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A young woman pulls down her collar to reveal a blue choker, with a large, light-blue stone handing from the center.

Princess Yue was given a necklace by Hahn.

A betrothal necklace is a hand-carved piece of jewelry given generally by young men of the Northern Water Tribe to the women they intend to marry. According to the tribe's customs, when a young woman turns sixteen her marriage is arranged and her future husband is to carve a unique design from stone and fasten it to a choker, thus creating a necklace.[2] The engagement becomes official once the necklace is worn, and thus the jewelry signifies to other prospective suitors that the woman is spoken for.

History[]

In the era of Avatar Aang, Katara wore a betrothal necklace which had previously belonged to her grandmother, Kanna, and that had been worn by her mother instead of one Hakoda would have made for her.[3] She seemed unaware of the necklace's significance when Yagoda asked her about it.

Princess Yue also wore a betrothal necklace, given to her by Hahn. She revealed her necklace to Sokka after the two shared a kiss on a bridge. Although she was wearing the necklace, Yue did not seem thrilled about marrying Hahn as it was an arranged marriage, only benefiting the political well-being of the Northern Water Tribe.[1]

In 171 AG, Bolin was given a betrothal necklace by Eska, even though the cultural norm was for the boy to fashion a necklace for his future wife. He did not get a chance to protest, as Eska stated that marriage was the only thing that could bridge the gap of their separation, and promptly tied the gift around his neck herself.[4]

List of known necklaces[]

A dark-blue choker is placed around the neck of a young man wearing a green uniform. The choker is set with a carved skull in the center and has spikes running down either side.

Eska's betrothal necklace for Bolin differed from most, featuring spikes and a miniature skull as a charm.

  • Katara's necklace is a family heirloom, originally a betrothal necklace carved by Pakku for Kanna.[1]
  • Yue was given a betrothal necklace by Hahn, who became Sokka's enemy once he learned that it was an arranged marriage.[5]
  • Kanna accepted a new betrothal necklace from Pakku when he visited the South Pole to rebuild it.[6]
  • Ummi was given a betrothal necklace by Kuruk.[7]
  • Bolin was given a betrothal necklace by Eska, which was purple in color, had a carved skull fastened in the center, and spikes running along the middle.[4]

Trivia[]

  • In the era of Avatar Yangchen, Akuudan and Tayagum modified the traditional custom of giving a hand-carved betrothal necklace by both wearing betrothal armbands. Akuudan made Tayagum use all of his failed attempts at carving as the stones within his own armband.[8]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 DiMartino, Michael Dante (writer) & Volpe, Giancarlo (director). (November 18, 2005). "The Waterbending Master". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 18. Nickelodeon.
  2. From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com. Encyclopedia now broken, archived at The Lost Lore of Avatar Aang - Gear: Betrothal necklace.
  3. DiMartino, Michael Dante, Konietzko, Bryan (writers) & Filoni, Dave (director). (February 21, 2005). "The Boy in the Iceberg". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 1. Nickelodeon.
  4. 4.0 4.1 DiMartino, Michael Dante (writer) & Graham, Ian (director). (September 27, 2013). "Civil Wars, Part 2". The Legend of Korra. Book Two: Spirits. Episode 4. Nickelodeon.
  5. O'Bryan, John (writer) & MacMullan, Lauren (director). (December 2, 2005). "The Siege of the North, Part 1". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 19. Nickelodeon.
  6. Ehasz, Aaron (writer) & Volpe, Giancarlo (director). (July 19, 2008). "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 3. Episode 19. Nickelodeon.
  7. Escape from the Spirit World: Avatar Kuruk Online Comic Book
  8. Yee, F. C. (author). (July 19, 2022). Chapter Eighteen "A Place to Lay One's Head". The Dawn of Yangchen. Amulet Books.

See also[]

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