Changing the fantasy canon: Earthsea series.

The world of Earthsea is one of sea and islands: a vast archipelago of hundreds of islands surrounded by uncharted ocean. It is uncertain whether or not there are other landmasses, though reference is made to lands “beyond the west” where the dragons have their realm.

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Earthsea universe is Le Guin’s magic system. Magic is a central part of life, and magic appears in all parts of Archipelago civilization, from weather workers on ships, fixers who repair boats and buildings, entertainers and court sorcerers, and most important of all, the staff-carrying Wizards who are trained on Roke. In general, magic is usually the result of inborn talent, and with the exception of witches, mostly restricted to men.

Le Guin imagined the magicians of Earthsea as purveyors of an unknown science, and a strong theme of the stories is the connection of power and responsibility. There is often a Taoist message: “good” wizardry tries to be in harmony with the world and to right wrongs, while “bad” wizardry, such as necromancy, is unbalanced and must be resolved or lead to catastrophe.

Magic on Earthsea is verbal: all objects have a true name, in an old language related to the Dragon-tongue which is known simply as the Old Speech. By using this language, it is possible to have power over an object or living thing. To protect themselves from this, most characters have two names: one for everyday use and one, the true name, known only to close friends and family. For example, Sparrowhawk (use name) is known as Ged (true name) only to those closest to him.

One vital aspect of magic is that it is impossible to lie in the old language, so that magic works by forcing the universe to conform to the words spoken by the mage. For example, to say “I am an eagle” in the old language means that the speaker becomes an eagle, so that the statement is no longer false. The consequences of this are dealt with in the most recent Earthsea novel, The Other Wind. “The artist as magician. The Trickster. Prospero.” So says Le Guin in her article on the writing of the Earthsea stories, entitled “Dreams Must Explain Themselves.” Her wizards are poets as well as shamans.

The main differences between Le Guin’s fantasy (especially after Tehanu) and the traditional fantasy:

the Taoism vs. Western religions,

the feminist ideas vs. the patriarchal ones;

a concept of everyday heroism vs. traditional heroism.

“Ursula K. Le Guin has absorbed Tolkien, comprehended him, and gone on in her own direction… The stories of Earthsea depend on Tolkienian technique, Pacific geography, Oriental philosophy, and tribal institutions, but there is no question of their Americanness. Underneath its borrowings and adaptations, the Earthsea trilogy is, as we might expect, another instance of the American archetypal story: the high, lonely wilderness quest... Nor is it surprising that Le Guin includes in her fantasy world no angels or demons, only men, in various guises, and nature. We are still in our literature a land without antecedents or intermediaries” [Attebery B. The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. – Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1980. – P. 183].