A
special ability given to the
people of the Water Tribes in the TV show
Avatar: The Last Airbender. The skill of waterbending gives a
person the ability to control water and various forms of (ice,
snow,
steam, etc.). One variation of waterbending is Bloodbending, developed by Hama, a survivor of the Fire Nation Raids on the Southern Water Tribe. A Waterbending Master can skillfully bend anything with water inside.
People have been shown controlling plants by bending the water inside; bending perfume (which presumably had water in it), water mixed with earth, mud (which raises some questions), and stew to name a few. In episode 8 of Season 3 "The Puppetmaster" we learned that a skilled waterbender can actually
pull the water from the air or from plants. Waterbenders can also freeze or unfreeze water. The style of waterbending mirrors that of Tai
Chi in both its movements and the way that waterbenders turn their defense into their offense. There are three known styles of waterbending: Northern, Southern, and Foggy Swamp Style.
The origins of waterbending are said to have come from early Water Tribe members watching as the
moon pushed and pulled the water, and they learned to do it themselves.
Some waterbenders posses the healing abilities of water. The healers use the water to relieve sickness by redirecting the
chi paths in the
human body, however, using waterbending to heal will not heal everything.
Waterbenders draw their strength from the moon, therefore, their abilities are at their peak at night and during and especially during a full moon. They are at their most vulnerable during a lunar eclipse when waterbending is rendered impossible.
