This is the second installment (link to the first one) of the four-part series of entries, in which I will be analysing the elements as they're presented in the world of Avatar. Once again, I want to note that the below breakdown is not canonical information - it is my personal interpretation and theories based on the evidence, conversations and, primarily, the lore of the universe, first and foremost meant to flesh out discussion between us fans, as well as help paint a good picture of how the bending arts work.

The Element of Earth.

I. History and Philosophy of the Element.

Like the rest of the bending arts, earthbending's origins are tied to the ancient, divine cratures possessing timeless wisdom and powerful, spiritual energy, the Lion Turtles. For years since the beginning of time, the Lion Turtles would protect humanity, temporarily granting the mortals access to earthbending in times of need. The life form initially gifted with the permanent ability to bend the earth were the badgermoles. Nature's choice to equip the large, blind creatures with the art speaks to the inherent need for balance, the crucial virtue the Avatar would later strive to achieve.

The badgermoles would seek home underneath the human world, using earthbending to sense the vibrations around them and form the ideal nests for themselves in the hearts of deep tunnels. According to legend, the first mortals the badgermoles taught were the Shakespearean figures Oma and Shu, going down in history as the first humans to use earthbending as an art.

"For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. [...] For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting, it was their way of interacting with the world."

Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3, "The Firebending Masters")

The acute sense of hearing of the original earthbenders is inextricably linked to the very nature of the art, in the process of which an earthbender makes primary use of the neutral jing. Of the eighty five possible courses of action, an earthbender will first wait, and listen before striking. They key to connecting with the element is to feel the vibrations inside, become one with the ground below and act only once the vibrations betray the right moment to do so.

Earth is the element of substance. According to Iroh's teachings, the people of the Earth Kingdom are persistent and enduring. For centuries, the Earth Kingdom has been the largest, most advanced of the four Nations. Unlike the Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, or the Fire Nation, they consist of an extremely culturally diverse people. Class conflict and mixing of cultures was never as apparent outside the Kingdom's borders as it was on the inside, inevitably breeding socio economic warfares and national crises. In spite of this, the Earth Kingdom survived the Hundred Year War more than any Nation; so long as they have hope, the people will not submit to any great force. The proud citizens of the Earth Kingdom adhere to the peaceful co existence of the Nations, and their strength lies into their drive to advance.

The philosophy of the Earth Kingdom is best illustrated on their insignia, a square within a circle, within a still larger square, symbolising the literal, and metaphorical depth of their Kingdom. The symbol represents the multilayered substance their benders use to develop their grounds, as much as the depth of their commitment to a peaceful, productive way of life.

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II. Earthbending and Nature.

The natural antithetical element to that of air, earth requires a firm, strong stance and the determination to face the solid substance directly, before the bender can attempt to tame it. An earthbender will feel a deeper connection to the element barefoot, the vibrations travelling through the ground and into the body wholly uninterrupted. Unevenly powerful vibrations as a result of fault line energies empower earthbenders. Likewise, earthbending when not in direct contact with the earth is increasingly hard depending on the distance between the bender and the ground. Key aspects of the art have been compared to those of a tree, strongly rooted to the ground, yet freely moving its branches in sync with life.

During the spring, all life on earth is reborn, the flora growing from deep inside the ground, resulting to the earthbenders reaching the peak of their power. As such, throughout this dominant season, more earthbenders are born.

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III. Earthbending: Technology and Art.

It is forseeable that earthbending has always been a crucial part of the people's life inside the Earth Kingdom. Entire cities are designed by architects, and built by earthbending masters. The capital city of Ba Sing Se, the largest city on the planet, emanates from the earthbenders' ability to costruct walls, gates and pathways. Control of the life of the streets and industries behind the walls is, literally, on the hands of the earthbenders. And as Ba Sing Se is famous for its mass transportation system, Omashu is famous for its mail delivery system, flawlessly suited to the unique structure of the city. Stone carts are equipped with supplies and messages and travel all over Omashu, with large slides levelling all the way to the King's Palace connecting the various layers of the city.

The fertile grounds inside the Earth Kingdom are home to a variety of fauna, often finding home inside canyons, or undergound. Earthbending is a powerful tool for mining the coal and crystal of the region, used for heat and transportation systems, and natural lighting alike. An earthbender's ability to bend the earth inside the mud was valuable in the need to deal with sewage and waste, whereas their innate gift was required to survive isolated locations like the Great Divide. The closer to the borders a man is, the more dangerous it becomes for them - the Si Wong desert outside the Serpent's Pass is inhabited by bandits sustaining themselves in the terrain with the use of sandbending. The unorthodox ways of the Sandbenders include navigation through Sand Sailers, boat-like vehicles designed to suit the sub skill's strengths.

It is not unheard of that earthbending be used for combat training. The front line of defence in times of warfare consists of elite gaurdian groups inside the Kingdom's most prominent cities, implementing traditional military tactics; noticably, the Terra Team would form foxholes to line up defence outside of Ba Sing Se's outter wall. Inside the walls, the agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of the city, founded by Avatar Kyoshi before 82 B.G., would preserve order using specialised techniques of the art emphasizing on stealth, precision and intimidation; hidden tunnels all around the city plazas, undeground prisons inside and out of the Royal Palace, the Headquarters of the Agency under Lake Laogai, even the signature rock gloves of the Dai Li, would allow for maneuverability and law enforcement behind the walls. In some ways - and referring strictly to the use of earthbending - the metalbending Police Force in Republic City founded by Toph Beifong pays resemblance to the Dai Li's style.

The primary pieces of weaponry an earthbender might compliment their art with are the dual hammers, and the great sword of China, the "Da Dao" war blade. Fitting to wield such heavy equipment to apply pressure on the ground, and draw from the immense powers of the planet.

Throughout history, earthbending has been an imortant aspect of culture and high art within the Earth Kingdom, but it has also proven a crucial aspect of mass entertainment; the Earth Rumble tournament would be hosted deep under Gaoling long before the end of the Hundred Year War, with remodeled adaptions of the competition held decades after in various parts of the region. Contests of strength, or scamming can be altered with the use of earthbending. Nevertheless, earthbending has contributed to the fine arts in numerous ways. A precise enough bender can perform feats of impeccable delicacy, such as writing down messages on the ground across distances, or famously detailed sculpting.

Years after the development of metalbending*, Suyin Beifong would found the Metal Clan, and design Zaofu, a city fashioned out of metal in its entirety. Zaofu would become the ultimate beacon of progress in the world, home to a new rail system, scientific discoveries, medical progress, innovative sports, and further development of the fine arts.

The most critical use of earthbending, however, is linked to the methodology behind pinpointing the location of a new Avatar every four years, within the Earth Kingdom. The technique was known as directional geomancy; earthbending masters would perform a series of rituals designed to efficiently winnow through the Kingdom. Each time a special set of bone trigrams was cast and interpreted by the earthbenders, half the region would be ruled out as the location of the newborn child. The radius kept shrinking until the researchers were led to the doorstep of the young Avatar's home.

*refer to the below section

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IV. Bending Styles.

Earthbending is based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features deeply rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of the earth.

"[...] Like this ancient martial arts discipline, Earthbending is known for its strong stance rooted to the ground. Hung Gar kung fu is based on the movements of animals, including the tiger, which Earthbenders use when initiating hard blows, and the crane, which Earthbenders use to land gently back on the Earth."

Avatar: The Last Airbender, "Ancient Martial Arts Influence" (The Lost Scrolls: Earth)

Neutral jing being the key to the art, an earthbender will endure the opposing forces with a heavily rooted stance, reflecting of the strength and pride of the Earth Kingdom people, until the opening to strike presents itself. Thereon, the bender will maintain a distinct balance between the positive and negative jings, differing in clarity to waterbending's balancing of the two. Such grounds are common within both central earthbending styles. Whereas the origins of the historically traditional earthbending style are solely attributed to Hung Gar, the Chu Gar, Southern Praying Mantis style, was developed by Toph Beifong upon learning from the badgermoles, and passed down to later generations of earthbending masters. The Choy Li Fut style shares origins with the Hung Gar, but on its highest level, it exhibits impressive differences. This school of earthbending was founded by Jianzhu, Sage of the Earth Kingdom, between 345 and 295 B.G.

The traditional style of earthbending is rather simplistic by comparison to the Chu Gar. The mixture of the Tiger and the Crane inspired movements in a single form represents the mixture of offence and defence in the art.

Typical stances involve both legs bent at knee level, back foot facing sideways, the other facing the front. The horse stance is mostly utilized when the bender is attempting the control of heavier masses of earth, forced to put forth a particularly valiant effort. The foremost use of the hands is for offensive measures, with open palm strikes or closed fists - the back arm is often bent facing the same direction, providing additional momentum to the attack, unless the attack itself is executed as a double assault. Crane stances are also used for the bender to gracefully balance themselves back onto the ground, after performing an aerial assault or a powerful kick, separating the feet from the ground for the slightest of moments.

The Choy Li Fut displays identical characteristics at its core, but the more advanced method of a master practitioner of this style differentiates in form, and effect. The stances are wide, and strong, but the upper body is flexible, with fast paced movements -- such as whipping the arms around. Unlike that of conventional earthbending, the result of this style mirrors the Architect's philosophy and precision: solid foundations and refined structures. Interestingly enough, earth liquefaction, effect direct opposite to that, is a technique exclusive to this style. This can be attributed both to the unusual fluidity of the bender's arms, as well as the general idea behind the style, or rather, the antithesis of it; deconstructing the foundations of solid earth.

"[...] Like a lion dance at the New Year, Auntie Mui once said, fanning herself, with a dreamy smile on her face. Stable below and wild on top."

F.C. Yee, (The Rise of Kyoshi: The Iceberg)

This style was initially passed down to few individuals, but seems to have influenced Avatar Kyoshi's own style. Naturally, the agents of the Dai Li followed on her path, with the Choy Li fitting the earthbending of the authority of Ba Sing Se.

The Southern Praying Mantis of the Beifongs deviates in discreet, but significant aspects. The foundation of this style is highlighted, diverse movement of the arms in a fast paced fashion. The elbows are bent at all times, representing those of the praying mantis, and the upper and lower body offence alike are famously indirect.

Simultaneous offence and defence is particularly encouraged for practicioners of this style. The numerous options for offensive motion include outward strikes of the knuckles, slicing attacks, and exploding fingertips. Kicks are either grounded or aerial, always aimed downward, facing the bottom layer of the target's body. All these figures pay tribute to the unique limb structure of the Mantis.

There are two main lower body stances used in this style, both legs bent inward, resulting to the most deeply rooted stance, or the feet separated slightly wider than the distance between the shoulders, with the majority of the weight on the front leg. The back leg remains slightly curved, enabling maneuverability.

Free movement around the larger-than-shoulder-width radius from the back leg allows for immediate restoration of the stance, every last motion with a purpose. The front leg carrying most of the body weight contributes to an almost unbreakable defence.

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V. Elemental Influence.

The bending world acts much like a spectrum to the four elements - the elements are universally connected, with each one contributing to balance, a natural order. It is only natural that each of the arts would influence the other. Akin to how the fine arts can never be perceived outside a holistic scope, neither can the bending arts.

Unlike the rest three elements, water, fire, air, earth is of entirely solid form; the very philosophy behind the movements of earthbending is that of a physically strong individual, enough so that they can control great, heavy amounts of hard stone, standing their ground against the immense strength of the planet. Like this, the other elemental arts incorporate forms explicitly influenced by those of earthbending; waterbenders manipulating ice, the solid form of water, assume a role identical to that of an earthbender, controlling dense masses of water.

By nature, earthbending provides the practitioner with the strongest defence of all the elements. Unsurprisingly, the art possessing the most powerful defensive abilities has deeply influenced the art possessing the most limited ones; firebending masters implementing the arts of all Nations in their styles, will often position themselves in stances originating from Hung Gar. The Horse and Crane stances, in particular, one heavily rooted, the other very imposing, provide them with powerful defence against varying forms of offence.

In contrast, the earth as raw material is lacking in the qualities that make for air and water, resulting to further lack of movements dedicated to controlling the softer forms of the element, dust and liquid. Traditionally, earthbending did not extensively provide the user with the ability to control either of the two, but with the diverse advance of the element's sub skills*, earthbenders extented their skill sets to include components of water and airbending. Sandbenders would manipulate the upper, thin layer of sand and shape it to tornadoes required for an effective transportation system, and metalbenders would control the liquid form of metal with motions hinting to those of waterbending.

Interestingly enough, when bending mud, or magma*, the earthbender will rely on rather traditional Hung Gar style earthbending, instead of a mixture of earth and waterbending. This can be attributed to the mass of lava and mud being greater to that of the liquid mercury. Similarly, bending heavier amounts of sand evokes the feel of airbending in no way.

*refer to the below section

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VI. Sub Skills of Earthbending.

The great many layers of the earth as painted on the Kingdom's insignia are most apparent upon retrospect of the element's sub skills. These gifts, powers that only a select few benders are able to master, they dive deeper than the stone an earthbender can control. Sandbending, glassbending, lavabending, metalbending - they are set apart from all the other sub techniques of the elements in that they are not specialised uses of the earth itself, rather than control of the same substance, formed and shaped differently, each one representative of unique properties. Such an aspect is fitting to what is best described as the element of substance; the most pragmatic of the arts.

Manipulating the sand brings complex mechanics to the equation. Depending on the result the bender aims at, they will concentrate the sand to form objects of higher mass, or manipulate the thin layers up above for a softer effect. The precision involved in both options is uncanny; having mastered sandbending, the practitioner can shape the earth in constructs more detailed than stone would allow, whereas manipulating the upper layer of the terrain gives off the flexible attributes apparent in airbending, air being the element of freedom. Opposite to this, glass bending, which involves bending dense fractions of super-heated sand, should display great similarity to metalbending in technique; unfortunately, knowledge and evidence of the skill remains yet limited.

Lavabending, in contrast, is potentially the most destructive form of earthbending. Not only does the bender tame the earth, they are required to tame the highest of temperatures inside. Such a mixture of technique calls for the blood of a firebender running through the practitioner's veins; the technique is best perceived either as a gift to the Avatar, or as a hereditary ability.

The classic forms of earthbending are evidenced in a lavabending master's movement, key difference being the requirement for time consuming preparation of the magma underground, with the bender focusing on the deepest levels of the earth. All the while noting that lavabending is not particularly influenced by the technique of the other bending arts, brief, negligible hints of waterbending are frequently presented; the magma does possess hints of liquid state as a substance, and by nature it calls for different motions than the ones Hung Gar allows access to, for the greatest possible application. Nevertheless, lavabending closely resembles the Bajiquan kung fu, a style that belongs in the same family as the Hung Gar, but involves explosive elbow and knee strikes. Another theory, less likely one, would suggest influence from the Choy Li Fut. However, this only reasons with the fact that all three aforementioned martial arts pose strong similarities.

It is the exact philosophy behind earthbending that allowed Toph Beifong to develop the most advanced of the sub skills, metalbending, metal is nothing but purified, and refined earth.

"Try to focus on the fine pieces of earth within the metal."

Suyin Beifong (The Legend of Korra: Book 3, "Old Wounds")

The technique revolves around the very idea of controlling the unrefined earth inside the metallic object. As a result, highily purified metals - like platinum - require precision the greatest of metalbenders cannot achieve.

In spite of this, metalbending has progressed more than any sub skill of the arts; further examination requires for regional based division of the technique in two styles: the Zaofu style, and the Republic City style, mother figures being Suyin and Lin Beifong respectively, having separated metalbending in distinct, preferred uses, focusing on different aspects of the art mirroring their background and objectives. The common feature in both styles is the holistic basing of the art in the Chu Gar earthbending style, highlighting the fast paced motion of the upper body.

The Zaofu style is reflective of the progressive, diverse life of the Metal Clan; this style emphasizes on fluid, unorthodox, and graceful forms. The Matriarch's interests range from those of dance demonstrations, to the collecting of rare meteorites and knowledge of healing techniques. The enriched style can be further attributed to the citizens of Zaofu utilizing metalbending as a tool for the fine arts. Opposite to this, the metalbending in Republic City is often of practical use; the Chief of Police will train their fraction for detective work, mobility, and law enforcement, resulting to a more direct bending style with implemented modern military tactics.

It is of great interest that, prior to the mantle passing from Toph Beifong to her daughter, Lin Beifong, the Metalbending Police would be outfitted with a limited cable system founded by Toph herself. Lin initiated the evolution of the system, the cables repositioned from the waist-belts of the armor to the back-spools, resulting to facile access to the equipment, higher launch volume, a metal source for the cables to be reformed as wrist blades on the spot, and greater maneuverability. Similarly, the Earth Empire's style of metalbending is an outgrowth of the Zaofu style, with an innovative set of skills designed for the sole purpose of combat.

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VII. Specialised Techniques.

The bending arts involve extremely complex mechanics, and to use those mechanics to invent unique bending styles is nothing short of remarkable. For earthbending, Toph Beifong, inspired by the teachings of the badgermoles, developed a technique to combat her innate disability. Toph was born blind, much like the badgermoles, and while the rest of her senses naturally grew stronger, it was not until she developed the skill that went down in history as the Seismic Sense, an advanced form of echolocation combined with earthbending for a greater result, that she could finally, truly "see".

Feeling the vibrations in the earth, Toph can shape images of her surroundings, constructs, humans, any kind of life form and whatnot making direct contact with the ground. Toph remains unable to create an exceedinly detailed view of the subjects around her, she can, however, sense changes in the environment that no human ever could, in a radius that no earthbender before her could operate on.

Toph passed the skill down to Avatar Aang and her daughters. The supremely great scale and precision of the technique would later lead to its use as a tool for detective work, covert operations and truth seeing, in the modern era of the world. It is impressive that, due to the unparalleled, literal and figurative, connection to the element, the technique requires the practitioner's feet to either be completely exposed to the ground, or covered in a very thin layer of clothing.

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VIII. Bibliography.

• Nickelodeon.com: Avatar: The Last Airbender.
• The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water.
• The Southern Air Temple.
• The King of Omashu.
• Imprisoned.
• The Great Divide.
• The Deserter.
• The Waterbending Master.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Creating the Legend II: Earthbending.
• The Lost Scrolls: Earth.
• The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth.
• The Avatar State.
• The Cave of Two Lovers.
• Return to Omashu.
• Avatar Day.
• The Blind Bandit.
• Zuko Alone.
• Bitter Work.
• The Library.
• The Desert.
• Journey to Ba Sing Se II: The Drill.
• City of Walls and Secrets.
• The Tales of Ba Sing Se.
• Lake Laogai.
• The Earth King.
• The Guru.
• The Crossroads of Destiny.
• Escape from the Spirit World: Chapter II: Avatar Kyoshi.
• Interview with Jessie Flower.
• The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire.
• The Awakening.
• The Avatar and the Firelord.
• The Runaway.
• The Firebending Masters.
• Sozin's Comet I: The Phoenix King.
• Sozin's Comet II: The Old Masters.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Art of the Animated Series.
• Sifu Kisu on The Legend of Korra.
• Nickelodeon.com: Welcome to Republic City.
• The Legend of Korra: Book 1: Air.
• Welcome to Republic City.
• And the Winner Is...
• The Aftermath.
• Out of the Past.
• Turning the Tides.
• The Legend of Korra: Book 2: Spirits.
• Beginnings I.
• Beginnings II.
• The Legend of Korra: Book 3: Change.
• The Earth Queen.
• The Metal Clan.
• Old Wounds.
• Long Live the Queen.
• Venom of the Red Lotus.
• The Legend of Korra: Book 4: Balance.
• After All These Years.
• The Calling.
• Battle of Zaofu.
• Operation Beifong.
• The Legend of Korra: Art of the Animated Series - Book 3: Change.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy.
• The Rise of Kyoshi.
• The Shadow of Kyoshi.
• Virtual Event with F.C. Yee and E.K. Johnston.
• Shaolin, the Influence - Southern Praying Mantis.

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