

Imagine waking up as a 12-year-old kid, mentally and biologically, and finding out your ENTIRE nation, all of your people, were wiped out long ago, and now you're the last one. Not your village, not your tribe, but your entire people were killed, along with most of their companions, the bisons. And now you're being hunted by the imperial nation that wants to capture you.

Not to mention the fact that you're the Avatar and have to save the world as a 12-year-old, the fact that you're 100 years in the future, the fact that the preservation of your culture and identity is only in your hand, and the fact that the reason you're alive is because you ran away, which could increase the survivor's guilt. But let's put the Avatar aspect aside and look at the more general part.

Imagine being in that position in real life. You're a 12 year-old kid waking up from a coma-equivalent state, then finding out almost everyone you knew is dead, your people are all dead except for you, your culture erased, your homeland in ruins, and you're a fugitive being hunted by the imperialist country responsible for your loss.

Honestly, I would just give up at that point lol.
Though you have two new great friends so that still matter.

Fire naturally expands and consumes more fuel to grow stronger and larger. It also transforms everything it touches. It is reminiscent to the Fire Lords’ imperialism, a force driven to expand, consume resources, and reshape whatever it controls.

Earth is rigid and static. It resists movement and is difficult to shape or alter. It is reminiscent to Earth Queen Hou-Ting’s absolutist style of rule, which is strict and limits freedom.

Air is the opposite of earth. It represents freedom and is the hardest element to contain. It moves in every direction and exists without restraint. Taken to an extreme, it reflects anarchy, a society with minimal control where everyone acts freely, which aligns with Zaheer’s philosophy.

Now, what are your thoughts on water in this context? Who is the villain? Unalaq? Amon? Hama? And what negative/extreme interpretation of water do they represent?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kHVN9zRCwsc

The Fire Nation has done many terrible things, but do you think there are even more disturbing acts they may have committed that weren’t shown in the series, or were left ambiguous for non-lore reasons (like it being a children’s show and therefore not being able to depict things too explicitly)?

I feel like there could be a lot of things that are very likely, even if they were never confirmed in canon. If they were willing to burn children during the Air Nomad Genocide, it seems plausible they would have gone even further if it means getting what they wanted.

One example I think is very likely is extremely cruel treatment of Southern water-benders in prison. Hama mentions that “any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution.” Knowing the Fire Nation, what do you think that “cruel retribution” would have looked like? I imagine it could involve very harsh punishment methods similar to real historical practices.

Another example could be a much harsher version of the prison rigs used for earth-benders in forced labor. We see them in the show, but they’re portrayed in a relatively toned-down, kid-friendly way. However, I think it’s likely there were other facilities that were far more brutal and oppressive, possibly comparable to real-world systems of slavery or concentration camps.

And other things that typically occur in similar situations throughout real history, things I’d rather not spell out explicitly just to stay on the safe side of the rules.

What do you think? Do you have any headcanons about this?

original:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DX15oRQDl79/