A Wizard of Earthsea

A Wizard of Earthsea Summary | Plot Summary

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is a classic coming of age tale. Ged is a prideful youth who attempts to use magic to outsmart his nemesis and instead ends up releasing a shadow from another realm. Ged must learn to face his own personality flaws in order to survive the fight of his life. A Wizard of Earthsea is a study of human behavior set in a fantastic world of fantasy and magic from a well-loved fantasy writer on her first endeavor in children's literature.

Ged's father is a bronzesmith and he has older children. Ged's father is done raising his children, despite the fact that he is stuck with Ged after Ged's mother dies. An aunt of Ged's, his mother's sister, takes over his care when he is small but mostly ignores him until she discovers his talent for sorcery. This aunt is a witch with a little knowledge of magic. The witch uses her knowledge to teach Ged after she witnesses his natural ability to call goats. When the small village in which they live comes under attack by a barbaric tribe, Ged uses the knowledge his aunt gave him to create a great, disorienting fog in which the enemy becomes lost.

After learning of Ged's deed, a great wizard comes into the village from his remote retreat and offers to teach Ged all he needs to know in order to be a great wizard. Ged goes with this wizard to his mountain retreat but is unhappy when he discovers the bulk of his studies will be learning the ancient languages. Ged becomes disenchanted and begins to wander during his daily search for the herbs and spices that make up many of the magical potions the wizard concocts. On one of these wanderings Ged meets up with a beautiful young lady who shames him into admitting he cannot do many of the spells she expects a wizard to be capable of. Ged goes home to the wizard's cabin. Searching through his great book of spells, Ged finds one for calling up spirits of the dead. Ged reads this spell and releases something dark and shadowy that the wizard quickly sends away.

After this incident, the wizard gives Ged the option of going to a formal school for his training. Ged agrees this school would be a better situation for them both. After traveling on a ship to the school's spellbound island, Ged finds himself among other students like him, but not. These students are not as quick and eager as Ged. Ged makes friends among the students, and enemies as well. One of these enemies is Jasper, a young boy who is contemptuous of Ged. The two boys frequently share jibes that quickly culminate into a show of strength between the two would-be wizards.

Jasper goads Ged into conjuring up the soul of someone who has died. Ged decides to call up the soul of a woman from an ancient Earthsea legend. Ged recalls the spell he spoke when in the wizard's cabin and repeats the words, successfully bringing to life the woman of legend for a brief moment. However, Ged also releases something dark and sinister, a shadow that attacks him the moment it is free. The Archmage from the school comes to Ged's rescue, sending away the shadow before it can kill Ged. However, the effort has taken the Archmage's life.

Ged spends many months recovering from his injuries. When he is well again, Ged is no longer the boy he was before, no longer full of pride. Ged continues his education although he no longer thinks of himself as the next great wizard. Upon graduation, Ged is sent to a remote fishing island to protect its people from local dragons. Ged is happy for this assignment because it gives him time to get his strength back before facing the shadow, which he can sense is once again haunting him.

After the son of friend dies in Ged's care, Ged decides he must leave the island rather than bring danger to these people. Ged goes to visit the dragon and strikes a deal with him in which the dragon promises to never bother the people on the island. Then Ged gets transport on a ship and travels north. On a layover, Ged runs into a man who tells him that he should go to the Court of Terrenon, that there he can find help. Ged does as suggested, traveling to the remote northern island on a ship on which he is required to work as an oarsman. Upon his arrival, Ged travels with a fellow oarsman who has promised to show him the way to the Court of Terrenon. However, this oarsman has been possessed by the shadow that haunts Ged, and attempts to kill him. Ged runs, finding himself inside the gate of a large, luxurious house.

The house is the Court of Terrenon. Here Ged befriends the wife of the Lord, Serret. However, Ged soon realizes that not all is as it seems in this house. Serret and her husband are keepers of a stone called the Stone of Terrenon in which is imprisoned an ancient soul. Serret wants Ged to allow the stone to guide him in his quest to stop the shadow. Ged realizes this request is not in his best interests and runs away. Serret goes with him because her husband has learned that her intentions are not favorable to his interests. However, she is killed by the creatures the lord sends after her and Ged.

Ged flies back to his home island in the form of an eagle. The wizard there offers advice to Ged before sending him on his way once more. Ged decides to hunt the shadow rather than allow it to hunt him. Ged buys a boat and sails back the way he came until he finds the shadow. The shadow becomes afraid and runs from Ged, intentionally causing him to run his boat up on some rocks. Ged is shipwrecked for several days on a sandbar with a man and woman, who were clearly abandoned here themselves as small children. Ged fixes his boat and leaves the couple the way he found them.

Ged continues to follow the shadow, moving from place to place and not staying too long on one island. One day Ged finds himself in the hometown of his good friend from school, Vetch. Vetch insists on going with Ged when he continues his journey. This journey takes the two friends out past the last known islands, into an uncharted sea. Here Ged finds the shadow and fights him, gaining his independence from this sinister nemesis.