The Tombs of Atuan
Encyclopedia
The Tombs of Atuan is the second of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin
and set in her fantasy
archipelago
of Earthsea
, first published in 1971. Its events take place a few years after those in A Wizard of Earthsea
and around two decades before those in The Farthest Shore
. The Tombs of Atuan was a Newbery Honor Book in 1972.
ish child who is taken from her family and dedicated as the high priestess in the service of the "Nameless Ones" on the island of Atuan. Her true name is Tenar, but she is renamed Arha, "the eaten one", when she is formally consecrated to the gods' service at age six, as all the high priestesses are considered reincarnations of the first.
Arha's youth is a haunting contrast between lighthearted childish escapades and dark, solemn rituals. Her only true friend is the eunuch Manan who cares for her. Gradually she comes to accept her lonely, anonymous role, and to feel at home in the unlit underground labyrinth
, the eponymous Tombs, where the malevolent, powerful Nameless Ones dwell, and where prisoners are sent for a slow death. Indeed, as she becomes aware of the political machinations among the older priestesses Thar and Kossil, the Tombs become a refuge to her, as she is the only one who may freely move through the labyrinth under them. When Thar dies, Arha becomes increasingly isolated, as although she was stern, Thar was fair to her. Now there is only Arha and Kossil, who despises Arha and her cult as rivals to Kossil's power.
The numbing routine of Arha's world is dramatically disrupted by the arrival of Ged, the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea
, when she is fifteen years old. He comes to the Tombs in order to find the long-lost half of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe
, a magical talisman necessary for peace in Earthsea, which had been broken centuries before. (The other half has come into his possession, though it takes a dragon to inform him what it really is.) Arha finds him wandering, lost in the magic-laced labyrinth, and traps him underground to die in order to punish what she sees as sacrilege. She goes back and forth in her mind as to whether she should kill him. Yet in her loneliness, she is drawn to him and listens as he tells her of the outside world. Arha spares Ged's life and keeps him prisoner in the tombs, bringing him food and water. However, she is unable to keep it a secret indefinitely, and the priestess Kossil learns of Ged's existence. Now Arha is trapped into promising that Ged will be sacrificed to the Nameless Ones. She realises that she cannot go through with killing Ged and instructs Manan to dig a false grave underground, while she takes Ged to hide in the treasury of the tombs where only she is allowed to go.
By now Arha's relations with Kossil have deteriorated to the point of no return and they have a public falling out in front of the subordinate priestesses. Kossil tells her openly to her face that no-one believes in the Nameless Ones anymore and that Arha is only a powerless figurehead. The real power lies with her, Kossil, as the priestess of the god-king. In response Arha curses her in the name of the Nameless Ones. After her anger has cooled Arha realises that Kossil will now be determined to kill her, and that no-one can stop her. She heads underground to the labyrinth to think, and is horrified to find Kossil uncovering the fake grave, and desecrating the tombs by using a light. She heads for the treasury where Ged is kept prisoner, and in her desperation, confesses everything to him.
In the meantime while prisoner there Ged has discovered what he came to find - the other half of Erreth-Akbe's ring. He begs Arha to abandon her role as priestess and escape with him from the tombs. Arha is eventually won over by Ged's kindness. She realizes that the Nameless Ones demand her service, but give nothing and create nothing in return. Ged must expend his strength continually on hiding himself from the Nameless Ones, as they would kill him if they detected his presence. Realising that she has no future in the tombs Arha renounces her role as priestess and reverts to calling herself by her original name Tenar. She helps Ged escape from the Tombs with the other half of the ring, as he frees her from the priesthood. The Tombs fall in upon themselves as Tenar and Ged escape. Ged brings her with him back to Havnor where they are received in triumph, and the reunited ring of Erreth-akbe ushers in a new era of peace to Earthsea.
: Wizard called Sparrowhawk.
Kossil : A corrupt Priestess of the Godking at the Place of the Tombs.
Manan : Eunuch at the Place of the Tombs of Atuan.
Tenar : A priestess of the Tombs of Atuan, Called Arha. Later called White Lady of Gont and Goha.
Thar : A priestess of the Twin Gods at the Place of the Tombs.
Ged, while still a young man, is portrayed here as much wiser than in the first book. When Tenar asks him about the scar on his face, caused by the Shadow creature that he unleashed, he replies that it is the result of his foolishness in the past - his ambition has been tempered with experience. And it is his ambition and intelligence, combined with Tenar's budding wish for freedom and a wider world, that leads to their success.
Tenar reappears and plays a large role in the fourth book of the series, Tehanu
.
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
and set in her fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of Earthsea
Earthsea
Earthsea is a fictional realm originally created by Ursula K. Le Guin for her short story "The Word of Unbinding", published in 1964. Earthsea became the setting for a further six books, beginning with A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, and continuing with The Tombs of Atuan, The...
, first published in 1971. Its events take place a few years after those in A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in the fantasy world archipelago of Earthsea depicting the adventures of a budding young wizard named Ged...
and around two decades before those in The Farthest Shore
The Farthest Shore
The Farthest Shore is the third of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in her fantasy archipelago of Earthsea, first published in 1972. It follows on from The Tombs of Atuan, which itself was a sequel to A Wizard of Earthsea. It is the Earthsea series novel which inspired the...
. The Tombs of Atuan was a Newbery Honor Book in 1972.
Plot summary
The story centers on a KargKarg
The Kargs are a fictional people in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea canon.-Appearance:Kargs have fair skin and many have blond hair, unlike the majority of the inhabitants of Earthsea, who have dark skin and hair. Tenar, perhaps the best-known Kargish individual, happens to have dark hair...
ish child who is taken from her family and dedicated as the high priestess in the service of the "Nameless Ones" on the island of Atuan. Her true name is Tenar, but she is renamed Arha, "the eaten one", when she is formally consecrated to the gods' service at age six, as all the high priestesses are considered reincarnations of the first.
Arha's youth is a haunting contrast between lighthearted childish escapades and dark, solemn rituals. Her only true friend is the eunuch Manan who cares for her. Gradually she comes to accept her lonely, anonymous role, and to feel at home in the unlit underground labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
, the eponymous Tombs, where the malevolent, powerful Nameless Ones dwell, and where prisoners are sent for a slow death. Indeed, as she becomes aware of the political machinations among the older priestesses Thar and Kossil, the Tombs become a refuge to her, as she is the only one who may freely move through the labyrinth under them. When Thar dies, Arha becomes increasingly isolated, as although she was stern, Thar was fair to her. Now there is only Arha and Kossil, who despises Arha and her cult as rivals to Kossil's power.
The numbing routine of Arha's world is dramatically disrupted by the arrival of Ged, the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea
A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in the fantasy world archipelago of Earthsea depicting the adventures of a budding young wizard named Ged...
, when she is fifteen years old. He comes to the Tombs in order to find the long-lost half of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe
Erreth-Akbe
Erreth-Akbe is a fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea realm. He is introduced in A Wizard of Earthsea and is part of the historical back-story of the Earthsea novels.-Character Overview:...
, a magical talisman necessary for peace in Earthsea, which had been broken centuries before. (The other half has come into his possession, though it takes a dragon to inform him what it really is.) Arha finds him wandering, lost in the magic-laced labyrinth, and traps him underground to die in order to punish what she sees as sacrilege. She goes back and forth in her mind as to whether she should kill him. Yet in her loneliness, she is drawn to him and listens as he tells her of the outside world. Arha spares Ged's life and keeps him prisoner in the tombs, bringing him food and water. However, she is unable to keep it a secret indefinitely, and the priestess Kossil learns of Ged's existence. Now Arha is trapped into promising that Ged will be sacrificed to the Nameless Ones. She realises that she cannot go through with killing Ged and instructs Manan to dig a false grave underground, while she takes Ged to hide in the treasury of the tombs where only she is allowed to go.
By now Arha's relations with Kossil have deteriorated to the point of no return and they have a public falling out in front of the subordinate priestesses. Kossil tells her openly to her face that no-one believes in the Nameless Ones anymore and that Arha is only a powerless figurehead. The real power lies with her, Kossil, as the priestess of the god-king. In response Arha curses her in the name of the Nameless Ones. After her anger has cooled Arha realises that Kossil will now be determined to kill her, and that no-one can stop her. She heads underground to the labyrinth to think, and is horrified to find Kossil uncovering the fake grave, and desecrating the tombs by using a light. She heads for the treasury where Ged is kept prisoner, and in her desperation, confesses everything to him.
In the meantime while prisoner there Ged has discovered what he came to find - the other half of Erreth-Akbe's ring. He begs Arha to abandon her role as priestess and escape with him from the tombs. Arha is eventually won over by Ged's kindness. She realizes that the Nameless Ones demand her service, but give nothing and create nothing in return. Ged must expend his strength continually on hiding himself from the Nameless Ones, as they would kill him if they detected his presence. Realising that she has no future in the tombs Arha renounces her role as priestess and reverts to calling herself by her original name Tenar. She helps Ged escape from the Tombs with the other half of the ring, as he frees her from the priesthood. The Tombs fall in upon themselves as Tenar and Ged escape. Ged brings her with him back to Havnor where they are received in triumph, and the reunited ring of Erreth-akbe ushers in a new era of peace to Earthsea.
Major characters
GedGed (Earthsea)
Ged , is the true name of a fictional character in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea realm. He is introduced in A Wizard of Earthsea, and plays both main and supporting roles in the subsequent Earthsea novels...
: Wizard called Sparrowhawk.
Kossil : A corrupt Priestess of the Godking at the Place of the Tombs.
Manan : Eunuch at the Place of the Tombs of Atuan.
Tenar : A priestess of the Tombs of Atuan, Called Arha. Later called White Lady of Gont and Goha.
Thar : A priestess of the Twin Gods at the Place of the Tombs.
Analysis
While the series' first book consisted of a coming of age process through an arduous voyage which would ultimately lead to Ged confronting his own issues, The Tombs Of Atuan works in a much more restricted, confined space, which reflects itself in the narrative's style and progression, Tenar's tale being more intimate and less epically inclined than the previous novel. Whereas Ged's quest led to his dramatic confrontation with himself and his own darkness, and ultimately, to his acknowledgment of his full identity and power, Tenar's triumph is that of coming to freedom.Ged, while still a young man, is portrayed here as much wiser than in the first book. When Tenar asks him about the scar on his face, caused by the Shadow creature that he unleashed, he replies that it is the result of his foolishness in the past - his ambition has been tempered with experience. And it is his ambition and intelligence, combined with Tenar's budding wish for freedom and a wider world, that leads to their success.
Tenar reappears and plays a large role in the fourth book of the series, Tehanu
Tehanu
Tehanu is the fourth of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1991.-Plot summary:...
.