A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is hands down one of my favorite books of all time. I had known about the book and series for a while but had never really given it a chance because it just isn’t that popular in the mainstream culture. As a kid and a teen, I spent more time reading what was popular at the time which was Harry Potter. I also focused on books that had already been made famous by film and tv such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. None of my friends had ever heard or read anything in the Earthsea series. And the only other media set in the world are a mediocre Studio Ghibli film and a terrible Sy Fi channel miniseries. It wasn’t until I was older that I decided to give the first book in the series, A Wizard of Earthsea, a chance.
This book is set in the world of Earthsea. The protagonist is known as Duny, Sparrowhawk, or Ged throughout the book. The story follows Ged as he moves from youthful rashness and competitive behavior towards adulthood and level headedness. He learns what his place is in the world and how he should act. Most of this is driven by Ged trying to rid himself of a self-inflicted curse and specter that follows him. This curse is caused by a spell Ged casts, creating a shadow of darkness that is always hunting him.
Ged’s story is centrally themed around the idea of balance. Balance is important to the Earthsea world and this point is what attracts me to the story. The spell Ged casts creates an imbalance in the world, and this imbalance needs to be corrected. Ged’s journey is not only about him learning to fix the imbalance he caused in the world but also the imbalance he caused within himself. While I only have a surface knowledge of the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism, I can see its principles in Le Guin’s story. The principle of balance in the world and in the self as well as the idea of action through non action. One of the basic concepts of Taoism is that time and nature will run their course with or without human intervention. Excessive action and meddling will only cause imbalance.
“If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it.”
― Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu and the Taoist philosophy permeate the story of Ged and the wider cycle of the Earthsea novels. Good and evil are not opposing camps in the world of Earthsea and neither is light and dark. For Lao Tzu and for Le Guin both good and evil; and light and dark are parts of a whole. Two sides of a coin, and pieces of a puzzle.
“To light a candle is to cast a shadow…”
― Le Guin
In Le Guin’s story every action, especially regarding magic, has a consequence. Ged learns this quickly after reaching out to the darkness. Ged’s actions bring about the nameless shadow, a creature that only brings destruction. In order to remove this creature Ged learns how to properly utilize the basis of magic in the world of Earthsea, which is to use its true name. In Earthsea calling something by its true name gives the wizard, or sorcerer power to control that thing. This allows wizards to command animals, rocks, plants, the wind, and the water. The power of names comes from the creation story of Earthsea, where Segoy raised the land, wind and waters by naming them in the True Speech. This idea is similar to Taoist thought. Yini Huang and Hongbin Dai (researchers at Xiamen University) summarize that:
The original state of the universe happens to be an unnamed or nameless one, meaning that all things cannot be addressed directly with their present names. The universe at the beginning of time, thus, finds itself in disorder and chaos. Name, which is constantly and dynamically changing, becomes the origin of all existence by reflecting the essential attribution of everything. Naming, the process that forges the most effective and efficient bond between people and the external world, showers people with a relatively profound and comprehensive understanding of being, and in consequence, transform the primitive chaotic status into a meaningful civilization of regulations, legislations, and organizations. Therefore, it is through the naming process and names that human beings start to reach out for the universe and to comprehend the being.
In Le Guin’s story we can see that like in Taoism, those that are nameless are not part of this world but are from a different state of existence. The current state of nature and humanity exists through the relationship between names, naming and being named. If we take a moment and think, we can see just how powerful language and names are in our daily lives. People who know your name can tell you what to do or where to go. If they don’t know your name, they can still label you according to demographics, essentially confining you to an idea of a person instead of seeing you as your own being.
Huang and Dai point out that:
True name is the reflection of the real essence of existence, the real nature of life, and the real self of people. In the universe, few but true name can be found as something eternal, being the only infinite and everlasting absolute that never fades away with the passage of time.
In the world and stories of Earthsea true names are the basis of creation and the power to not only shape the world but to shape the self. Ged’s journey to adulthood is not just a physical process of aging. There are many “adults” who are no wiser or smarter than children. Ged’s story is one of self-realization and acceptance. This inner journey is one that is aligned with the principles of Taoism. Ged’s physical journey was merely the path between two points. What is more important is the “real way” which is the way leading inwardly. The exploration of the self and the emotional and mental journey that entails is more important to Ged’s character development than just the physical movement between two points on a map.
Taoist principles permeate the story telling of A Wizard of Earthsea. The journey of Ged is one that gives a philosophically eastern approach to a western setting. This story was truly ahead of its time. A brown skinned protagonist, eastern philosophy, and character driven story set it apart from many fantasy novels of the 20th century. I truly love this book because of its exploration of Taoist thought and vibrant world. A Wizard of Earthsea and its sequels are essential books for the modern reader.
References
Huang, Y. N., & Dai, H. B. (2017). Fantasy and Taoism in The Earthsea Cycle. Advances in Literary Study, 5, 39-55. https://doi.org/10.4236/als.2017.53005
K., Le Guin Ursula. Wizard of Earthsea. 1971.
Laozi, and John Minford. Tao Te Ching. Penguin Classics, 2021.
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