by Nickelodeon
Then, as the warden walked away, a lump of coal
struck him in the back of the head. He spun around,
furious, and saw what I saw—Haru controlling three
pieces of coal floating in a circle above his hand.
I felt my spirit rushing back. I had gotten through
to Haru. But would the others follow?
Enraged, the warden shot a stream of flames
right at Haru. Suddenly, a huge wall of coal rose up,
blocking the flame. Haru and I looked over at the
same time to see that Tyro had Earthbended a wall to
save his son’s life.
“Show no mercy!” cried the warden as he and his
guards let loose their Firebending blasts.
“For the Earth Kingdom!” Tyro shouted. “Attack!”
Inspired, the other Earthbenders joined in
and blocked each fire blast with coal. Finally, the
Earthbenders created one huge disc of coal, scooped
up the warden and his guards with it, and then
hovered it over the ocean.
“No! Please! I can’t swim!” cried the warden.
“Don’t worry,” replied Tyro. “I hear cowards
float.”
Then he dissolved the large disc, and the warden
and his guards plunged into the churning sea.
I was so proud of Haru and the others, and so glad
I could help in some small way.
“I want to thank you for saving me,” Haru said as
Aang, Sokka, and I prepared to leave on Appa. “For
saving us.”
“All it took was a little coal,” I said, blushing
uncontrollably.
“It wasn’t the coal, Katara. It was you,” Haru said.
Then Tyro stepped beside us. “Thank you for
helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water
Tribe,” he said. “My family, and everyone here, owes
you much.” Then Tyro bowed to me. I couldn’t
believe such a wise and talented bender was bowing
to me! I was so honored.
Haru asked me to come back to his village with
him, but as much as I wanted to stay with him, I knew
I couldn’t. As Sokka, Aang, and I flew off on Appa,
I realized how powerful courage is, and how much
I had within myself. And for the first time in a long
time I felt hopeful about the future.
The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud
and strong and adhere to a philosophy of peaceful
coexistence and cooperation with the other nations of
the world. Earthbenders use their abilities for defense
and industry and have fiercely defended their cities
against attacks by the Fire Nation.
EARTH KINGDOM
INSIGNIA
The symbol of the
Earth Kingdom is a square
within a larger circle,
within a still larger square,
which symbolizes both the
literal and figurative depth
of the Earth Kingdom. I
t represents the many
layers of deep rock and coal that Earthbenders
manipulate and use to run their great cities,
and the depth of their commitment to a
peaceful and productive way of life.
the Earth Kingdom, its people, its cities, its beliefs,
and its customs.
There are some great cities that spread across the
huge expanse that makes up the Earth Kingdom. The
Kingdom’s capital, Ba Sing Se, is led by the Earth king
and is the largest of all Earth Kingdom cities. The city
of Omashu is led by King
Bumi. The village of Kyoshi
is located on an island
and is home to a great
tribe of female warriors,
and Gaoling is a wealthy
city full of commerce and
culture. It is also home
to Master Yu’s
Earthbending
Academy, where
Earthbending
tournaments are
held.
EARTH KINGDOM CITIES
The Earth Nation’s dominant season is spring, the
time when many living things on Earth are reborn. More
Earthbenders are born during spring than any other season.
Earthbenders are also strongest during the spring.
SEASON
BA
SING
SE
GAOLI
NG
An abundance of fresh vegetables
grows in the rich fertile soil, and fruit
and nut trees are plentiful. Animals
thrive in the lush forests and farmlands,
providing beef and poultry to add to
the fruits and vegetables. Rock and
stone are two of the Earth Kingdom’s
greatest natural resources, and are
Earthbended into everything from
tools to entire cities. Coal is mined
in certain Earth Kingdom villages,
providing fuel. Their forests are also
used for fuel and for building.
NATURAL RESOURCES/FOOD
INDUSTRIES
Architecture, farming, carpentry, hunting, and coal
mining are important Earth Kingdom industries. The Earth
people have developed an advanced trade and commerce
system, as well as sophisticated sewage and mail delivery
systems in Omashu.
LOCATION
The Earth
Kingdom
is by far the
largest of all
four nations.
HO
OSSUM
BUTTERFL
Y
LEECH
LLAR
CANYON
CRAWLERS
The Earth Kingdom is home to
a wide variety of animals including
cats, moles, voles, gophers, hoppy-
possums (a cross between frogs and
possums), hippos, flying boars,
creeping slime (an algaelike mass
that crawls up the walls of the
sewers in Omashu), monstrous
canyon crawlers that live in the
Great Divide, and insects such as ants,
leech-a-pillars, and butterflies.
ANIMALS
Earthbenders use the Earth as their weapon. Extremely
muscular, they use their own physical strength to power their
attacks. The source of their power is the Earth itself—the
very rock that makes up their planet combines with their own
physical abilities to give an Earthbender his or her great power.
PHILOSOPHY AND STYLE
ANCIENT MARTIAL
ARTS I
NFLUENCE
Earthbending uses techniques taken from the
Hung Gar style of kung fu. Like this ancient martial
arts discipline, Earthbending is known for its strong
stances rooted in 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.
Earthbenders use many techniques during combat or
construction.
EARTHBENDING TECHNIQUES
They can strike the
ground with their hands or
feet, causing small tremors
or earthquakes.
They can stomp
the ground hard,
causing a boulder to
form and spring up,
which they then kick
toward an opponent.
They can also bend the
Earth in order to catapult
themselves into the air, and
then soften the Earth to
cushion their landings. They
can open cracks in the ground
to swallow up an opponent,
raise slabs of stone from the
Earth to use as defensive walls
(these are especially good at
blocking fire), and levitate
stones to propel them at
opponents.
Earthbenders can also magnetize
their limbs to stone, allowing them to
climb sheer walls or cliffs.
An Earthbender has eighty-five jings, or choices of
how to direct his or her energy. Of these, the neutral
jing—listening and waiting for the right moment
to strike—is the most important. The highest-level
Earthbenders can change solid ground into quicksand
to entrap approaching enemies.
WEAKNESS
Earthbenders’ most significant weakness is their
inability to manipulate metal. The Fire Nation has
exploited this weakness by attempting to surround
Earthbenders with metal armor, ships, and forts.
GROUP EARTHBENDING MOVES
Earthbenders can combine their power using group
movements to create a massive wall or huge boulder from
many small pieces of coal, which can then be propelled toward
an entire squadron of enemy troops. One Earthbender can
lift a steady stream of small pieces of coal into the air, while
another shoots the rocks forward at an enemy. They can
also manipulate the coal into a large, flat disc, which can
scoop up and carry away enemies.
I’m Aang, the Avatar. When
I was younger, I used to come
to the Earth Kingdom city
of Omashu to visit my
friend Bumi. I returned
to Omashu for the first
time in one hundred
years with my good
friends Katara and
Sokka on our way
to the North Pole,
and boy, what
a crazy visit it
was!
Kingdom city of Omashu. Passed down by the Avatar
himself, the story tells us of the valuable lesson he
learned, one that would aid him in all of his future
travels.
My heart soared as I stood
on a hilltop looking down at
Omashu, towering over the
valley below. The city was
carved out of a mountain, and
a long, stone bridge wound
its way from the valley up to
the city’s massive front gate.
I ran up to the gate ready to
enter, but as always, Katara
was worried about me and
what would happen if people
found out I was the Avatar.
So I put on a disguise: a
mustache and wig made
from Appa’s hair! It was
so itchy, it drove me nuts.
I don’t know how Appa
stands it!
But it worked. The guards used their awesome
Earthbending powers to open the huge stone gates of
Omashu and we were inside the city!
The city was covered by a vast delivery system of
stone chutes for mail, packages, and anything else
they needed to move from the highest parts of the
city to the lowest. Earthbending brought the carts up
and gravity brought them down.
“So they get their mail on time,” Sokka said,
uninterested.
“They do
get their mail on time,” I replied. “But my
friend Bumi found an even better use for these chutes.”
One hundred years ago, Bumi had introduced me to
a world of possibilities.
“Instead of seeing what others want you to see,”
Bumi had said, “try opening your mind to the
possibilities. It’s not just a mail chute; it’s the world’s
greatest superslide!”
“Bumi, you’re a mad genius!” I’d cried. We
climbed into a delivery cart and zoomed down the
chutes, racing our way to the bottom. We had a blast!
So I talked Katara and Sokka into taking just one
ride with me. Katara gripped the cart for dear life, but
I was having a ball. I had it all under control until
my Airbending lifted our cart completely out of the
chute! We sailed through the air, crashed through a
potter’s house (I felt really bad about that), and then
crashed into a cabbage vendor (I felt bad about that,
too). We finally came to a stop, only to be met by the
king’s guards. They took us before the king for our
punishment.
The king was a really old man. He looked weak
and fragile, and I wondered how he had come to rule
over such a powerful kingdom. I thought for sure
we’d end up in jail, and it would all be my fault, but
then the king announced his judgment.
“Throw them a feast!” he proclaimed.
And they did! The king kept eyeing me
suspiciously at the table, and then he hurled a
huge chicken leg right at me! I didn’t have time to
think. I just caught the chicken leg in a ball of air,
stopping it from pelting me in the face. Suddenly
I realized I had made
a big mistake. I had
put us in danger.
“It appears we have
an Airbender in our
presence,” the king
announced. “And not
just any Airbender—
the Avatar!”
I admitted to the king that I was the Avatar and
started backing away toward the door. Katara and
Sokka followed me, but the guards blocked
our way.
It was no use.
“Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly
challenges,” the king announced. “But now the
guards will show you to your chambers.”
I awoke the next morning and Katara and Sokka
were gone. I demanded to know where they were.
“The king will free them if you complete the
challenges,” the guard said.
“And if I fail?” I asked, fearing the answer.
“He didn’t say.”
My friends’ safety depended on my ability to
overcome whatever challenges the king had planned.
I couldn’t fail. This was one of those times I wished
that someone else was the Avatar.
The guard led me into a large stone room, where
Katara and Sokka were being held by two guards.
Their fate rested in my hands.
Then the king asked me what I thought of his
outfit. I didn’t know what to say, but I wasn’t about
to tell him that I thought it was ugly. In the end,
I settled on fine. He smiled and told me I passed my
first test. I was so relieved! But he was just toying with
me—he said I’d passed the test, not the challenge. He
seemed to enjoy watching me suffer. I was so furious
that I unleashed a powerful Airbending move and
demanded he give me back my friends now.
“I thought you might refuse, so I gave your friends
some special souvenirs,” the king said as the guards
slid crystal rings on Katara and Sokka.
“Those rings are made of pure Jennamite,” the king
explained. “They are also known as creeping crystals.
These crystals grow remarkably fast. By nightfall your
friends will be completely encased in crystal. I can
stop it, but only if you cooperate.”