Serpent's Pass

This article is about a location, for the episode, see The Serpent's Pass. The Serpent's Pass is a narrow strip of land between the East and West Lakes that link the western and eastern halves of the Earth Kingdom, and is one of the very few direct paths to the capital, Ba Sing Se. It is named after the serpent which guards it, which makes the pass feared in the Earth Kingdom. Most refugees refuse to use the pass and instead cross the lake by boat.

History
Halfway through Book 2: Earth, Avatar Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph decide to travel to Ba Sing Se in order to tell the Earth King their plan to defeat the Fire Nation. However, they run into an Earth Kingdom refugee named Than, who, along with his sister and pregnant wife Ying, are traveling to Ba Sing Se after losing their home to the War. The group agrees to escort the family to Full Moon Bay so that they can get a boat, but their passes and luggage are stolen by thieves and they are all forced to cross the Serpent's Pass. The group is joined by Sokka's friend Suki, a member of the Kyoshi Warriors who was overseeing the Bay's security. After several nights of close calls along the Pass the group comes face-to-face with the serpent itself at the only water passage through the Pass. Katara and Aang succeed in driving off the serpent, and the group finally makes it to the mainland. Ying gives birth to her baby Hope mere minutes after the trek along the Pass ended, and everybody went to Ba Sing Se while Suki goes back to the Bay.



In the canonical Avatar comic "The Bridge", it is revealed that the Fire Nation had constructed massive gates to seal the pass to unauthorized ships and travelers.

During the premiere of Book 3: Fire, Aang's friends and fighters from both the Earth Kingdom and the Southern Water Tribe traveled via boat through the Serpent's Pass during their journey to the Fire Nation after the fall of Ba Sing Se. The group was later attacked by a Fire Nation ship and ironically, the same serpent who had attacked them in Book 2 came back and saved them from their Fire Nation assailants after Firebenders harassed the serpent. This is the most recent sighting of either the Pass or its native serpent.

It is unknown what is to become of the Fire Nation Bridge that sealed the Pass now that the War is over. It is assumed to have been transferred to Earth Kingdom control.

Description
The Serpent's Pass is one of the few direct paths to the Earth Kingdom's massive capital, Ba Sing Se. It is very rocky and is covered in dangerous cliffs. Although called the Serpent's Pass, it is not as twisted as a serpent like most people assume. It is in fact, named after the gigantic serpent that guards it. The serpent attacks everything and everyone that trespasses into its territory, and few have ever survived an encounter with it. This makes the Serpent's Pass one of the most feared locations in the Earth Kingdom. Although many refugees from the War pass this area, few have the courage to cross it, instead choosing the well-protected harbor at Full Moon Bay, as it provides undisturbed passage to Ba Sing Se via boat. To further warn refugees of the dangers at the Serpent's Pass, a large sign at the Pass entrance reads "Abandon hope", adding to the strong fear aimed at the location.

Trivia

 * Just like how the Unagi resembles a giant eel, the serpent represents an elongated seahorse, as they share similar scales and heads.
 * The entrance to the Serpant's Pass, which reads "絕望" which is translated here as "Abandon Hope", may be a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy; in the story, the inscription above the gates of hell reads 'All hope abandon ye who enter here'.