Earth

Basic Earthbending

earth
earth

Earth is the element of substance. The element itself is enduring, strong, and passive, so earthbender philosophy follows the same logic. Earthbending emphasizes neutral jing, which is waiting patiently for the right time to strike. Like the other three physical elements, earthbending first came from Lion Turtles. When they left, the first humans to study earthbending again were Oma and Shu. They observed the badger moles and slowly began to master earthbending once more.

Like all the other elements, earthbending possesses no real edge over the other three unless in special circumstnaces. Of course, for earthbending to be more successful, you should be surrounded by rock or ground, which you normally would be. Yet this is also a weakness for earthbenders. As soon as they are far away enough from land and held by wooden cages, they have no chance of escape unless someone brings earth into the vicinity. Metal was thought to be impossible to bend until Toph Beifong was able to the control earth inside the metal. Since earth is abundant and available in many forms, different styles can be developed, but most earthbenders usually resort to graceful but brute force during fights.

Earthbenders have historically stayed in the Earth Kingdom, with no reason to leave due to its size. Due to the country being united before Avatar Aang, earthbenders mostly had one style. During Legend of Korra, more styles have been developed with the advent of the United Republic of Nations.

Metalbending

metalbending metalbending

Metalbending was apparently impossible until 12-year old Toph, Aang's blind earthbending teacher, realized how to bend it. Metalbenders bend the particles inside the metal, not exactly the metal itself. Therefore, when a metal, like platinum, is pure enough, there is no earth left inside and cannot be bent. Metalbending is especially useful in the "modern" Legend of Korra world, where many cities are now made of steel. Toph's two daughters, Lin and Suyin, respectively lead the Republic City Police Force, and Zaofu, both of which have a substantial porportion of metalbenders. Unlike normal earth, metal does not easily split, and is normally not too brittle. It seems very fluid, and when used in fights, it is often in cable form, allowing for quick and easy movement or attachment. Metalbending seems to be the most common sub-element of earthbending.

Lavabending

lavabending lavabending lavabending

On the other hand, lavabenders are extremely rare, but very powerful. Which is probably why they're rare. They quickly change the temperature of the earth until it's molten and work with it from there. It seems to be a more sluggish but much, much, warmer version of waterbending. The only known lavabenders are Ghazan and Bolin, as well as a handful of avatars in flashbacks. Lavabending is capable of creating small sinkholes, and if mastery is achieved, which is Ghazan's case, walls the size of Ba Sing Se can be torn down singlehandedly.

Sandbending

sandbending sandbending

Sandbending didn't seem to get much attention in Legend of Korra except for a quick flyby in Si Wong Desert, but it still exists. There are tribes of sandbenders throughout the desert, primarily using their bending to propel their transportation, like boats. At first, Toph was unsure about the sand, calling her "vision" through it "fuzzy", but by the end of Season 3, she created an intricate sand sculpture of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom capital, so it's safe to say that she is at least proficient.

arrow

Back to Top