Earth is the most often overlooked and -- at least among Terrans --the most misunderstood of the Elements. This is understandable when one realizes that the English word "Earth" has a double meaning. It is dirt and soil, but it is also Mother Earth, the homeworld and source of all life. The Rihannsu concept includes only the former definition, though to further complicate matters it possesses connotations which resemble those of the latter meaning. Thus, the meaning and role of Earth within the Quatrad is not easy for Terrans to grasp.

Earth is necessary for life (as are all the Elements) and is often closely bound to it, as on a planet where photosynthetic plants rooted in Earth are the main energy source and where the vast majority of living beings have their homes. As in Terran myths and religions (e.g., Adam), Earth is sometimes portrayed as the beginning of life. But so are the other Elements. And Earth is not the substance of life. There is no "Mother Earth," and though some believe in a deity or concept akin to Gaia, she/he/it has no particular affinity to Earth. Life, as will be discussed later, is a combination of all the Elements, not the province of a single one.

Now that we have established what Earth is not, let us try to see what it is. Earth's essence is stability, immutability, reliability, and endurance. It represents that in our lives upon which we depend. In times of great upheaval in our lives and in the world, or simply amid the unpredictability and chaos of daily life, we look to Earth's changelessness as a source of comfort, something solid and real that will always be there for us.

But Earth's changelessness is ultimately an illusion, for like all else in this Universe it is subject to Entropy. When Earth defies its accustomed nature and moves quickly -- rippling like Water in an earthquake, or spewing out Fire from a volcano -- we are awed by its power. But even without these cataclysmic events, Earth is not truly eternal. It changes. Slowly but inexorably, over the aeons, it is broken. Mountains grind to hills, hills to stones, stones to earth, earth to dust. The foundations of our land drift, like rudderless ships over a fiery sea, wandering aimlessly.

Earth comforts and protects us, while simultaneously causing our greatest pain and sadness. For Earth's comfort lies in its predictability, the only assurance in an uncertain future. But search that predictability deeply, and you will find that it offers only one real assurance: the certain foreknowledge of our own deaths, and of our lives' utter insignificance within the fullness of space and time.

I do not speak of Entropy, thought the Great Death ensures our deaths as well. Earth brings about a renewal of life -- but life must feed on life. Thus it is that our lives must end so that others may begin.

The Elements give us their greatest gift, our lives -- but we can keep them for only a brief span, until payment comes due. Earth's cycle brings great suffering and sorrow, so that some may think it would have been better had life never begun at all. Why live only to die? Why suffer through brief lives, knowing everything we do must come to naught?

There are no easy answers to these questions. But the renewal offered by Earth, even with its attendant sorrows, is one way of evading Entropy for a time. In the long run, it may be meaningless. When the Universe finally runs down, what difference will it all make?
Perhaps no one will notice our deeds. No one will remain to speak of the courage we showed in defying the Great Death, in living. But we know. And even if there is no afterlife, no existence beyond these bodies -- even if our knowledge of who we were and what we did lies silent as our dust floats in empty space -- it does not matter. All that matters is that we did know, once. And, knowing how likely it was that our defiance would be in vain, still we made the gesture.