Master of Roke

The Masters of Roke are the nine supreme wizards who govern the School for Wizards on Roke Island, the heart of magical learning in Earthsea. Each Master is a paragon of a specific branch of the Art, and together they form the highest authority on wizardry, responsible for training new generations of wizards and maintaining the delicate balance of power and knowledge in the world. Their collective wisdom and power are legendary, and their decisions shape the destiny of the Archipelago.

Identity and Structure

The School for Wizards on Roke is governed by nine Masters, each a master of a specific magical discipline. These include the Master Windkey, who teaches the arts of wind and weather; the Master Hand, who instructs in sleight, jugglery, and the lesser arts of Changing; the Master Herbal, who imparts knowledge of the ways and properties of things that grow; the Master Chanter, who teaches the Deeds of heroes and the Lays of wisdom; the Master Changer, who teaches the true Spells of Shaping; the Master Summoner, who deals with the summoning of energies and spirits; the Master Namer, who teaches the true names of all things; the Master Patterner, who learns his supreme magery within the Immanent Grove; and the Master Doorkeeper, who guards the entrance to the Great House. The Archmage is often considered the ninth, though when a new Archmage is chosen, the nine Masters meet to select him. The Masters are not merely teachers; they are the living embodiments of their arts, and their authority is absolute within the School.

Teaching and Philosophy

The Masters of Roke are not merely instructors of spells; they are guardians of a profound philosophical understanding of magic. The Master Hand, for instance, teaches that true change is not mere illusion but a fundamental alteration of a thing's true name, a power that can shake the balance of the world. He warns, "To light a candle is to cast a shadow," emphasizing that every act of magic has consequences. The Master Summoner, a stern and aged man, teaches that summoning earthly forces like wind and water changes the earth of which they are a part, cautioning that "Rain on Roke may be drouth in Osskil, and a calm in the East Reach may be storm and ruin in the West, unless you know what you are about." The Master Namer, Kurremkarmerruk, who lives alone in the Isolate Tower, teaches that magic consists in the true naming of a thing, and that the power to work magic sets the limits of that power. He explains that a mage can control only what is near him, what he can name exactly and wholly, and that this limitation is necessary to prevent the wickedness of the powerful or the folly of the wise from seeking to change what cannot be changed, lest Equilibrium fail.

Key Actions and Influence

The Masters of Roke are not passive scholars; they actively intervene in the affairs of Earthsea when necessary. The Archmage Nemmerle, the Warder of Roke, personally rescues Ged from the shadow he looses on Roke Knoll, spending all his power and his life to drive the evil away. After Nemmerle's death, the Nine Masters gather in the Immanent Grove, setting nine walls of silence about them, to choose Gensher of Way as the new Archmage. The Master Windkey then raises the magewind into the sail of a ship to bring Gensher to Roke. The Masters also judge the fates of individual wizards: Gensher, after accepting Ged's fealty, sends him to Low Torning, a remote township threatened by dragons, judging their fear well founded. The Master Doorkeeper, who has been at the School since Ged's arrival, tests Ged by requiring him to learn his name to win his freedom from the School, a test of wisdom and humility that Ged ultimately passes.

Relationship with Ged

Ged's relationship with the Masters of Roke is central to his development. He is initially awed by their power and eager to learn from them, but his pride and impatience lead him to challenge Jasper, a fellow student, and to attempt a dangerous summoning spell, which results in the loosing of the shadow. The Masters, particularly the Archmage Nemmerle and later Gensher, guide him through the consequences of his actions. Gensher refuses Ged's fealty at first, telling him, "I know what you did, but not what you are," and warns him that the shadow will find him if he leaves Roke. The Masters' teachings, especially those of the Master Hand and the Master Summoner, gradually instill in Ged the understanding that true power is not about domination but about knowledge, balance, and responsibility. The Master Summoner tells Ged, "You thought, as a boy, that a mage is one who can do anything. So I thought, once. So did we all. And the truth is that as a man's real power grows and his knowledge widens, ever the way he can follow grows narrower: until at last he chooses nothing, but does only and wholly what he must do." This lesson becomes the foundation of Ged's eventual mastery.

Significance

The Masters of Roke represent the institutionalization of wisdom and the preservation of the ancient knowledge of Earthsea. They are not merely powerful individuals but the custodians of the Equilibrium, the balance of light and dark, life and death, good and evil. Their collective authority ensures that magic is used responsibly and that the dangers of unchecked power are contained. The School for Wizards on Roke, under their guidance, is the only place where the high arts of wizardry are taught, and the Masters themselves are the ultimate arbiters of what constitutes true magic. Their influence extends beyond the School, as they send wizards to serve in various lands, and their decisions, such as sending Ged to Low Torning, have far-reaching consequences for the Archipelago. The Masters of Roke are thus not just teachers but the living embodiment of the moral and philosophical framework that governs magic in Earthsea.