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What are the origins of natives in Avatar movies (long height people with tail, and blue color).

Either literary/art origins, or explanations for evolving this way.

Rand al'Thor
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anj
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4 Answers4

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Blue body was from the character Lord Rama from Ramayana. the long tail is from Hanuman. I don't know much about the height.

Added References:

1) Click here to view the PDF reference

2) Click here to view a blog reference

brainless
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    The height was probably to assist in the surreal experience. – jumpcutking May 09 '11 at 13:48
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    Any references?? I find that highly suspect. – apoorv020 May 10 '11 at 06:03
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    @apoorv020: I have edited my answer by adding some references. – brainless May 14 '11 at 07:14
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    Certainly the word "Avatar" and (something like) the concept comes from Hindu mythology, and Cameron has said as much, and he has even said that the blue colour comes from (the traditional representation of) Hindu deities (although I'll note that the representation is actually a poetic metaphor of blue meaning 'dark'—as in blue mountains which aren't really blue—taken literally), and it's also true that the Ramayana contains mighty ape-men with tails like Hanuman, but still, some of the connections made above are a posteriori observations of similarities rather than "origin" necessarily. – ShreevatsaR May 15 '11 at 15:39
  • I should note that the two references given are largely just the author's speculation. James Cameron admits that there is some connection between the color blue and Hindu deities, but also says "I just like the color blue". Everything else is just the blog-writers opinions. – DJClayworth Jun 27 '11 at 16:49
  • As far as I know blue stands for depth of see, which James Cameroon likes – Prasham Mar 18 '13 at 07:59
  • Both reference links are dead – Valorum Jun 03 '23 at 14:20
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The height must be the result of the lower surface gravity on Pandora compared to the Earth.

Dima
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James Cameron apparently took his ideas for the blue creatures from Call me Joe Poul Anderson’s Novella.

In fact a lot of the story is similar. I've not read the novella, but the this article is quite compelling.

Call Me Joe is a science fiction novelette written by Poul Anderson and published in 1957. The plot involves an attempt to explore the surface of the planet Jupiter using remote-controlled artificial life-forms. It focuses on the feelings of a disabled man who operates an artificial body.

AncientSwordRage
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0

All the creatures on Pandora are big. It is because of the low gravity. Also because they have strong bones due to natural carbon fiber in their skeletons. One factor that creates a limit on size is that large creatures are less agile and are hurt more from falling. (This is why the giraffes and rhinoceros at the zoo won't cross the four foot pit that keep them in their area.)

The main reason any animal has a tail is for balance. Na'vi largely live in trees like monkeys, so they need the extra balance.

Joe
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  • "It is because of the low gravity". Says who? Can you provide any evidence for that from an authoritative source? – Valorum Jun 03 '23 at 14:21