Avatar

Avatar is a term used for a mortal who is merged with a Child of Oberon through magic.

History

The mortal in question becomes more like that Child of Oberon in appearance, and is also freely able to use the powers of that being. The one known instance of such an event was when first Jackal, and then, the Emir, became the avatar of Anubis through the magic of the Scroll of Thoth. Each one developed a jackal's head and gained the full use of Anubis's powers; when they spoke, Anubis's voice could even be heard in the background, repeating those same words. In both cases, the human who had become avatar was in command, Anubis presumably being dormant ("Grief"). Goliath also became an avatar of Odin after donning the Eye of Odin in Norway, because of the Eye and also his close physical proximity to Odin himself. ("Eye of the Storm").

Real World History

Avatar is a word in Hindu religion which refers to the manifestations or forms of deities. Most often it is used of the ten earthly manifestations of the Supreme Being Vishnu, which include Krishna, Buddha, and Rama. Each of the ten avatars was, or is, an individual deity, animal, or human being. Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma (the Trimurti) can also be described as avatars or forms of the Supreme Being. At times major religious leaders, of Hinduism and even of other religions, have been considered avatars of various deities.

The Egyptian gods did form connections with individual mortals in ancient Egyptian religion, but they were more often described as connecting with one-another. The combination of two Egyptian gods was named by hyphenating the names of the two gods, and usually the appearances of the two were also mixed together in the composite image, much like the Avatars in Gargoyles. These merged beings include such famous deities as Amon-Re and Re-Horakhty. When two gods were connected in this way, they were not considered to permanently merge or become the same god, but were described as "resting within" each other. The two deities were still regarded as separate, individual beings. Such combinations could explain situations in which one deity took on a role or attributes usually belonging to another.

Almost all such combinations in Egyptian religion involved two deities of very different rank. The lesser deity increased in power when he or she was merged with another god, while the greater deity gained power within the lesser god's sphere of influence. Occasionally, three or even four gods could be joined in this way.

See also

• Avatar at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia