What limitations are there in being able to learn to bend?

[Classicseaturtle]

Sorry if the title's confusing. What I mean is, do you think there's a limitation on can learn element?
This came up when I had been watching the extras for The Cave Of Two Lovers. Oma and Shu had been taught by the badgermoles to earthbend, but what qualified them to be an earthbender? What qualifies any bender to bend what they do?
Does it depend on their attitude, or can anyone choose any one element to bend, but have a simpler time bending a certain element? Is this possibly why there are non-benders?
I apologize in advance if you don't understand what I mean.

[trailerman]

I think that it depends on how eager the one is. For some, it's harder to master an element, for one, easier.
I don't believe in talents in you from birth.

[vanja1995]

Well, I think you have to be born with it. Its all really confusing if you try to think about it, so I won't

[ImperialFirebender]

Well, I think you have to be born with it. Its all really confusing if you try to think about it, so I won't

But what about in the Northern Air temple episode where Aang talks about "airbending spirit"?
However, I am also pretty sure it is something like an inherited trait, but that doesn't explain how the first human benders of each element became that way.

[Classicseaturtle]

Well, I think you have to be born with it. Its all really confusing if you try to think about it, so I won't

But what about in the Northern Air temple episode where Aang talks about "airbending spirit"?
However, I am also pretty sure it is something like an inherited trait, but that doesn't explain how the first human benders of each element became that way.

But if it's inherited, then wouldn't, say, all the earthbenders have to be sons and daughters of Oma and Shu? Which wouldn't make sense. ><

[trailerman]

That quite makes sense, and proves that everyone could learn earthbending, if they wanted to.

[Classicseaturtle]

Or the other elements. If that were true, the only thing holding people back would be loyalty to their nation. That still leaves me to wonder, do benders of other abilities pop up in nations? Like waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom (who didn't thousands of years ago travel to a swamp), or even maybe airbenders in the Fire Nation?

[trailerman]

Or the other elements. If that were true, the only thing holding people back would be loyalty to their nation. That still leaves me to wonder, do benders of other abilities pop up in nations? Like waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom (who didn't thousands of years ago travel to a swamp), or even maybe airbenders in the Fire Nation?

It all depends on the environment, in my opinion. Ancestors from Water Tribes were entirely surrounded by water, so they bent water. Airbenders probably liked the peaceful, so they lived in mountains, where there are great opportunity to control the winds. The Firebenders and Earthbenders is the issue. The geography of their lands is quite similar. However, Fire Nation has a quite high temperature, and people preferred controlling fire, whereas Earthbenders have chosen earth. Then this habit passed from generation to generation.

[skulldugerry]

Or the other elements. If that were true, the only thing holding people back would be loyalty to their nation. That still leaves me to wonder, do benders of other abilities pop up in nations? Like waterbenders in the Earth Kingdom (who didn't thousands of years ago travel to a swamp), or even maybe airbenders in the Fire Nation?

It all depends on the environment, in my opinion. Ancestors from Water Tribes were entirely surrounded by water, so they bent water. Airbenders probably liked the peaceful, so they lived in mountains, where there are great opportunity to control the winds. The Firebenders and Earthbenders is the issue. The geography of their lands is quite similar. However, Fire Nation has a quite high temperature, and people preferred controlling fire, whereas Earthbenders have chosen earth. Then this habit passed from generation to generation.

or heres a though on the firbenders and earth benders mabey at a time they were like those star trek character's(don't worry i'll stay on topic this an example)if you saw the new movie you would know spock is an alien race and the bad guy in the film was the same race but at sometime they split and became seperate cultures and tech and powers.So mabey at a time the earthbenders and firebenders were with each other then they split and took on different abilities splitting up the land moving away from each other firebenders moved into volcanic islands and hotter areas earthbenders stayed where they were.

[trailerman]

Skull, most possibly is that it all the nations started as one. Those were times before bending the elements, so the dominating force was energybending, possessed by Lion Turtles. However, it was very unstable so Spirit World probably decided to give possibility for sth more materialistic. OR Moon, Dragon, Flying Bisons and Badger Moles learned their respective bendings THEMSELVES. That proves that no talent is needed. You can learn everything yourself, if you're eager (You probably wonder about the moon? Avatar world is still a planet after all, so moon could appear as a satellite from space, attracted by Earth's gravitation). However, those creatures lived in their respective places, and people who traveled had seen them in their locations.

Waterbenders had seen Moon and been surrounded by ice. Respectively, they had a teacher and source.
Firebenders had seen the Dragons living near their favorite locations (volcanoes). Teacher, and sourse present.
Earthbenders (Oma and Shu) had seen Badger Moles making tunnels in earth and learned from them. Teacher and source.
Airbenders had seen Flying Bisons high in the air, so they were eager to fly too. That's why they built temples high in air. Teacher and source.

Basically, all of people started from one, but it was for them to decide what to do and what element to learn.