Aang and his friends traveled the world in Avatar: The Last Airbender, along the way meeting not one but two different lost civilizations the rest of the world did not know about. There were the Sun Warriors tucked away in the Fire Nation and the Foggy Swamp Tribe of Waterbenders hidden in the Earth Kingdom, yet through the sequel series The Legend of Korra, fans never had the chance to learn just what became of either people.
The Avatar Legends core book's recent release provided a veritable smorgasbord of insights into the lore and history of the Avatar world that answered many questions fans have long had. Even so, the franchise still plays coy where the Sun Warriors and Foggy Swamp Tribe are concerned, making their mystery more intriguing than ever.
The first secret society the Gaang discovered in The Last Airbender were the Foggy Swamp Tribe, named for inhabiting the Foggy Swamp that covers a large portion of the southwestern Earth Kingdom. Despite their location, the Foggy Swamp Tribe were actually formed from Waterbenders who traveled long ago from the Southern Water Tribe. They remained secluded from humanity at large for years, unknown to society, but their fast alliance with Aang and his friends saw them aid the Avatar in ending the Hundred Year War and reveal themselves to the rest of the world.
The other secret civilization Aang met were the Sun Warriors, similarly secluded long ago where the Fire Nation believed they died out thousands of years prior. In truth, they receded from society after believing their spirituality was not shared by the rest of the world. Unlike the Foggy Swamp Tribe, the Sun Warriors requested that Aang and Zuko help maintain their secrecy and remained a mystery to the world in the time following the series.
The only hints of their survival for the rest of the world came in Zuko spreading their knowledge of firebending, though how he reconciled his promise to keep their secret with his dissemination of the sacred knowledge remains one of Avatar's most curious questions.
It is a question that, unfortunately, Avatar Legends offers few insights about. Whereas much of the core book offers bits of lore or insights into the origins of the art and history in Avatar's world, the only details included about the Sun Warriors and the Foggy Swamp Tribe are much the same as fans knew before. Despite delving into the past of the Four Nations and even expanding the lore to the parts of the world unseen in The Legend of Korra, both lost civilizations remain as curious as ever.
Though fans who sought to know more about the Sun Warriors and the Foggy Swamp Tribe might have been disheartened, hope remains on the horizon. The Avatar Legends straying away from revealing such information could be a hint that there are plans in the works for both as the franchise presses on with Avatar Studios.
A series following a future or past Avatar would be an even more in-depth and meaningful look at the lore both the Sun Warriors and the Foggy Swamp Tribe deserve. Two lost civilizations, each with their own unique styles of bending, culture and relationship with humanity at large certainly demand further exploration. Fans just might have to wait a while longer before getting it.
