Jura from Fairy Tail
The last of this element series is one that doesn’t get as much attention as the others because it has a lot of limitations. Earth isn’t an element that can be rationalized very easily if it comes from the human body. Water and wind can be considered components of the wielder and fire is associated with emotions or body heat. Earth requires using what is around a person, so it’s almost entirely manipulation of pre-existing materials. That means an earth user will have areas that prevents them from operating such as the open ocean, the sky, and things composed entirely of ice. So, I’m going to start by showing a way that these weaknesses can be countered.
Bags of Dirt
Seriously, this is something that such a person would consider. If the bag is enchanted to hold an incredible amount then that’s even better. You can also have multiple bags with different minerals like dirt, iron shavings, and gemstones. Only a few works let metal and jewels fall under this category. Even then, they’re typically extensions or powerful variations that are only known by a few. Yet, these don’t fall under any of the other element categories. There isn’t even a crossing over like magma/lava being both fire and earth. Anyway, someone who specializes in this could very well bring their medium along to avoid getting caught defenseless. One could also refuse to bathe and use the dirt from their body, but that’s fairly gross.
Offense and Defense
This element lends itself to brute force pretty easily, which is why you see the standard boulder hurling and creating pillars from the ground. On a grander scale, a character can create earthquakes, landslides, and sinkholes. You also have those who will create weapons and armor from the earth around them. These can get more interesting if you allow the manipulation of metal and gems. For example, an earth wielder can create a sword from the nearby rocks, but add a diamond edge to it. Weight is something that can be played with too here. If they are able to control the material then it’s possible for them to be swinging a giant sword by their power more than their physical strength.
Defenses are your typical shields and walls, but one that is rarely used is weapon and armor destruction. These tend to be magical or physical strength abilities, but earth wielders can feasibly do these as well. Metal armor or at least the metal clips can be sundered with a blow. Swords and spearheads can be shattered as well as the tips of incoming arrows. This can range from breaking to turning the item into dust, which makes this character even more dangerous. They become a threat to one’s gear as well as one’s life. Not easy to get a new suit of armor or weapon in the middle of a fight.
Transportation
Like wind wielders with flight and water wielders with waves, those who manipulate earth can move people around. It could be as simple as having a chunk of the ground lift and float along, but they can also be more subtle. Maybe create beasts of earth that carry the group or, in a modern setting, control a car by manipulating the metal parts. This does make it sound like magnetism falls under this element, which is entirely possible and up to the author.
Daily Life
The list of jobs that this power could help with is pretty long. Construction is probably the easiest choice since you can make buildings without help. Of course, this requires training and research to make a stable structure. Betting we’d love a crew of earth wielders to fix bridges and eliminate pot holes too. Aside from that, I can see some uses in any job that requires metal tools. This can range from staplers to kitchen knives. Other uses can be with jewelry and pottery.
Outside of a career, this power can be used to help with yard work, gardening, and home repairs. Imagine being able to create or alter a stone patio whenever you desire. You can keep it looking like new by using your power to protect it from the weather as well. There’s also a sensory aspect that we’ll get into.
Vibrations and Weak Points
By being in tune the element, an earth wielder gets a similar ability to the wind and water ones. As long as something is touching the ground, one can pinpoint their direction, speed, and possibly even the weight. They could get a better picture if you say that the steps create a bridge of vibrations that allow one to pick up a heartbeat and movement of the bones. This would require a lot of concentration and practice. In the same vein, one would be able to find the weak points in structures. This can be done to destroy a building or make repairs.
So, a lot of the earth advice revolves around including more than dirt, mud, and generic stones. If you include metal and jewels then the versatility of this element grows ten fold.
Legends of Windemere 
I like this one and am surprised they don’t get more action. City walls wouldn’t offer much protection against them, and jails wouldn’t hold them. Of course, part of the art here is to not give characters too much power.
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I think one of the reasons earth doesn’t get a lot of action is because it’s seen as visually boring when compared to the others. It gets associated with brute force and an almost clunky fighting style. Most earth users I’ve seen tend focus more on hurling boulders and raises walls. A great way to limit these characters is to require extra focus since they’re working with what they’re probably standing on and metal is much more resistant than fire, water, and wind.
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I would think stone caltrops or spikes shooting from the ground could be written in a way to make it exciting. Horse and rider on a stick anyone? You could limit it to themselves more like Clayface too.
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Clayface is a good, and overlooked, example. The giant spikes are a fairly common thing with earth powers too. Maybe people just like thinking big with these. You don’t see stone dust or sand getting used that often.
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I started another comment, sorry. You could have fun with flint and steel too. She chips a few sparks off the pitchfork that is randomly stuck in a haystack.
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Good one. Earth is certainly more than dirt. Buildings of metal and stone could be death traps.
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They could cover the city with a large coal deposit, then hold them for ransom or they’ll burn it. Tons of options here.
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Lifting the city will a giant pillar. Sinkholes until ransom paid. We keep going with Evil uses though. Not sure what that says about us.
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We’re not evil. As authors we have to portray evil accurately. It should always be slightly larger than our heroes too. Earth elementalists would be great tunnelers too. You could even do a Red Sea type thing between two clashing forces. (Trying to play the peacekeeper to veer away from evil.)
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Peacekeeper could work for this. Raising snares and containers to prevent entire armies from attacking is a potential tactic. Evil is a tough one when it comes to size. Are we talking bigger in scope, power, or danger?
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I think the enemy should always place the hero as an underdog. How we structure that could involve any of the things you suggested. Since I’ve talked about Moses and the Red Sea, think about David vs Goliath. Readers like to root for the little guy.
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I’ve heard people claim to be bored with the underdog too, so I wonder if there’s an alternative. I can see it working if they’re equals and are struggling to find an advantage over the other. Superior hero is a tough one. I’m just thinking there has to be a way to pull it off.
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My Clovis character was more of a force of nature. He was fun to follow around. He only got about 1/3 of the chapters though. He was also not a hero, so as an anti-hero it might work.
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That’s what things are looking like with Clyde in my next series too.
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It worked pretty well, and people loved him. Smaller doses was important though.
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Makes sense. I say knowing Clyde won’t be showing up in smaller doses.
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I agree until you get to Toph – who uses Earth in the most subtle ways on top of power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23x00x4WcHw
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Her radar is very unique. Reminds me of when a character puts their ear to the ground to count enemies. Still, as much as I like Toph, I remember her doing mostly big moves like pillars and boulders. The metal armor scene was good, but those moves a few and far between. Earth is still a fairly blunt element even in her hands.
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Another great post. And of course I think of earthbending in Avatar. I’m also reading a book called The Fifth Season, which involves a woman who is an earthbender of sorts. She can create earthquakes.
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Avatar is one of the reasons I think earth usage has become fairly limited. I remember being both impressed and disappointed in how it was used. Most times, it felt so bland when compared to the others.
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I’m back. I’m surprised there isn’t more action here. These element posts are golden opportunities for conversation. Many paranormal style stories involve elemental magic and these conversations are useful. One cool trick in the writing is to create space for the sake of shock value. An innocent little girl who goes through a rough patch then suddenly causes sixty foot crystals to pierce the castle walls with the accompanying earthquake might come across well. Maybe she makes the mud on a tidal flat swallow an entire armada of ships. You could even have fun with a windless sandstorm, she isn’t an air user, but she can throw a lot of sand.
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People really got into fire, but I’ve seen a decline as I progressed. Honestly, I put them in the order that I thought they’d garner interest and it was surprisingly accurate. Poor earth.
Elementalists do seem rather prone to acts of massive destruction. Keep thinking of Firestarter.
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Actually, Earth was the most interesting for me, as I had never given it much thought. That was a great, well-thought series, Charles!
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Thanks. Earth tends to get glossed over or even forgotten at times. As weird as it sounds, I think of Sailor Moon whose heroes had fire, water, or wind powers, but no earth from what I remember. Unless we’re counting the guy with the rose fetish.
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Lol-the fetish power 😀
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Pretty sure a movie about that just came out this month about that.
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Just the one?
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Been many. Only know of one recent entry though.
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I have enjoyed this discussion and the subject of Earth as a force and defense.
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Thanks. 😁
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Very interesting. I hadn’t ever really considered the pros and cons of Earth powers, thanks for the information.
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Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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I could see an Earth mage breaking a siege by creating a tunnel straight through a wall. Or maybe creating empty spaces in the earth that could cause a tower to collapse.
Actually, I think in one of my books a group of magi brought a wall down by changing its state from solid stone to sand.
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This might be why so many Earth workers get pulled into battles. They are the perfect answer to fortifications.
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Even without actual magic, I can recall a few books where special Dwarven units were called in to undermine foundations during siege.
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I think I remember that being a thing in World of Warcraft 2. There was something with dwarves in there.
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