A Wizard of Earthsea

In the village of the West Hand, they welcome him, and he heals a fisherman’s cataracts in exchange for a sturdy, non-wizard made boat. Though he would prefer to stay, he knows he must continue, so he leaves and travels again from island to island. On one island, he receives a cold welcome, and the local wizard tells Ged that a man who looked a lot like him but didn’t cast a shadow and did not arrive by any obvious means had been seen on the outskirts of town. Because of this the wizard is happy to provide Ged with provisions, but he should leave as soon as possible. Ged moves on, eventually sailing to the island where his friend Vetch has been living and working. Vetch is initially wary because he had seen Ged three days before, but realized it was a trick and not actually Ged. Once convinced it is really his friend, the two reconnect, and Ged stays with Vetch and his younger siblings for a few days. Ged talks to Vetch’s younger siblings about magic, further clarifying the bounds of what wizards can and cannot safely do. Vetch tells him that Jasper, Ged’s rival sorcerer in Roke, never gained his staff and left to be a low lever sorcerer in a king’s court on another island. Ged also tells Vetch how frightened he is that this quest of his will never end. Vetch tells Ged he is coming with him on his quest, and Ged has no choice but to accept his friend’s trust, help, and friendship.

Ged and Vetch sail over the open sea toward the eastern boundary of all known maps. The two sail for days. As they travel further and further outside of the map, Vetch feels his powers leaving his grasp while Ged seems largely unaffected. Eventually, in the dark of night, Ged rows as the waves seem to turn to land. Vetch is unable to see or sense where they are going; it looks to him like the waves have simply flattened out. Ged, however, gets out of the boat and walks over dark dunes until he meets his shadow. The shadow morphs between the faces of all those who challenged Ged on his journey—Jasper, Pechvarry, Skiorh. When Ged raises his staff and casts a bright mage light on the shadow, it becomes formless and fearlessly approaches. When Ged meets the shadow, they both speak the other’s name in unison: both man and shadow are named Ged. He then drops his staff and reaches out to the shadow and the shadow reaches out to him, then they both meld together. In confronting the shadow in this way, Ged has acknowledged and absorbed the dark parts of himself and is unable to be manipulated anymore. Once Ged has defeated his shadow, the illusion of sands disappears and Vetch rows to help his friend out of the water. The two sail back toward Vetch’s home; the journey takes significantly longer on the way back and their journey leaves different impressions on all the islands they come to, but they arrive safely to Vetch’s waiting siblings.