Everything about The Earth Kingdom totally explained
The
Earth Kingdom is a collective term for a
nation of people in the
fictional universe of the
Nickelodeon animated television series . One of the series' "," The Earth Kingdom is a massive
continent taking up most of the planet's eastern hemisphere, roughly geographically analogous to
Eurasia in our world. The Earth Kingdom is home to an order of
men and
women who practice
earthbending, the mystical art of
terrakinesis. Most of the series takes place in the Earth Kingdom.
The Earth Kingdom has long withstood encroachments on their borders in the
Fire Nation's century-long
imperialist war. Though the
Water Tribes aid the Earth Kingdom in the war, the conflict continues to progress poorly. Other than the Avatar the Earth Kingdom was the only real obstacle between the Fire Nation and complete world domination, as the
Water Tribes have thus far demonstrated that they can only defend their own lands, the poles. However, by the conclusion of Book Two, the Fire Nation princess,
Azula, had taken control of the Earth Kingdom capital city,
Ba Sing Se. By the following summer, it's firmly occupied by Fire Nation forces.
Appearance
The people of the Earth Kingdom have brown or black hair, in different shades. Some men and women wear their hair in buns on top of their heads. Men may grow beards and/or mustaches; younger men may have the same style but wear their hair down. Their skin complexion is usually fair, tan or brown, and they most typically express brown or green eyes. They usually wear green, yellow-green or brown clothing, though they've been seen wearing outfits of other colors.
National emblem
The
national emblem of the Earth Kingdom is a square inscribed with a circle, at the center of which is a much smaller square (like a
Chinese coin). The insignia symbolizes both the literal and figurative depth of the Earth Kingdom. It represents the immeasurable layers of deep rock and minerals which Earthbenders manipulate to maintain their great cities, as well as the depth of the inhabitants' commitment and strive towards the effort of a peaceful and productive way of life. This emblem can be seen on the helmets of Earth Kingdom troops.
Earth Kingdom currency, coins, are composed from metals such as
copper shaped into the fashion of the national emblem. The design is also applied to certain large, stone "coins" which are used as weapons by earthbending soldiers.
Based on Toph's passport seen in "
The Serpent's Pass," Earth Kingdom is literally written as 土國 (tǔ guó). Coincidentally, this is also the Chinese transliteration and abbreviation for the country
Turkey.
Culture
From the technology-driven refugees under to the initially isolationist inhabitants of
Kyoshi Island, the culture of the Earth Kingdom is far less defined than those of the other nations. This is likely due to its size. The common aspect of these different cultures is their rather simplistic and somewhat archaic nature, especially in comparison to the more advanced and refined Fire Nation. Due to their manipulation of Earth, which
Iroh refers to as the "element of substance", Earthbenders are virtually immovable, as reflected in the personality of the Earth Kingdom's citizens.
But the fact that they're tough doesn't mean they don't have any games or attractions. In Omashu, the game first played by Aang and invented by King Bumi is based on the mail delivery system of Omashu, which Bumi has referred to as "The World's Greatest Superslide." In Ba Sing Se, an apparently common game played in alleys is a form of
football that employs earthbending. Also, an attraction in Ba Sing Se is the Zoo.
Season
Each of the Four Nations is influenced by their own distinct, dominant season; the Earth Kingdom's is spring, the time when most living things on Earth are reborn. To this effect, more Earthbenders are born during the spring than any other time of year and their powers are at their strongest during the springtime.
Natural Resources and Foods
Though at first glance they'd appear to be the most simple of substances, rock and stone turn out to be the Earth Kingdom's greatest natural resources, as such are widely used and manipulated into just about everything, from small tools to entire metropolises. While the Earth Kingdom as a whole doesn't make use of fossil fuels nearly as much as the industrialized Fire Nation, coal is mined in certain villages for fuel. The timber of their forests also serve as fuel along with being lumbered for building.
As a result of the various minerals it contains, an ample amount of vegetables manage to sufficiently grow within the rich, fertile soil of the Earth Kingdom, while fruits and nut trees are equally as abundant. Wild game and domesticated animals thrive in the lush forests and farmlands, adding beef and poultry to the Earth Kingdom citizens' diet.
Government
The Earth Kingdom is a large nation divided into provinces and major cities which are subdivided into smaller townships or separate towns. The capital of the Earth Kingdom formerly was
Ba Sing Se. While there's a central ruler of the Earth Kingdom, known as the, who dwelled within Ba Sing Se, some larger cities, such as
Omashu, have kings of their own; the exact nature of this hierarchy is unknown. However, the Earth Kingdom's central form of government is a
Confederate Monarchy. At one time, proud warrior-kings ruled their lands personally and often brutally, but over the generations, the Earth Kings ceded more and more control over the day-to-day operations of their city to the
byzantine governmental structure that sprang up around them. The Earth King now is little more than a figurehead who lives a lavish lifestyle surrounded by
courtesans and
sycophants, lending one of his royal seals to whatever decrees and laws his advisors suggest.
It is eventually revealed that the Earth King has little true power, being little more than a figurehead. While he's greatly revered, possibly even worshipped, most of the governmental power in Ba Sing Se is trusted to various advisers and counsels such as, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se & Head of the . It is also implied that the Ba Sing Se government chooses to make use of little power beyond its own fortified city, which perhaps explains the dire situation in much of the Earth Kingdom.
The government in Ba Sing Se is incredibly oppressive, similar to a system of
fascism. All of the power is focused on a single dictator, Long Feng, and the level of control exhibited on the population ranges from severe economic and social regimentation, feelings of superiority over others, and forcible elimination of opposition by methods such as brainwashing. The government of Ba Sing Se is also incredibly
bureaucratic, an illustration of this is the fact that processing a request to meet with the Earth King may take up to 6-8 weeks or that proper clearance is required for posting up something as simple as a lost animal flyer. Its leaders also make use of sixty-seven different seals, each used on various occasions, for the approval or processing of documents and orders.
Military
Since the Earth Kingdom is geographically the largest of the four nations, it possesses a large variety of combat organizations and personnel.
Army
Due to the majority of its territory being landlocked and segregrated by mountainous terrain, the Earth Kingdom is most dependent on its land-based army forces. Like the
Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom armies consist of benders and normal foot soldiers. Soldiers, both benders and non-benders, carry a wide variety of weapons, from spears, swords, and other various
polearms, to more unusual weapons such as hammers, axes, and sickles. Nonbending soldiers typically wear a helmet shaped like a mix of a
Conical straw hat and a
spinning top, along with a neckguard underneath, are more heavily armoured, and wear boots. Earthbenders' helmets are pointed and are decorated with the Earth Kingdom emblem. They are also barefooted, as called for by a principle of earthbending. Officers wear yellow armor in place of the regular green armor.
Earth Kingdom soldiers in various parts of the Earth Kingdom tend to wear slightly different colored uniforms than that of others. For example, the guards at the gates of
Omashu wore slightly different uniforms than other Earthbenders in other parts of the Earth Kingdom. The Earthbenders who captured Iroh in "
The Spirit World" wore yellow and light brown. General Fong's soldiers wore light green, the ferry guards of Full Moon Bay wore brown on tan uniforms, and the personal guards of the Bei Fong family wore a cream colored uniform. The non-bending soldiers of Omashu wear leaf-green colors, while other non-bending soldiers across the Earth Kingdom wear a drab olive green. At Ba Sing Se the soldiers on the walls have more diverse uniforms, with black and gold colors.
The cavalry consists of, which can vertically climb short distances and run at high speeds. They are also used as civilian transports.
Earthbenders use stones shaped like the Earth Kingdom emblem as artillery and catapult projectiles. These person-sized round coins are invaluable weapons to the Earthbenders. The coins can be lined up side by side to make a defensive mobile wall, or stacked to make an impromptu lookout tower. Skilled Earthbenders can use these coins as a vehicle and "ride" in the hole in the middle of the coins.
By consulting with various Earthbenders, the Earth Kingdom inventor the Mechanist was able to design and perfect metallic, multi-segmented, earthbending-powered tanks which were actively used in the Fire Nation invasion. The Earth Kingdom tanks are piloted by a crew of four Earthbenders who work to move the
caterpillar-like vehicle by pushing off the ground with their feet. Thanks to their multiple segments, the tanks are able to navigate on uneven terrain and even climb over elevated obstacles. Hatches on the sides of the tank open and close, allowing Earthbenders to fire stone projectiles at the enemy.
Navy
Not much is known about the Earth Navy, save that it's likely inferior to that of the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom's explicitly stated that invading the Fire Nation with its ships would be suicidal.
Zuko also mentioned that his ship crashed into an Earth Nation ship, to use as an excuse for the damage done to it when he sent it for repairs at harbour.
Dai Li
The Dai Li are the cultural enforcers of Ba Sing Se. They are under the direct command of Long Feng, the culture minister, and function as a sort of secret police; arresting and
re-educating anyone who breaks regulations concerning mention of the war. In addition to distinct uniforms, they're notable for sporting stone gloves and shoes, which can be used to great effect as weapons through Earthbending. Though they serve the Earth King, they're loyal only to Long Feng. However, after the events of the
coup d'état led against the Earth Kingdom capital, they've pledged loyalty to Azula. It is the Dai Li who are responsible for tearing down Ba Sing Se's walls to allow the entrance of the Fire Nation army invasion force and the eventual firm occupation of the capital city.
The Dai Li was created several centuries ago by
Avatar Kyoshi to preserve the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se, in response to a peasant uprising against the government and forty sixth Earth King. She currently regrets having created the Dai Li, as she'd no idea how corrupt they'd become at the time.
They appear to be modeled after the government agents of
Qing Dynasty China, generally known as the Dai Li (in Cantonese) The organization may also be named after Dai Li,the feared Spymaster of Chiang Kai-Shek before and during the Second World War. (
Chinese:大内;
Pinyin: dà nèi)-- which literally means "Greater-Inner", and refers to those who serve in the Greater Inner Sanctum of the
Forbidden City.
Kyoshi Island Warriors
The Kyoshi Island Warriors are an all-female group of fighters led by on
Kyoshi Island. Their fighting style and clothing honor that of their founder,, although the most current fighters don't implement any of the bending arts in their physical movements. Clad in ornate, green armor and
Kabuki-like makeup, designed to intimidate opponents, Kyoshi Island Warriors use metal fans as their primary weapons, but it's later revealed the warriors additionally utilize
katanas and wrist shields. Holding the fans like extensions of their own arms, they aim to turn the strength of their opponents against them, a principle also hinged upon in
waterbending. Traditionally, only women are trained as Kyoshi warriors, however there have been exceptions over the years.
Although Kyoshi Island had long remained neutral in the war, following the Avatar's arrival on the island, the Kyoshi Island Warriors were inspired to assist the Earth Kingdom army in its attempts to resist the Fire Nation. They accomplish this not by serving on the front lines, but serving as guards for refugee ferries to Ba Sing Se. The warriors appeared again in "
Appa's Lost Days" where they struggled to protect Appa from capture at the hands of
Princess Azula,, and . Following the confrontation, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee infiltrate the city of
Ba Sing Se disguised as members of the Kyoshi warriors. It is soon confirmed that the Kyoshi Warriors were defeated in the battle.
Council of Five
The Council of Five is a group of five high-ranking Earth Kingdom Generals, including Generals and, who decide the best use of their armies fighting outside the walls of Ba Sing Se. It is the Council of Five who designs and implements any war plans, which includes the best means of protecting the capital city as well as the proposed invasion of the Fire Nation. In addition to this, the Council also controls the Kings Guards, an elite force of guards who protect the king. The Council of Five has been together for as long as there has been a king of Ba Sing Se, and up until Long Feng came into power, it has always worked hand in hand with the Earth King to ensure the city's well being.
Under Princess Azula's execution of the
coup d'état against the capital, all members of the council have been taken captive by the Dai Li and are currently being held under house arrest.
Kings Guards
These royal, earthbending guards of Ba Sing Se are affiliated with neither the Dai Li nor the military, and instead serve as personal protectors of the Earth King. There seem to be hundreds of them guarding the Royal Palace. The guards use specialized surface-to-surface rocks against invaders approaching on foot, but the projectiles are displayed to be able to also serve as surface-to-air rocks against airborne intruders. Sporting dark green armor and feather-topped helmets, the guards have also been shown as the gate keepers of the outer and inner walls of Ba Sing Se. .
Light Industry
Architecture, farming, carpentry, hunting, and mining are among many significant Earth Kingdom industries. Its citizens have managed to develop an advanced trade and commerce system so that almost all may benefit. From the complex sewage and postal system of Omashu, to the Ba Sing Se metro transit stations, and various inventions and their inventors, such as, all serve as demonstration of the Earth Kingdom's surprisingly sophisticated society.
Cities and locations
Kyoshi Island
One of the islands off the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom, Kyoshi Island is an
island founded in the South Sea by in an effort to protect her people from invaders. Having born the Avatar over four hundred years ago, the island has a shrine (formerly a temple) dedicated to Kyoshi that contains her relics, including her kimono, metal fans, metal headdress, and her boots. Supposedly, these relics still embody some of Kyoshi's spirit.. Predominately a
fishing port, travelers and traders favor the island as a stopping point. In the nearby sea, there are, which serve as the island's main source of commerce, and a giant eel known as the . The denizens of Kyoshi Island's dwell scattered amongst several small villages found all around the island. Each village has its own leader and is served and protected by a band of female
Kyoshi Island Warriors, who fight with metal fans in the same techniques as the island's namesake Avatar, as well as a fighting style that emulates the
Waterbender's
philosophy of using the opponents' force against them.
Due to holding no significant military advantage and retaining very few Earthbenders, Kyoshi Island has managed to stay out of the Fire Nation's war for nearly a century — until
Zuko recently attacked it looking for
Aang. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the island have no intention of inviting unwanted attention, and the warriors often find themselves dealing with disorderly traders and travelers who, after a night of drinking in the port of Kyoshi, stumble into the villages and cause trouble. As a result, the villagers are quite hostile towards outsiders, often fearing the possibility of Fire Nation spies. However, inspired by the Avatar Aang's arrival on the island, the citizens have gained new hope and have adopted a more welcoming attitude since then. Additionally, the Kyoshi Island Warriors recently left to join the war effort in hopes of making a difference.
During the time of Avatar Kyoshi, a warlord known as was enveloping the entire Earth Kingdom in his armies and ruthless dictatorship. Kyoshi managed to keep her people safe from invasion by using a combination of different bending techniques to separate their peninsula from the mainland and form an island. This left a cliff at Chin's feet, where he fell to his death as the rock beneath him collapsed. The
village of Chin was founded near the cliff and was known to be very antagonistic towards all reincarnations of the Avatar, believing that they killed their glorious leader. Only recently when Aang, the current Avatar, saves the village from rhino-riding Fire Nation soldiers do they put their qualms aside and reinvent their effigy-burning "
Avatar Day" into a more friendly celebration. This day is known as Kyoshi Day on Kyoshi Island and celebrates the day of its founding.
Omashu
Omashu was the Earth Kingdom's first city.
The city of Omashu sits within a mountain range, surrounded on all sides by steep canyons and an enormous gorge, with the only way to its gates being a narrow path over the chasm. The cities' three gates are composed from massive stone, each five feet thick and towering over thirty feet high, accessible only by Earthbenders who guard its lone entrance. It is ruled by and holds the place of being the Earth Kingdom's second largest city. Omashu's main industry was producing weapons and supplies for the war effort, and had developed a complex and efficient mail system used to transport goods throughout the city that employed Earthbending and
gravity using extensive ramps and chutes. As children, Bumi and Aang used the ramps as slides.
At the beginning of Book Two, Aang and his friends travel to Omashu once more so that he may learn Earthbending under King Bumi. On their journey, they pass through the
Cave of Two Lovers where it's revealed that the city was founded many millennia ago and named for Oma and Shu, a
Romeo and Juliet pair from two warring villages who became the first Earthbenders.
Since Aang, Katara, and Sokka's last visit, Omashu had surrendered to the
Fire Nation, who had developed metal, extending bridges to bypass the gorge. The entire city is displayed to be undergoing massive reconstruction to better suit the Fire Nation occupation, complete with a huge statue of Fire Lord Ozai built at the highest peak of Omashu. Most notably altered is the palace, the original of which was completely leveled and replaced with the metal pagoda architecture favored by the Fire Nation. The Earth Kingdom citizens and remnant soldiers had managed to find refuge within the sewer systems beneath Omashu and eventually are able to escape the city under the guise of an epidemic shortly after Aang arrives. Soon after, the city of Omashu is renamed "New Ozai" by
Princess Azula.
Based on the ancient writing in "The Cave of Two Lovers," the modern way to write Omashu is 奥瑪舒. Ào mǎ (奥 瑪 ) mean "mysterious
carnelian," while shū (舒 ) means relax. Carnelian is a semiprecious stone consisting of an orange or orange-red variety of chalcedony.
Ba Sing Se
Ba Sing Se was the
capital of the Earth Kingdom. It withstood a six-hundred day
siege led by the Fire Nation's
General Iroh, which ended after Iroh's son, Lu Ten, died on the front lines and Iroh was in too much in grief to continue. As shown in the Comic Convention 2006, Ba Sing Se is an enormous city with several rock-like monorails, similarly to the ones in Omashu although greatly scaled up and more sedate. The "cars" are moved by Earthbending. Following the events of the Season 2 finale, the government of Ba Sing Se was deposed through an internal
army led by
Azula. With the fall of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom lost its last great stronghold to the Fire Nation.
Ba Sing Se's greatest secret to its staying power in the war is the farmland behind its outer wall. These vast fields supply the entire city with food to enable them to survive a siege of any duration, so long as the outer wall remains intact. Only on two separate occasions has the great wall ever been penetrated. It was apparently breached during Iroh's six-hundred day siege, however, the city survived, as the siege broke shortly thereafter. The city's wall is nearly penetrated once again by a large drill-like invention created by for the Fire Nation. However, with Sokka's ingenuity, Aang, Katara, and Toph manage to disable the drill and ruin the Fire Nation plans. Soon after this victory, Azula entered the city and with a coup d'etat - forced by the Dai Li - Azula took over power. The Great Wall of Ba Sing Se was broken down and the army of the Fire Nation occupied the city.
The main characters don't reach Ba Sing Se until "
City of Walls and Secrets," where the culture is at first revealed. The city is divided into various levels based on social class, with the ghettos of the poor and refugees being walled off from the rest of the town. It is also revealed that society is heavily controlled, and that the war isn't allowed to be mentioned inside the walls. This was meant to maintain order and the cultural heritage of the city, making it the only remaining "utopian" society in the world. It is eventually revealed that the Earth King is actually mostly a figurehead, with great ceremonial power, but little authority. The political leader of the city is Long Feng, the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and the Head of the Dai Li. He and the Dai Li maintain strict control of the people and the culture, and prefer to pretend the war doesn't exist. This is most likely the result of Ba Sing Se's safety - the people of the city consider it impenetrable, and thus feel they can delude themselves into pretending all is fine in the rest of the Kingdom. Those who attempt to disrupt this fantasy are promptly brainwashed by the Dai Li into believing that the war doesn't even exist. This is perhaps most powerfully shown in "
The Drill," where they maintain the belief in their safety even when the city is threatened---and which also shows the city may not be as strong as believed.
In "
The Drill," the name Ba Sing Se is revealed to mean "
Impenetrable City," as an Earth Kingdom general jokes that it isn't named "Na Sing Se" (meaning "Penetrable City").
Minor Earth Kingdom Locations
Fauna
The Earth Kingdom is home to many exotic creatures:
- reside in the caves. The are blind, but "see" with Earthbending. It is said that they taught the first Earthbenders. They have a touch for music. If one were to play the right music, they could be induced to do almost anything. The Earth Kingdom regards the Badgermole as a symbol similarly to how the Fire Nation perceives the Dragon, the Air Nomads regard the Air Bison, and the Water Tribes regard the Moon.
- roam the lands, and are domesticated and mounted by Earth Kingdom citizens as transports.
- In the great Si Wong desert, Buzzard-wasps make their home in the Si Wong Rock. They make a honey like liquid that they feed their young. It is said that this liquid tastes like rotting penguin meat, though Appa seemed to enjoy it (likely from being so hungry).
- Singing Groundhogs attract tourists from everywhere. They are able to respond to any musical note.
- reside in the sewers of Omashu. They have five eyes and legs and attach themselves to those they come in contact with. When tickled into letting go, they leave behind distinctive sucker marks.
- s are found in the forests of the Earth Kingdom. They usually live in caves, lay eggs and protect the eggs and their young. Mature Platypus bears are as ferocious as actual bear, especially when they're with young.
- are fearsome animals of the Earth Kingdom forests. They have large tusks and large antlers. At a young age, they appear to be herbivores, and are hard to identify, as the antlers and tusks have not yet grown in, but as they mature they may become carnivorous.
- In the caves of the Earth Kingdom, are territorial carnivores. They are as large as wolves and can fly.
- Various kinds of are farmed here. Sheep, Rooster, Chicken, and Cow pigs are seen.
- Large, insectoid creatures called inhabit the Great Divide.
Influences
In many aspects, the Earth Kingdom is modeled on ancient
China in terms of architecture, clothing, size and diversity. In
The Drill a wall similar to the
Great Wall of China was shown.
In addition, like the rest of the four Nations, the Earth Kingdom uses an ancient Chinese fighting style known as
Hung Gar; Toph is the only Earthbender known to use
Southern Praying Mantis, also another form of Chinese martial arts. In the city of Ba Sing Se, the clothing and the women's headdresses seems to be influenced by the
Manchus who heavily influenced Chinese style during the Qing dynasty. As is the men, for they shave half their heads and braid the rest of their hair. The clothing of Dai Li are much like those of the ancient Chinese guards. The King seems young which is like many of the kings in China when it was ruled by the Manchus. The resident hippie, hillbilly, spectator sports fan, and Old Western cowboy stereotypes, however, suggest parallels to the
United States of America. The land occupied by the Earth Kingdom is also similar in shape to
North America. The desert Sandbenders resemble Bedouins. Most of Ba Sing Se seems to be influenced by China---both its architecture (the King's palace resembles the
Forbidden City) and culture ---while it's implied that the people may practice emperor-worship like
Japan. The island of Kyoshi and its residents also resemble customs of Japan. In addition,
Korean culture is reflected in one episode when two people Iroh and Zuko meet, Song and her mother, are seen wearing the
Hanbok. Given its sheer size, both in area and expanse the Earth Kingdom contains many different cultures and sub-cultures, resembling
China with its many different ethnic groups.
Notable figures
Toph Bei Fong
Further Information
Get more info on 'Earth Kingdom'.
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