Shu


 * This article is about the first Earthbender and namesake of Omashu. For the Fire Nation General, see Shu (Fire Nation General). For the Fire Nation citizen, see Xu. For other uses, see Omashu (disambiguation).

Shu and Oma were the world's first Earthbenders. Their tombs lie side by side within the Cave of Two Lovers, whose decorated walls tell their story.

History
Shu met Oma on top of a mountain that divided their two villages, but because they belonged to two enemy tribes, they were forbidden from seeing each other. However, their love was strong, and they were able to find a way. They learned Earthbending from the badgermoles that dwelt within the mountain, and thus Oma and Shu became the first Earthbenders; using their bending, they carved out elaborate tunnels and continued to see each other secretly.

The two lovers conducted these underground meetings until Shu was killed in an attack on his village. Distraught by her loss, Oma unleashed a potent display of her Earthbending prowess, but rather than destroying the two villages, she declared the war between them over. Together, both villages helped her build a new city where they would peacefully coexist. The great city came to be named Omashu as a monument to the two lovers.

Trivia

 * Shu's name, 舒 (shū), is a Chinese surname meaning "relax".
 * Shu bore a very close resemblance to Romeo from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Like Romeo, Shu belonged to a village at war with Oma's village. Even though they were considered enemies, they fell in love with each other, but he met a tragic end.
 * Shu also resembled Tony from the musical, West Side Story, where Maria and Tony fall in love with each other despite being from two different rival gangs. After Tony is killed in a fight between the Jets and the Sharks, Maria brings the two gangs together, and their rivalry ends.
 * If Oma and Shu truly were the first human Earthbenders, the city of Omashu may be older than the Avatar itself.