Avatar

In Hinduism, an avatar (/ˈævəˌtɑːr, ˌævəˈtɑːr/;Hindustani: [əʋˈt̪aːr] from Sanskrit अवतार avatāra "descent") is a deliberate descent of a deity to Earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being (e.g., Vishnu for Vaishnavites), and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation", but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation".

The phenomenon of an avatar is observed in Hinduism,Ayyavazhi, and Sikhism. Avatar is regarded as one of the core principles of Hinduism.

The term is most often associated with Vishnu, though it has also come to be associated with other deities. Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avatars in the Bhagavata Purana, though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable. The avatars of Vishnu are a primary component of Vaishnavism. An early reference to avatar, and to avatar doctrine, is in the Bhagavad Gita.

Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars. The various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principal in Hinduism, are also described as avatars or incarnations by some scholars and followers of Shaktism. The avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of other deities, which some scholars perceive to be imitative of the Vishnu avatar lists.

Egg

An egg is the organic vessel containing the zygote in which an animal embryo develops until it can survive on its own, at which point the animal hatches. An egg results from fertilization of an ovum. Most arthropods, vertebrates, and mollusks lay eggs, although some do not, such as scorpions and most mammals.

Reptile eggs, bird eggs, and monotreme eggs are laid out of water, and are surrounded by a protective shell, either flexible or inflexible. Eggs laid on land or in nests are usually kept within a favorable temperature range (warm) while the embryo grows. When the embryo is adequately developed it hatches, i.e. breaks out of the egg's shell. Some embryos have a temporary egg tooth with which to crack, pip, or break the eggshell or covering.

The largest recorded egg is from a whaleshark, and was 30 cm × 14 cm × 9 cm (11.8 in × 5.5 in × 3.5 in) in size; whale shark eggs normally hatch within the mother. At 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) and up to 17.8 cm × 14 cm (7.0 in × 5.5 in), the ostrich egg is the largest egg of any living bird, though the extinct elephant bird and some dinosaurs laid larger eggs. The bee hummingbird produces the smallest known bird egg, which weighs half of a gram (around 0.02 oz). The eggs laid by some reptiles and most fish can be even smaller, and those of insects and other invertebrates can be much smaller still.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Australia, with assistance from Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. It is the third game in the Borderlands series, and is an interquel between 2009's Borderlands and 2012's Borderlands 2. It was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 14 October 2014. The rumored existence of the game was first reported on 7 April 2014, and it was officially announced two days later on 9 April 2014 for a release on 14 October 2014.PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports were released as part of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection on 24 March 2015.

The storyline of The Pre-Sequel focuses on Handsome Jack (who would be the antagonist in Borderlands 2), an employee of the Hyperion corporation; after the company's Helios space station is captured by a military operation known as the Lost Legion, he leads a group of four playable characters—all of whom were NPCs and bosses in previous Borderlands games—on an expedition to re-gain control of Helios and defeat the Lost Legion. The game expands upon the engine and gameplay of Borderlands 2 and introduced new gameplay mechanics, including low-gravity environments, freeze weapons, and oxygen tanks, which are used to navigate and perform ground slamming attacks.

The Egg

The Egg may refer to:

Music

Film and television

Writing

Theatre

Other uses

See also

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues (abbreviated SotA) is an upcoming fantasy role-playing video game. Described as being a spiritual successor to the Ultima series,Shroud of the Avatar is primarily developed by Richard Garriott as creative director, Starr Long as executive producer, Chris Spears as lead technical designer, and Tracy Hickman as lead story designer.

Gameplay

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues will have a dual-scale overview world map, player housing, crafting, an active virtue system, and "selective multiplayer", which allows players to choose whether to play online or offline. The entire game can be played offline. Additional funding allowed for stretch goals to be met, such as pets, seasonal weather, interactive music instruments, new locations, and guild-based combat.As of August 2013, the game's features are still under development and may change.