Awabath

Awabath is the capital city of the Kargad Empire, the seat of the Godking, and the political and religious center of the Kargish people. It is a place of immense power and authority, from which the white-skinned, yellow-haired Kargish rulers govern their four great lands and launch their savage raids against the Archipelago. The city is also the ultimate destination for the selection of the Priestess of the Tombs of Atuan, as the Godking must confirm the chosen child before she is taken to the Place of the Tombs.

Political and Religious Center

Awabath is the heart of the Kargad Empire, a realm comprising four great lands: Karego-At, Atuan, Hur-at-Hur, and Atnini. The people of this empire are described as a savage, white-skinned, yellow-haired race, fierce and fond of bloodshed and the smell of burning towns. The city is the seat of the Godking, the supreme ruler of the Kargish lands. The Godking's authority is absolute, and his temple at the Place of the Tombs of Atuan is a showy structure with a high portico and thick white columns with painted capitals, each a solid log of cedar brought from Hur-at-Hur. The Godking himself once came to the Place of the Tombs to enact the rites of his own temple, though even he could not enter among the Tombstones or set foot on the inner ground of the Place.

Role in the Selection of the Priestess

Awabath plays a crucial role in the selection of the Priestess of the Tombs of Atuan, the Eaten One. When a child is identified as the reborn Priestess, she must be made known to the Godking in Awabath before she is brought to the Place of the Tombs for instruction. This process is part of the formal recognition of the child's status, and it underscores the Godking's authority over even the most ancient and sacred of Kargish religious institutions. The city is thus a place where the political and religious hierarchies of the Kargad Empire intersect, with the Godking's power extending to the selection of the nameless servant of the Nameless Ones.

Contrast with the Archipelago

Awabath and the Kargad Empire stand in stark contrast to the Archipelago, the lands of the Hardic-speaking peoples. The Kargs are described as white-skinned and yellow-haired, while the Archipelagans are various shades of copper and brown. The Kargs are portrayed as savage and warlike, launching raids on the Archipelago, such as the attack on the village of Ten Alders on Gont. The Kargish language is not like any spoken in the Archipelago, and their culture is alien to the wizards and mages of the Inner Lands. This cultural and racial divide is a significant element in the world of Earthsea, and Awabath, as the capital of the Kargad Empire, represents the center of this foreign and often hostile power.

Narrative Significance

Awabath is mentioned in the context of the Kargish raid on Ten Alders, where the invading warriors cry out the names of the White Godbrothers of Atuan, "Wuluah! Atwah!" This raid is a formative event in Ged's early life, as it is during this attack that he first demonstrates his great magical power by weaving a fog to conceal his village. The city is also referenced in the story of the old couple on the nameless isle, who are suggested to be castaways from a royal house of the Kargad Empire, possibly from Awabath itself. The old woman's possession of a child's dress of silk brocade with the double arrow of the God-Brothers and a king's crown hints at a tragic history of political exile from the capital. Awabath thus serves as a distant, powerful, and often antagonistic force in the narrative, representing a world outside the Archipelago that is both feared and mysterious.