情人洞
Cave of Two LoversPhysical informationLocationKolau Mountain Range, western Earth KingdomGovernmentPositionUnderground mountain passFirst appearance"The Cave of Two Lovers" (only appearance)Location on map(view on map)Image gallery (6)Located near the city of Omashu in the Earth Kingdom, the Cave of Two Lovers, also known as the Secret Tunnel, is a series of caverns which pass underneath a section of the Kolau Mountain Range.[1] It is considered the birthplace of earthbending and has become a place of legend revered by bards. When Avatar Aang and his friends were unable to cross the mountains, which were controlled by Fire Nation forces, they were forced to venture into these tunnels.[2]
The "tunnel" is actually a giant underground labyrinth full of dangerous animals, including wolfbats and the gigantic badgermoles.[1] It was also shown to be impossible to map the maze because the badgermoles change the tunnels regularly with earthbending, thus preventing any sort of normal navigation. In order to find the way out of the tunnels, one must "trust in love" and relinquish their dependence on torches and any sort of natural lighting. If this is done, shining crystals along the ceiling of the cave will guide the way to the exit.
In the center of the labyrinth is the Tomb of the Two Lovers, which is believed to contain the remains of Oma and Shu, encased side-by-side in two massive stone sarcophagi. The walls of the tomb are decorated with carvings telling the story of the two lovers.[1] Wrathful wolfbat statues guard the entrance of the cave.[3]
The north entrance of the cave is "guarded" by three large statues called the Lover's Guardians, which origin remains unknown, but their purpose is to ward off those who would enter.[4] The cave is no longer passable, as the Fire Nation destroyed this north entrance in an attempt to trap Team Avatar while the central entrance later caved in.[2]
**Overview:**While journeying to Omashu, Aang and his friends meet a group of carefree traveling bards, who lead them through a vast network of tunnels known as the Cave of Two Lovers. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are sheltered by kind villagers after Iroh accidentally drinks tea made from a poisonous plant. Song, a young and compassionate healer, shows Zuko the effects of war from an ordinary citizen's perspective. After being separated from the rest of the group while navigating the elaborate tunnels, Aang and Katara grow closer as they discover the origins of the cave, which includes the tombs of the first two earthbenders. Both groups eventually escape from the labyrinth; Team Avatar arrives at Omashu, only to discover that it has been conquered by the Fire Nation.
I mean, what, do they think that they ran out of yellow and green ink for the Oma and Shu sequence? During digital coloring? Do they think they put Zuko and Katara in a cave of glowing green crystals on accident? Even though we know Ba Sing Se has a dungeon? A dungeon good enough to hold Long Feng, the Earth King, and Toph and Sokka? But Zuko and Katara end up in the Catacombs? What do they think was going on there? No, seriously, someone, please, how else do you possibly explain that, other than as a deliberate parallel to the greatest lovers in Avatar-verse history and folklore?
Virginia's eight caverns are awe-inspiring attractions found in the Southwest and Shenandoah Valley regions. Below-ground temperatures hover around 56 degrees, so they are even a great place to escape summer's heat and perhaps even warm up on a cold winter day.
Virginia's eight caverns are awe-inspiring attractions found in the Southwest and Shenandoah Valley regions. Below-ground temperatures hover around 56 degrees, so they are even a great place to escape summer's heat and perhaps even warm up on a cold winter day. Visit a cavern in Virginia for a unique and memorable experience for the whole family!
The father-son duo from Sandy, Utah, had joined several cavers who abandoned the warm outdoor sunlight to wend their way into this ethereal void of mysterious shapes and shadows. They entered a funeral-quiet temple of limestone and marble where the temperature remains a cool 52 degrees and where bats often lurk, not to mention pseudo-scorpions (without stingers) and tiny armored springtails that rarely see natural light.
They quickly get the hang of it, and start talking about themselves as they rub, pick, dust and polish. In the summer months, water trickles in the cave, which is mostly dry on this winter day. Still, the place feels damp, evoking goose bumps.
Grand Island stretches north for 8 miles, from its southpoint at Williams Landing in Munising Bay to the north end at North Point. Only three miles across at its widest point, Grand lsland offers 35 miles of shoreline, encompassing over 13,500 acres of dense woodland, including several lakes. Rapid-flowing streams cut through the rugged hills, and massive 300 foot wave-cut sandstone cliffs. Beaches of fine sand, winter ice caves and historic buildings and artifacts dating back as far as 2,000 BC are just a few of its highlights. Archeological investigations indicate that Grand Island has been inhabited for at least 3,300 years. In the 1660's, when the explorer priests arrived from France, the Ojibwa culture on Grand Island was already thriving.Located only mile offshore from Munising this island is 9 miles long and up to 3 miles wide with many beaches, sea caves, arches, cliffs, and wildlife abounds. Same geology as the Pictured Rocks. The first Settlers came to the Island in the early 1800's when trading for furs was the prime industry. Evidence of this activity is still apparent there. The first permanent settlers arrived in 1846, setting up a trading post there to trade with the Ojibway Indians.
By this time, another caver, Michelle and I had bonded over our fear. From that point on, we ended up leading the group right behind our guide Sarah. Cheering each other on through the laundry chute and our group-voted, all-lights-out crawl, we made it through and were laughing at ourselves by the end.
On the Student Research Pages we introduced your children to the three categories of cave animals: trogloxenes, troglophiles, and troglobites. We've included the basic descriptions here again for you with some additional elucidation.
This congregation of "Daddy longlegs" was photographed by Dr. William R. Elliott, a renowned cave biologist. This photo would be a fun way to teach your students to use gridding to estimate how many arachnids there are in this picture. ( William R. Elliott)
Daddy longlegs, or harvestmen, are especially interesting cave critters because you'll be apt to find harvestman species in each of the three cave zones. In other words, in a single solution cave you'll probably find harvestmen that are trogloxenes, troglophiles, and troglobites.
When you discuss these endangered cave species, it's key that the children understand these are no ordinary endangered species. Endangered cave-dwellers are special cases because often a particular species has evolved for a particular cave. In other words, no other creature like it exists anywhere else except in that single cave!
We refer to this as a one-to-one relationship with the habitat and, as you can imagine, the absence of a single species in a very sensitive cave environment can have a domino effect on the other animals that live there too (this is particularly true of dark zones).
One missing piece of the puzzle and the puzzle no longer can support all of the life it was meant to support. In an environment with such unique life forms which evolved to play such specific roles in the cave ecosystem, when one goes missing it can have devastating effects on the rest.
- Aerith and Bob: Chong's wife, Lily, stands out as one of the handful of Western names in the entire franchise.
- Aesop Amnesia: Played for laughs.Chong: Sokka, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey.(Later that day in the next scene.)Sokka: The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about: the destination.
- All Myths Are True: The old story about a Secret Passage through the mountains turns out to be true. It was a "real legend" after all.
- Art Shift: The legend of the two lovers is told in a series of abstract watercolor images.
- Aspect Ratio Switch: The aspect ratio changes from 4:3 to 16:9 for when Katara retells the story about the Star-Crossed Lovers Oma and Shu.
- Bait the Dog: Zuko during his time with Song's family seemingly bonds with her over the fact that they have both been scared by firebenders and starts to see that the people of the Earth Kingdom are good people and perhaps not deserving of being subjugated by the Fire Nation. Then he steals the families ostrich-horse on the grounds that they are about to be even more kind to him and Iroh.
- Bat Scare: The wolf-bats give the group a good scare.
- Big Eater: Zuko refuses Song's offer of dinner, but then Iroh is tempted by the mention of roast duck.
- Big "NO!": When Sokka finds he's trapped in a cave with the nomads.
- Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: When Katara asks Chong if the Cave of Two Lovers is real or a legend, he answers that it's a real legend.
- Character Development: This seems to be the first time Zuko realizes how much Fire Nation's war has hurt innocent people.
- Commonality Connection: Song shows her scar to Zuko to show him that she understands his pain.
- Compliment Backfire: Aang accidentally does this to Katara:Aang: What? I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die. That's a compliment!
- Continuity Nod:
- The eye-patch-wearing Fire Nation commander from "Jet" shows up again.
- Iroh shows a fondness for roast duck, as he did all the way back in the first episode.
- Did They or Didn't They?: Did Aang and Katara kiss? According to Mae Whitman (the actress who plays Katara), they did.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Aang tries to play off Katara's suggestion to kiss to see if that will show the exit out of the tunnel. It doesn't go so well. ("No, I mean, if it was a choice between kissing you and dying...")
- Diving Save: Aang tackles Katara to get her out of the way of falling rubble.
- Epic Fail: Zuko's attempt at fishing doesn't go well, netting only a single minnow that barely fits on the end of the spear he used.
- Facepalm: The nomad's attitude and ideas drive Sokka crazy, so he is seen facepalming a lot of times during the episode... to the point that when they get out, his forehead is completely red.
- Fake First Kiss: Though it's ambiguous whether they actually kissed or not.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Without so much as a backwards glance, Zuko abuses Song's hospitality by stealing her ostrich-horse.
- Fate Worse than Death: Played for Laughs: when Iroh accidentally poisons himself, he and Zuko have a choice between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation for getting help. If they are discovered, the Earth Kingdom will kill them, but the Fire Nation will give them to Azula. They decide possible death is the better option and head for a nearby Earth Kingdom town for the cure.
- Foreboding Fleeing Flock: One scene has the wolf-bats fleeing from the badgermoles.
- Foreshadowing: The fact that the airspace around Omashu is being policed by Fire Nation catapults is an early hint at what awaits Team Avatar when they emerge from the titular cave.
- Gilligan Cut: Aang initially declines to go through the cave, stating that Appa hates being underground and that they needed to do what made Appa happy. Cut to...(an extremely large number of Fire Nation catapults shooting at them while flying)Appa: (*roaring in distress*)All three main characters: AAAAHHHHH!(cut to them returning to the nomads, singed)Sokka: Secret love cave, let's go.
- Hands-On Approach: Early on, Aang gets a Crush Blush when Katara stands behind him to show him the Octopus Form.
- Heel Realization: Zuko gets one of these when Song tells him her father was taken by Fire Nation troops, then again later when she shows him the burn scars on her right leg.
- Held Gaze: Happens between Katara and Aang in the cave as they look at each other and the lights go out since "love is brightest in the dark".
- Hidden Buxom: During her and Aang's waterbending training, Katara removes her Water Tribe tunic and gets into the river in what is presumably her underclothes, which consists of shorts, a knee-length split skirt, and a rather form-fitting tank-top.
- Idiot Ball: Iroh loves tea, but making a tea out of a potentially poisonous plant is just not worth it.
- Impoverished Patrician: Zuko doesn't take to being on the run with no money very well, though Iroh seems cool with it.
- Innocently Insensitive: Aang manages to piss Katara off this way when they talk about kissing. He doesn't mean any ill intent with his comments, it's just the result of him trying to play off his attraction to her.
- Involuntary Group Split: A cave-in causes Aang and Katara to be separated from Sokka, leaving Sokka with the hippie musicians.
- Ironic Echo: To "The King of Omashu".Sokka: I present to you, the Earth Kingdom City of O...(camera pans to show Omashu, under Fire Nation control)Sokka: ...oh no.
- Kick the Dog: Zuko deciding to steal the family's ostrich-horse after they had shown him and Iroh kindness. Iroh even calls Zuko out for this one but reluctantly still goes along with it.
- Know Your Vines: Uncle Iroh was admiring a bush which he was not sure if it was a White Dragon, which would make a wonderful tea... Or a White Jade, which is poisonous. Turns out, it was White Jade. Uncle Iroh didn't learn from this, as he found a branch of what could be Paccui berries, that cure the poison, or Maka'ole berries, that cause blindness. Zuko doens't even let him bet on that last one.
- Leitmotif:
- Aang and Katara's love theme makes its first appearance.
- In something of a Call-Forward, an instrumental version of "Leaves from the Vine" plays when Aang and Katara approach Oma and Shu's tomb. Which is thematically appropriate, as both Iroh and Oma built new lives following the death of a loved one in war.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: After uncle Iroh got poisoned, he was happy to have found some berries. A soft calming music plays while he explains that they can cure the poison... Then the music goes away when he mentions they could also be a diffrent kind of berries that cause blindness.
- Luminescent Blush: Aang and Katara multiple times each throughout the episode, fueling the Ship Tease.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Iroh very calmly explains that the White Jade Bush's poison will eventually suffocate him if left untreated.
- Metaphorically True:
- Song says the Fire Nation has hurt Zuko, based on his scar. Technically she's not wrong, even if you read "Fire Nation" as "Fire Nation Army".
- Also, Zuko's father is fighting in the war. Zuko's father is the commander-in-chief of the Fire Nation forces.
- Mobile Maze: When the group winds where they started, Sokka concludes that the cave walls must have shifted. At the end we discover the cause of the shift are badgermoles.
- Mood Whiplash: The lighthearted moment when Sokka wants to present the city of Omashu to his friends quickly turns into a bleak one when they see the city under Fire Nation control.
- Music Soothes the Savage Beast: Sokka and the nomads manage to tame the hostile badgermoles with a tune.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Chong.
- New-Age Retro Hippie: The nomads has the normal stereotypes adapted to the setting. Stress-free people that only want to go around playing music, and kind of absent-minded to the point of not remembering what they themselves say, even just seconds later.
- Only Sane Man: Sokka amongst the group of hippie nomads, much to his chagrin.
- Oven Logic: When it's established that the torches last two hours each, Chong's wife Lily lights five of them saying they are now good for 10 hours.
- The Pollyanna: The nomads, to Sokka's chagrin, sing to him about not letting the rocks get him down. He tries to walk away from them.
- Portmanteau Couple Name: An in-universe example- after one of the two lovers of the cave died in the war, and the surviving woman used her earthbending to end the hostilities, the people built a new city in their honor which they named after their names put together, the very city the Gaang was trying to reach: Omashu.
- The Power of Love: The torches only last that long.
- Quizzical Tilt: The badgermole tilts its head in surprise when Sokka accidentally hits a string of the guitar. Apparently, the animals are music lovers.
- Ship Tease: Starting with the title. Most of the interactions between Aang and Katara when they are in the tunnel, including Katara suggesting to kiss to get out.
- Shout-Out: To Bob Dylan of all people.Chong: The tunnels, they're a'changin'!
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Oma and Shu were two lovers that couldn't be together since they came from opposite villages that were at war with each other. So they created the labyrinth to meet in secret.
- Stealth Insult: Both Zuko and Iroh deliver them to each other when they make up fake names in Song's house. Zuko says his name is Lee and his uncle is "Mushi" (the Japanese word for insect). Iroh gives him a Death Glare and says that "Lee" was named after his father so he's called Junior.
- Stylistic Suck: The hippies' song about the secret tunnel.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Flailing torches around is good for scaring off the wolf-bats, sure, but Appa is considerably more capable of causing damage and already agitated from being underground.
- Tentative Light: When Aang and Katara are separated from the others, their torch is burning down to nothing.
- Time Skip: Given how much Zuko's hair has grown out, it would seem at least a month or so has passed since the ending of "The Avatar State".
- Too Dumb to Live: Lampshaded by Song as her family when they treat Iroh for making tea from a poisonous bush. They tell him that the tea could have killed him. Iroh acknowledges their point with a self-deprecating smile.
- Tonight, Someone Kisses: Subverted. Aang and Katara lean in as their candle goes out... at which point the cave's luminescent crystals kick in and the camera pans back down to the two, leaving us unsure whether they did or not.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The A story is the Gaang making their way through the cave, the B story is Zuko and Iroh befriending Song and her mother. No interaction.
- Unlikely Spare: Chong drops his lute while fleeing the badgermole, which Sokka accidentally uses to play music. After realizing that Music Soothes the Savage Beast, Chong pulls out another lute from his clothes, and belts out more music.
- Wham Shot: At the end of the episode, the Gaang make it to Omashu... only to discover the city under Fire Nation control.
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