Tree of Souls

The Tree of Souls , is a giant weeping willow-like tree and the most sacred place of the Omatikaya clan. It is considered to be their closest connection to Eywa on Pandora. As of 2154, the site has been spiritually significant for at least 3,000 years.https://www.facebook.com/torukthefirstflight/videos/1282373775121924/ The Spirit Tree has the same cultural and spiritual significance to the Metkayina clan as the Tree of Souls has to the Omatikaya.Avatar: The Way of WaterAvatar: The Way of Water: The Visual Dictionary
==Location==
The Tree of Souls is located on the ground of Pandora, amidst the floating Hallelujah Mountains on top of a large unobtanium deposit near the Hometree of the Omatikaya clan. The coordinates are 34°03'00"N, 118°14'00"W.:File:Coordinates.jpg Co-ordinates displayed on an analysis of the flux vortex The tree sits in a basin roughly 60 meters in diameter, shielded by an unusual formation of rock arches that give the impression of a shell encasing it, increasing its sense of security and protection. The tree is difficult to find due to its location right at the heart of Pandora's natural Flux Vortex.
==Cultural Significance==
The Tree of Souls, besides being a connection to Eywa, also works as a way for her to directly interact with the world through the seeds of the tree. The tree has the capability to connect directly to the human nervous system by physical contact with its extended root fibers, despite humans lacking a neural queue.
The roots of the Tree of Souls are capable of initiating a neural link with the Na'vi, like with the Tree of Voices, which allows all of the Na'vi to unite. Through this ritual, the Na'vi experience profound emotional power which can allow members to better "see" each other and amplify any message they have for Eywa. It is the only known location on Pandora where a clan-wide connection is known to occur.
Newborns of the Omatikaya clan are known to be linked to the Tree of Souls when they are young.
The tree has been threatened at least twice in the past. The destruction of the Tree of Souls would prove devastating to the Omatikaya and, according to Quaritch, because the site was supposedly protected by Eywa herself, would cause such a cultural and religious shock that the Na'vi race would never again even approach the human base on Pandora.
==History==
In around 837 BC, the site was threatened by a volcanic event on Pandora. A Na'vi (Entu) was forced to become the first Toruk Makto in order to avert the crisis.
===Omatikaya exodus===
After the destruction of Hometree in August 2154, the Omatikaya were forced to flee to the sacred tree on foot to protect their remaining cultural identity and seek guidance from Eywa. When Grace Augustine was fatally injured by Colonel Miles Quaritch's gun during a daring escape from Hell's Gate, Jake Sully brought her to the Omatikaya and they attempted to save her by using the Tree of Souls to connect to Grace's nervous system and permanently transfer her mind to her avatar body. Grace was unfortunately too weak to make the transfer.
===Battle for the Tree of Souls===
Miles Quaritch gathered information on the tree from Jake's video logs and based an attack strategy around it. He initiated a full-scale assault two days later, intending to annihilate the Tree of Souls and drive the Na'vi away from the corporation's unobtanium mining efforts. Quaritch knew that the Na'vi would not come within a large radius of the devastated Tree of Souls should it be destroyed. Jake made a speech at the site, in order to spur the Omatikaya into preparing for war and resisting to the threat.
Though Colonel Quaritch's forces managed to outgun, outfight, and eventually rout the numerically superior Na'vi forces, his plan eventually failed due to the massive intervention of Pandora's megafauna, compounded by lack of SecOps force coordination from the increasing intensity of the planet's Flux Vortex. The tree was not damaged during the battle, although the explosives meant for it reached within a kilometer of its resting place.
After the battle, the Omatikaya successfully transfer Jake's mind from his human body into his avatar body, making it his true body forever and fully becoming part of the People.
== Trivia ==
* In the script, the Tree of Souls is called the "Well of Souls", although this may refer to the basin in which the tree dwells. The video game adaptations feature a site referred to by that name, which is described in the game's own Pandorapedia as a separate, and potentially more powerful site.
* Mo'at says Grace must pass through the "eye" of Eywa in order to survive. This metaphor is easier to comprehend in a deleted scene which show that the Tree of Souls resembles an eye from above.
*To celebrate the release of Avatar on DVD and Blu-ray, an electronic version using fiber optic cables could be found in Hyde Park London from 24th to 26th April 2010. It had sensors to detect the movement of people walking around it and was able to change its color, move to music, and display messages uploaded from iPods or mobile phones. For every person who interacted with the tree, a real tree was planted as part of the global campaign to plant one million trees.http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/avatar-tree-of-souls-at-hyde-park-article-9621.html The target was ultimately reached on 19th January 2011.http://eclipsemagazine.com/movie-has-lasting-impact-on-the-environment-avatar-home-tree-initiative-plants-one-million-plus-trees-around-the-world/
*The coordinates seen on Grace's display of the Tree of Souls point to 34°03'00"N, 118°14'00"W. On Earth, this is the location of the Los Angeles City Employment Office.
==References==
fr:Arbre des Âmes
de:Baum der Seelen
nl:Tree of Souls
ru:Древо Души
pl:Drzewo Dusz
Category:Flora
Category:Mythology
Category:Pandora Locations
Category:Avatar
Category:Trees
Category:Na'vi culture