It’s true that the hero of Avatar, like the Hindu deity Vishnu, has blue skin and rides a mighty sun bird, but hey, we’re in the realm of myth, and X doesn’t have to be derived from Y.

Here’s a painting from the museum’s collection showing a very blue Vishnu (and his consort) riding through the sky on the great bird Garuda. It’s from the north Indian state of Rajasthan, and dates from around 1760.

If you see the movie and notice other connections with Hindu lore, write in and tell us, OK?

The word “avatar” comes from Sanskrit avatara, literally meaning “descent.” It referred, originally, to the incarnations of the great deity Vishnu. When humankind was threatened with disorder and violence Vishnu would take on an appropriate form and descend to earth to set things right.

There are usually thought to be ten incarnations, and they include animal or part-animal forms such as The Tortoise and The Man-Lion, and human forms such as The Dwarf, Rama, and Krishna.

You can see the avatars of Vishnu in sculptures in the Asian Art Museum. Along the upper border of a slab bearing an elaborately carved image of Vishnu are tiny representations of all ten standard avatars. (This sculpture is displayed in Gallery 2.)

The left upper slab:

Even closer — can you spot the Fish and Tortoise?

There are other sculptures showing individual avatars, such as The Boar (Gallery 3):

The Man-Lion (Gallery 2):

Rama (Gallery 4):

and Krishna (Gallery 4):

Also, some of the avatars of Vishnu have a female equivalent. Examples of these, too, can be seen in the museum, such as two female equivalents of The Boar (the first is in Gallery 2, the second in Gallery 4):