Ged's Childhood and Magical Awakening

Ged's early life in Ten Alders, his discovery of magic, and his first great feat of sorcery during the Kargish raid.

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Birth and Mother's Death

A Lonely Beginning The VIIllage of Ten Alders Ged was born in the remote mountain village of Ten Alders on Gont, but his mother died before his first birthday. His father, a grim bronzesmith, raised him with little tenderness, and Ged grew up wild and proud among the goats and forests. The First Signs Already as a child, he showed a fierce independence and a quick temper, roaming the high pastures and the cold River Ar. This untamed nature would later fuel both his power and his pride.

Calling the Goats

The Unintended Spell Hearing the Witch's Rhyme Ged's aunt, the village witch, used a rhyme to call a goat off a roof. The next day, Ged shouted the same words to the goats on the meadow, and they all came to him, crowding silently around him in fear. The Witch's Interest Frightened at first, Ged soon felt the thrill of power when his aunt praised him. She took him into her hut and began to teach him the rudiments of sorcery, binding his tongue to secrecy. This was his first formal step into the world of magic.

Apprenticeship to the Witch

Learning the Craft Spells and Herbs Over the next five years, the witch taught Ged herbals, healing, finding, binding, and the words of the True Speech. He learned the names of birds and beasts, and gained the nickname Sparrowhawk from his ability to call falcons. The Limits of Her Knowledge Though the witch's lore was mixed with falsehood and superstition, Ged absorbed everything. He began to hunger for greater power, and his pride grew. This period laid the foundation for his later mastery but also for his arrogance.

The Kargish Raid

Fogweaving the Village The Attack Kargish warriors invaded the Northward Vale, burning villages. The people of Ten Alders prepared to fight, but Ged, exhausted from working the forge, knew he could not wield a spear. He remembered a fogweaving charm and combined it with a concealment spell. Saving the Village Ged called up a thick mist that hid the villagers and confused the Kargs, leading many to fall off the High Fall cliff. The Kargs fled, and Ged was hailed as a hero. But the strain of the spell left him unconscious and speechless for days, overspent.

The Coming of Ogion

The Healer from Re Albi Ogion's Touch Ogion the Silent, a great mage, came to Ten Alders and healed Ged with a single touch on the forehead and lips. He recognized the boy's potential and offered to take him as prentice. The Naming Ceremony A few months later, on Ged's thirteenth birthday, Ogion performed the Passage: Duny walked naked into the cold springs of the River Ar, and Ogion gave him his true name, Ged. The witch and the bronzesmith consented, and Ged left his village with Ogion, beginning his true education.

before the story begins

age seven

between ages seven and twelve

age twelve, during the Kargish invasion of Gont

five days after the battle