Guild Wars 2

Ethereal (adj):
1.light, airy, or tenuous
2.extremely delicate or refined
3.heavenly or celestial
4.of or pertaining to the upper regions of space.

Basically, it’s perceptible, but not necessarily tangible; it’s there, but not there. Although personally, I interpreted the Avatar as a very special sylvari spawned specifically to be the voice of the Tree and interact with non-sylvari. As such, damage to the tree is reflected on the avatar, although the reverse would not necessarily be true. It would make far more sense than the Avatar not being “real”. As such, I’d still have to concede that most of the complaints still hold true.

Or in the context of Tyria: undefined magic

It was in an interview – sadly one I haven’t been able to locate since this became a controversy – that the avatar was ethereal. Non-phyiscal.

But still, the PoI and the Avatar herself calls herself a soul/spirit – which are not physical.

I had never perceived the avatar as ethereal – she certainly appears to be solid. Is it possible that she was originally intended to be ethereal and it was later changed?

The reference to her being the spirit or soul of the tree could be a metaphor. In eastern religions, such as Shintoism, a spirit (representation) of some natural force (e.g the moon) could manifest as a physical being, such as a fish. Physical harm to the avatar could have repercussions for the health of the thing it represents.

Wanderer.3248:

The reference to her being the spirit or soul of the tree could be a metaphor. In eastern religions, such as Shintoism, a spirit (representation) of some natural force (e.g the moon) could manifest as a physical being, such as a fish. Physical harm to the avatar could have repercussions for the health of the thing it represents.

In asian folk beliefs, however, an avatar can manifest as non-physical beings, such as in form of apparitions (i.e banana tree spirit. I kid you not). Too bad our toons are not given the opportunity to have any physical contact with the avatar, so we have to leave it to anet writers to tell us how it is.

Wanderer.3248:

The reference to her being the spirit or soul of the tree could be a metaphor. In eastern religions, such as Shintoism, a spirit (representation) of some natural force (e.g the moon) could manifest as a physical being, such as a fish. Physical harm to the avatar could have repercussions for the health of the thing it represents.

This would explain why people have a hard time understanding the Pale Tree Avatar situation. Outside of Japan, Shintoism and its tenants aren’t known to most people. The two popular world religions, Christianity & Hinduism, teach that beings are either spiritual or physical. A deity or spirit being has to be born via a female’s body in order to exist on Earth. Shintoism teaches that a being can be spiritual and physical at the same time.

In JRPGS, the Japanese developers take time to slowly introduce Shinto concepts to the International players. In GW2, there was nothing in PS to prepare the audience for the fact that the Tree’s avatar was both physical and spiritual.

For this Sylvari RPer, this confirms that Sylvari culture is alot like Japanese culture!

While I did originally think that the Avatar of the Pale Tree was indeed just a magical/spiritual manifestation, I don’t particularly see an issue with the idea that it might just as well be an actual Sylvari body grown by the Pale Tree and possessed with her consciousness. While it is not the TRUE Pale Tree’s body, it might still come to be viewed as the Pale Tree herself, similar to how in Mass Effect 3, people started thinking of EDI as the mobile humanoid body she was controlling, even though her true “body” was basically just a quantum computer box sitting in the holds of the ship.

only i can tell that sylvari can turn easy to the dark side and even Caith to
she is already dbl edge sword with in her mind will see return to her love ore not ??

even Scarlet turn to evil and more off the pale tree children
maby that’s why the pale tree show you her last vision about something gone happen to her children

and Mord only make it stronger to turn the sylvari in to evil

Very interesting some of you have said above me, I agree with a few of you.
I just hope that The Pale Tree will survive..

I believe that someone mentions that there was still fighting going on with the Pale Tree’s “roots” at the time they both jet away.