Earthbending

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Earthbending is a mystical martial art featured within the fictional universe of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. A moiety of the Earth Kingdom, Earthbenders, as the practitioners are known, are heirs to the terrakinetic ability to control earth.

Contents 1 Origin 2 Fighting style 3 Variations 3.1 Sandbending 3.2 Metalbending 4 Badgermole 5 Weaknesses 6 Elemental Symbol 7 Notable Earthbenders 8 See also 9 References

[edit] Origin

Humans first learned earthbending by observing and imitating the geokinetic powers of badgermoles that inhabit the mountains in what is now Earth Kingdom territory. According to a Romeo and Juliet like tale, earthbending was learned so that lovers from feuding villages could see each other. One day, the male lover was killed and the female used her powers to end the feud. ^[1]

The word, 'Earthbending', is written as 運土術 which in literal terms actually means "Move Earth Art" in Chinese.

[edit] Fighting style

Earthbending is generally based on the Hung Gar style of Kung Fu, which features heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of earth. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, among them the Tiger and the Crane. The Tiger represents Hard Power, utilized when initiating hard blows, as demonstrated in The King of Omashu; King Bumi is seen using this 'Hard' style of Earthbending, which involves hard, heavy stances and forceful movements. The crane embodies Soft Power, which is used to guide attacks with more finesse, encourages balance in the practitioner, and to land gently back on the Earth (demonstrated in Imprisoned, Haru and the Earthbenders of his hometown are seen using the 'Soft' style of Earthbending, which involves soft, light stances and more graceful moves).^[2]

There are exceptions to this facet, as the blind Earthbender, Toph, uses a style based on Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu.^[3] Unlike other bending disciplines, earthbending maintains a balance between offensive and defensive capabilities, stressing the aspect of neutral jing, which involves listening and waiting for the right moment to attack.^[4]

Earthbenders use a balance of strength and defense to overwhelm opponents. Common attacks involve levitating nearby earth and stone, and propelling them at foes by way of a punching or kicking motion. A levitated slab of rock can also double as a shield when positioned in front of a bender. Striking the ground with feet, fists, or hammers creates localized earthquakes or fissures to throw opponents off-balance. Earthbending Masters can turn the ground to quicksand to immobilize an enemy, or catapult into the air and soften the earth to ensure a safe landing. Some can tunnel through the earth to out-maneuver their foes.^[5] They are typically barefoot, presumably to increase their connection with the earth. Earthbenders have been shown to use hammers^[6] and fans^[7] to augment their bending, and it has been stated that the Chinese great sword Dadao would also be best suited for a strong Earthbender.^[8] Aang has also demonstrated his unique ability to earthbend using his Glider Staff.^[9] An Avatar can move hill-sized statues at will, and even fracture landmasses, as demonstrated by Avatar Kyoshi during the creation of Kyoshi Island.^[7]

Earthbending is not limited to rock or soil alone. An Earthbender additionally can manipulate other earth-based substances; these include sand, crystals and coal, ^{[10] [11]} (and possibly other fossilised materials, since coal is fossilized wood). Bending earthly substances originating from outer space, such as meteorites, is also within the scope of an Earthbender's ability.^[12] Earthbenders also possess limited magnetic capabilities, allowing them to grasp vertical surfaces and cling unsupported to earthen structures. Furthermore, Earthbenders with an especially strong awareness for earth, such as Toph, can also bend metal, as it still contains minute amounts of some unrefined earth. Her "sight" enables her to locate and target the small earth fragments that would go undetected by even the best Earthbenders.^[13]

Earthbending is the opposing bending art to Airbending.^[14] Like all of the bending arts, Earthbending is balanced so as not to be more or less powerful than the other arts. The series has repeatedly illustrated that it's the skill and prowess of the user that determines victory.

[edit] Variations

[edit] Sandbending

Sandbenders are Earthbenders who have adapted to live in the Si Wong Desert. They utilize earthbending in a specialized style, which emphasizes the manipulation of sand. They can move quickly in the desert on specialized wooden catamaran sailers that are propelled by bending miniature, localized sandstorms behind their sails.^[10] Because sand is sediment which travels in flows, their style resembles air- and waterbending more than earthbending. It is displayed that most, if not all, Earthbenders are capable of easily bending sand, though the Sandbenders of the Desert are especially proficient with it due to their particular habitat. Toph has been shown to have difficulty with sand (aside from turning it into a platform in "The Library"). Since she is blind, and uses the earth to 'see', she says she really feels 'blind' in the desert and says 'everything looks fuzzy'.

[edit] Metalbending

Metalbending is first hinted at by Aang when he sarcastically states "What I'd give to be a Metalbender," as he labors to make an indentation in the giant Fire Nation drill with Waterbending.^[15] The inability to bend metal is first demonstrated in Imprisoned when Earthbender prisoners, taken captive by the Fire Nation, are brought to a completely metal rig in the middle of the ocean. The Earthbenders' helplessness due to their situation is repeatedly stressed.

Metalbending is a skill that only Toph is known to possess. Most Earthbenders are unable to affect processed metals. Usually, the trace amount of earth still present in metal is so minute that it goes undetected even to the best Earthbenders. However, due to her ability to "see" earth, Toph is able to locate the small fragments of earth in metal, target them, and utilize them to "bend" the metal portion.^[16]

After being separated from the others by a letter presumably sent by her mother, Toph is captured in a metal cage by Xin Fu and her former teacher, Master Yu.^[9] During the next episode, "The Guru," she tries desperately to break the cage until one of her captors boasts that, even if she was the best Earthbender alive, it is impossible to bend metal. It is at that exact moment that Guru Pathik is explaining to Aang about the light chakra and how it is blocked by illusion. He goes on to explain that it is an illusion that the four nations are different, or that air is any different from earth, and also how even metal ultimately is simply just earth that has been purified and refined. Toph realizes this herself and starts meditating on her cage trying to feel the vibrations of the trace amounts of earth in the metal. She then utilizes these traces of earth to escape and trap her captors within the cage.

[edit] Badgermole

Badgermoles are gigantic animals, a cross between a badger and a mole. Badgermoles use Earthbending to make tunnels and caves and travel underground, where they live and hunt for prey. They are naturally blind but use their Earthbending to feel the ground and "see", similar to the ability of Toph. Badgermoles are known to be the original earthbenders in the show.^[17] A little known fact about the Badgermoles is their love for music; if the right music is played, one can get a Badgermole to do just about anything. Badgermoles are able to control the earth just as easily as humans can and are said to have taught the first two human Earthbenders how to manipulate earth.^[1]

[edit] Weaknesses

An Earthbender's powers are firmly rooted to the ground they stand on. Taking them any substantial distance away from the earth, such as on the ocean, strips them of their powers. Additionally, because of their inability to bend processed metals and wooden materials, the bending abilities of an Earthbender can be negated by securing them within a metallic or wooden barrier. While Toph is an exception to metal due to her unique abilities, she has been shown to be unable to bend when trapped in a wooden prison in the episode The Runaway. King Bumi has also been depicted as being able to circumvent this weakness and Earthbend (although not Metalbend) while trapped in a metallic coffin in the episode Return to Omashu.

[edit] Elemental Symbol

The symbol for earth and earthbending is a tall rough isosceles trapezoidal shape, the base of which is made up of the Bagua trigram "Kun," denoting "earth." Inside, at the top, is a spiral. The symbol is present on wooden "elemental solitaire" cards owned by the Fire Nation's General Iroh.

[edit] Notable Earthbenders

• Toph Bei Fong
• King Bumi
• Long Feng

[edit] See also

• Earth Kingdom
• Waterbending
• Firebending
• Airbending
• Geokinesis

[edit] References

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