Earth

Earth is one of the elemental powers of the original BIONICLE story. In the Matoran Universe it is marked by the prefix Onu- and the colour black, and its wielders range from Toa such as OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. and WhenuaWhenuaToa Metru of Earth and later Turaga of Onu-Koro, formerly an Onu-Metru archivist whose career in the Archives shaped his role across the rescue of Metru Nui and the long residency on Mata Nui. down to the Onu-MatoranOnu-MatoranEarth-wielding Matoran of the deep who adapted to darkness and built the Matoran Universe's defensive cavalry., whose share of it shows as keen night vision. Turaga Whenua sums up its character in Tale of the Toa: the earth cannot be deceived. (BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa; Bohrok Swarms Promo CD)

Powers and limits#

Toa of Earth use the element in a range of ways across the books. They cause earthquakes and sense vibrations through the ground to tell what is moving nearby. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

Earth power can also control mud, and Toa have used it to harden soil into solid structures. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui)

Combined with water power, earth makes mud. (BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below)

Hierarchy of wielders#

Onu-Matoran hold a tiny amount of Earth energy, not enough to use actively but enough to give them excellent night vision. (Bohrok Swarms Promo CD)

Toa of Earth wield it directly. Turaga of Earth, Toa who have given up most of their power, keep only small traces of it. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Notable wielders#

OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. was the Toa Mata, later Toa Nuva, of Earth, and WhenuaWhenuaToa Metru of Earth and later Turaga of Onu-Koro, formerly an Onu-Metru archivist whose career in the Archives shaped his role across the rescue of Metru Nui and the long residency on Mata Nui. the Toa Metru of Earth before becoming a Turaga. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny., an Onu-Matoran inventor, became the Toa Inika of Earth, his power mixed with lightning like the rest of his team, and later the Toa Mahri of Earth. BomongaBomongaBomonga was the Toa Hagah of Earth, mutated by Roodaka into a Rahaga, later restored to Toa form and resettled on Spherus Magna. is the Toa Hagah of Earth. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Other beings touch the element too. The NuhvokNuhvokThe earth-dwelling Bohrok whose rigid nature made them dangerously predictable. Bohrok channel earth power through their shields, and the Dark Hunter Seeker carries a staff that sends out seismic shocks and tremors. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

The Element Lord of Earth#

The Element Lords the stories show are those of Fire, Water, Jungle, Ice, Rock and Sand. Writer Greg Farshtey later described an Element Lord of Earth and a hidden earth tribe in forum answers, but that material isn't part of the published story, and this page doesn't treat it as canon fact. (All Our Sins Remembered)

Cross-element interactions#

Earth and water together make mud, which is the one cross-element effect the books state outright. (BIONICLE Adventures 3: The Darkness Below)

Regional colour conventions#

In the Matoran Universe, Earth's primary colour is black, with dark grey, tan, purple and orange as secondary colours, which is why Onu-Matoran and Onua wear black armour. (Bohrok Swarms Promo CD; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Strategic significance#

Earth wielders tend to work underground and in the dark, where night vision and a feel for the ground count for most. Sensing vibrations through rock is a good example of the element as a scout's tool rather than a weapon. (BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)