Kiri’s True Father (Avatar: the Way of Water theory)

Oel ngati kameie, tsamsiyu

If you’ve seen Avatar: the Way of Water, James Cameron threw quite a twist at us with Grace’s avatar giving birth to awesome little Kiri. Suspicions abound about the identity of her father and I am here to debunk the theories that her father is Eywa. There are many suspicions about the identity of Kiri’s father. But we both know you wouldn’t be reading this if it was something we could figure out.

Well, I know who Kiri’s real father is! And I’ll even explain how it happened.

Please use this Reference Key so you can follow along:
She/Her: Proper noun; referring to Eywa, the Mother
she/her: Non-proper noun, referring to regular female characters

Pandora, the Living Moon

Pandora

To those of us returning to the world, and to those newer to the overarching lore built by James Cameron, the setting of the Avatar series of movies is “Pandora”, a mysterious place with an even more intriguing biome. Contrary to popular belief, Pandora is not a planet. It is an Earth-like terrestrial and habitable moon from Alpha Centuri, which is the closest star system to our own solar system.. Pandora is the fifth moon of the gas giant Polyphemus, which is stated to orbit Alpha Centauri A.
(These facts come from the Avatar fandom wiki.)

To bring you a quick refresher of the story, in the first Avatar movie, for our main character’s first jaunt in his avatar body, Grace takes him and Norm out into the forest (before Jake is chased by that giant rhino thing) and they inject the root of a tree with a mysterious substance. Immediately following the injection, they pull out a device and watch the electrochemical connections that occur between the roots. Just as neurons facilitate communication within the human brain, the intricate “network” (as Grace calls it) of interconnected roots and trees on Pandora serves as a neural network, allowing for communication and interaction on a planetary scale.

Grace and Norm in the Field

What brought this unique setting to my attention was that as a fiction writer and lover of fantasy, I have been building a planet that I describe as a living plant cell in space. Doing research for my own project as well as doing research into the world of Pandora, I realized that there are many similarities. The most notable of these similarities is that the center of the planet is a perceived sentience that keeps all of these fantastic beings and life of the world alive. This central intelligence acts as the nucleus, guiding and nurturing the diverse life forms that flourish across the moon’s surface.

Neytiri Connecting with the Spirit Tree

To the Na’vi, this sentience is known as “Eywa”, and she is the Mother of all things, the essence of all things. She acts as the core planetary essence, as well as their perceived guiding spirit.Scattered throughout Pandora (on land and under water) there are special willow-like trees that the Na’vi can use to connect and “speak” to Her, known as Spirit Trees. The Na’vi consider these trees particularly sacred.

In a particularly heated scene, Grace tells Selfridge that the Spirit Trees on Pandora create a network that the Na’vi can access, and can “upload and download data. Memories”. To which he responds “what have you people been smoking out there” because he couldn’t understand the complexity of what she was explaining. Comparing it to a network that the
Na’vi can access to “upload and download data in the form of memories”, Grace tried multiple times to make her point about how important and integral to the ecosystem that these trees are.

As we know, Selfridge and Quaritch are clearly deaf and incredibly ignorant.

Na’vi Mating Rituals

To further explore what led to Kiri’s birth, we must also understand how the Na’vi define the term “mating”, because it is incredibly unique. As we learned in the first movie, the connection between those specialized tendrils in their hair (called “queues”), is referred to as “tsaheylu”, the bond, and serves as a moment of shared consciousness. Because of this, Na’vi mating culture is a mixture of physical and emotional connection combined with a reverence for their spiritual beliefs.

Tsaheylu – The Bond

To the Na’vi, the act of “tsaheylu” is a bonding of both mind and spirit, as well as the physical act that can occur between potential mates.(The Na’vi also experience a lessened version of tsaheylu when they connect with a mount.)

Deleted Scene – Jake & Neytiri Mate

Typically monogamous, the Na’vi only ever perform “tsaheylu” with another individual one time, because it is a lifelong and intimate connection. Contrary to popular misconception, the physical act of intercourse occurs after connecting queues and they usually remain linked for a period after the physical activity is ended. This distinction is crucial in understanding the Na’vi’s approach to intimacy, where the merging of spiritual and physical energies precedes the consummation of their union.

The selection of a mate is a sacred and deliberate process, often involving rituals conducted in the presence of Eywa.

Eywa Kept Jake’s DNA

Jake’s connection to Eywa’s neural network in Avatar is the core of this theory. By connecting his human neural network to Eywa’s vast neural network, Jake effectively bridged the gap between humanity and the Na’vi, offering Eywa unprecedented access to the human mind. This is the moment Jake inadvertently facilitated a deeper level of interaction between himself and the Na’vi ecosystem, becoming the very conduit for the merging of human and Na’vi genetics.

Eywa’s interventions in Jake’s life, from the seed from the spirit tree halting Neytiri’s arrow to the swarm of seeds covering him during their journey, suggest a deeper connection between Jake and Pandora from the beginning.

Woodsprite on Neytiri’s Arrow

Jake Covered in Woodsprites

Now, are you ready for my theory?

In that moment of connection when Neytiri takes Jake to the Spirit Tree, it is my belief
that Eywa collected a part of his DNA, sealing a bond between them that transcended the typical connection between Her and the Na’vi. Also, who’s to say it wasn’t Eywa who sent the thanator (rhino creature) to chase Jake into Neytiri’s territory, suggesting a deliberate effort to bring Jake into closer proximity with the Na’vi and, by extension, with Herself?

Jake’s First Time Connecting

This idea of divine orchestration becomes even more apparent following Grace’s death. When Jake cried to Eywa for aid in their struggle against Quaritch and his soldiers, despite initial hesitation from the Consciousness, Eywa eventually responded to Jake’s plea and sent the entire forest to his aid.

Eywa shows much more willingness to intervene on Jake’s behalf. Not to mention, “Toruk Makto”.

Eywa Reincarnated Grace

Now, we know how Kiri was born, but the movies don’t tell us how she was conceived.

Mo’at and Jake with Grace

However, if we look closely, there are clues that give a couple hints, and it starts with Grace’s death.After Grace was shot by Quaritch, in a moment of desperation, Jake brought both her human body and her Na’vi avatar to the Omatikaya. Mo’at, Neytiri’s mother, and their clan prayed to Eywa for a transfer of Grace’s consciousness into her Na’vi avatar as an attempt to preserve her essence.

However, the severity of Grace’s wounds were fatal, and she did end up dying despite their efforts.

Her last words are my favorite moment of the movie, when she says:“I’m with Her Jake. Eywa. She’s real.”

Grace’s Last Moments

It was a touching moment for me, witnessing this woman so entrenched in the realms of science and reason, allowing herself to embrace something beyond the confines of her rational understanding. To see Grace, renowned for her intellect and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge, relinquish her skepticism and acknowledge the existence of something beyond the grasp of human comprehension, was truly beautiful.

Back to my theory.I don’t think it was Mo’at’s prayers Eywa was answering when Grace died.

Spirit Tree Attached to Grace’s Brain Stem

Spirit Tree Attached to Avatar’s Womb

If you look very closely, this is the moment of Kiri’s conception. The Tree of Souls attaches itself to both the brainstem of Grace’s human body and the womb of her avatar form. Grace’s essence, comprising her mind and soul, is fused with the avatar’s developing embryo, fertilized by the seed of Jake’s DNA.

Jake IS Kiri’s Father

Just to clarify, let’s look at some of the uncanny similarities between Jake and Kiri:

Just as Jake’s initial encounter with Eywa was marked by the Spirit Tree seeds, Kiri’s introduction in the second movie similarly begins amidst the presence of these same seeds. This is an obvious nod that their destinies are special from the very beginning.

Kiri Sleeping Among the Woodsprites

Not only is Kiri born of Grace’s blood but she also embodies the spiritual essence of her mother’s teachings, just as Grace played a pivotal role in shaping Jake’s transformation into a member of the Na’vi. This makes her a mother to both of them.

Kiri and her Father

While Jake once grappled with self-acceptance and ascended to the esteemed position of Toruk Makto, Kiri embarks on her own journey of self-discovery, embracing her connection with Eywa and harnessing her innate power to defend her loved ones against Quaritch’s soldiers.

Kiri Harnesses Eywa’s Power

Both Jake and Kiri emerged as true marvels within the Na’vi community, rising to positions of influence and respect despite their unconventional backgrounds, defying Na’vi societal norms and expectations.

“Sullys Stick Together”

My personal favorite moment is the exchange between them, where Kiri says to Jake:

“I feel her, Dad… Eywa. I hear her breathing.
I hear her heartbeat. She’s so close.
She’s just there. Like a word about to be spoken…
I know you think I’m crazy.”

and he responds with:

“So what does her heartbeat sound like?”

“I feel her, Dad… Eywa. I hear her breathing.”

From their shared connection with Eywa and the Spirit seeds to their uncanny ability to attract trouble (err, um, adventures), it seems this apple didn’t fall far from the Tree of Souls!

While Eywa is revered as the progenitor of all life on Pandora, it’s Jake’s genetic contribution to the Tree of Souls that directly shaped Kiri’s existence.Do share your thoughts!

As always, friends, stay weird!– The Researcher & Assistant –