A Wizard of Earthsea

Throughout A Wizard of Earthsea, Ged is shown to be an extremely powerful wizard. It is precisely this power, however, that puts him in peril time and time again until he manages to learn that there are limits to power in terms of both safety and ethics and that power outside of wizardry is just as valid.

Ged overspends his magical power and wounds himself this way multiple times. After saving the village with the illusion of thick fog, Ged falls insensate and must be revived by Ogion (15). After he unleashes the shadow, he must recover for several months (76). Finally, When Ged turns into a falcon to flee the Court of the Terrenon, he remains in that shape for too long and must be once again called back by Ogion (147). Further, as seen in the shadow Ged inadvertently releases, the misuse of spells can be dangerous in and of itself.

Beyond immediate concerns of safety, the misuse of magical power also has ethical ramifications. Much of this stems from the attempt to control others; Ged’s aunt (5) and Serret (141) both attempt to bind Ged to them so they can use his power as their own. Stripping someone of their agency is unethical, regardless of the means by which it happens. The misuse of power for ethical reasons can also be related to the intent and motivation behind a spell. One of Ged’s teachers tells Ged as much after Ged unleashes the shadow; he tells Ged that “[y]ou have great power inborn in you, and you used that power wrongly, to work a spell over which you had no control […] and you were moved to do this by pride and by hate. Is it any wonder the result was ruin?” (78). Here, Ged’s teacher imparts a powerful lesson: All aspects of a spell and the spellcaster must be in alignment with the higher good of the world.

Ged seems to finally recognize the responsibility and limits that come with his power when he begins to understand how many types of power there are in the world. He is exposed to many different kinds of magic: the dragon of Pendor (104), the Terrenon (136), and the ocean outside the realms of men (187). However, Ged also comes to learn there are nonmagical forms of power that are just as valid, important, and effective as his own magical powers. He comes to admire the simple shipbuilders of the islands he visits, and in his otak’s concerned licking when he falls unconscious, “Ged saw something akin to his own power, something that went as deep as wizardry” (98).

Once Ged realizes the results of magic can be disastrous and even nonmagical beings possess their own innate powers, he becomes unwilling to recklessly use magic for his own gain. Ged learns the limits of his own power and comes closer to answering the question he asked of Ogion at the beginning of his teachings; “[W]hat was the good of having power if you were too wise to use it” (21).