Enlad

Enlad is a land of deep historical and legendary significance in Earthsea, a place where myth and history intertwine. It is an island of the Archipelago, lying to the north of the Inmost Sea, and its name is invoked in the oldest songs and the most recent conflicts. The island is most famous as the setting of the Deed of Enlad, an ancient lay that recounts the tragic love of the mage Morred and the princess Elfarran, a love that led to war, the death of Morred, and the sinking of the island of Soléa. This story, sung by the Master Chanter at the Sunreturn festival on Roke, is a foundational myth of the Archipelago, and its memory haunts the culture of the islands.

Geography and History

Enlad is a western island of the Archipelago, its coastlines and cities known from the songs and from the voyages of wizards. The city of Berila, called the City of Ivory, lies on its western coast, a white city above its bay. The Sea of Éa, where Elfarran was drowned, lies to the south of the island. The island's history is marked by the Kargad Empire, a savage, white-skinned, yellow-haired people who spoke a tongue unlike any in the Archipelago. In the days of Ged's youth, the Kargs attacked the Torikles and Torheven, and later sacked Spevy, taking its people as slaves. These raids were part of a broader Kargad aggression that threatened the western islands, including Enlad, and the memory of these invasions is part of the island's lore.

Enlad in the Voyages of Ged

Enlad appears as a landmark and a destination in Ged's journeys. After his confrontation with the shadow on the moors of Osskil, Ged, transformed into a falcon, flew over Enlad, stooping down to drink at a lonely forest pool before continuing his desperate flight eastward to Gont. Later, when Ged sailed from Gont to begin his hunt for the shadow, he passed north of Oranéa, returning as he had come, and the island of Enlad lay to the south of his course. The island also features in the stories of the Kargad Empire's expansion; the Kargs, in their lust for conquest, sailed to Gont, and their war-cry invoked the names of the White Godbrothers of Atuan, a Kargish land. The cultural and linguistic divide between the Kargad lands and the Archipelago is stark, and Enlad, as a western island, stands on the boundary of this conflict.

Cultural and Mythological Significance

Enlad is more than a geographical location; it is a symbol of the Archipelago's ancient, heroic past. The Deed of Enlad is a central text of the Hardic tradition, and its story of love, loss, and the balance of power is a constant reference point for the wizards of Roke. The island's name is spoken in the same breath as Havnor and Éa, the oldest and most sacred places of the Archipelago. The people of the East Reach, like the villagers of Astowell, had heard of Enlad and Havnor, but not of Gont, showing the island's fame as a center of civilization. The island's history is also tied to the Old Powers of Earth, the ancient, dark forces that predate the world of men. The Court of the Terrenon in Osskil, a place of great evil, is a northern land, and its power is contrasted with the wisdom of the Archipelago, of which Enlad is a part.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Enlad functions in the narrative as a touchstone of the Archipelago's cultural memory and a marker of the geographical and spiritual distance Ged travels. It is a place of myth, a land of heroes and tragedies, and its name evokes the weight of history. The island is not a setting for the main action of the story, but it is a constant presence in the songs and stories that shape the world of Earthsea. Its significance lies in its role as a symbol of the Archipelago's identity, a land of wisdom and beauty that stands in contrast to the barbaric Kargad Empire and the dark, ancient powers of the North. The Deed of Enlad, with its themes of love, loss, and the consequences of power, mirrors Ged's own journey and the dangers of unchecked ambition.