The Deed of Enlad

The Deed of Enlad is one of the great heroic lays of Earthsea, a song that tells the story of the mage Morred the White and the princess Elfarran. It is a tale of love, war, and ruin, and it serves as a cautionary and poignant reference point for characters within the story, particularly for the young wizards Ged and Vetch. The song is part of the living oral tradition of the Archipelago, performed by chanters and known to those who study the Deeds and Lays of wisdom at the School for Wizards on Roke.

Content and Thematic Significance

The Deed of Enlad recounts how Morred left Havnor in his oarless longship and came to the island of Soléa, where he saw Elfarran in the orchards in the spring. Their love, however, led to tragedy. As Vetch explains to Ged, "The Princess Elfarran was only a woman," and "for her sake all Enlad was laid waste, and the Hero-Mage of Havnor died, and the island Soléa sank beneath the sea." The song thus embodies the immense, destructive power of mortal beauty and passion, a theme that resonates deeply with the young wizards. When Ged first sees the Lady of O at the Sunreturn festival, he is dismissive, saying "She's only a woman," but Vetch's recitation of the Deed of Enlad makes him reconsider, and he begins to look at her "wondering if indeed this was such mortal beauty as the old tales told of." The song is also sung by Vetch during the voyage to the Open Sea, where he sings softly from the Deed of Enlad, telling how Morred left Havnor and came to Soléa, though he stops before reaching the "sorry end of their love, Morred's death, the ruin of Enlad, the sea-waves, vast and bitter, whelming the orchards of Soléa."

Role in the Narrative and Character Development

The Deed of Enlad is more than a mere background detail; it actively shapes the characters' understanding of their world and their own fates. Ged, in his moment of greatest pride and folly on Roke Knoll, invokes Elfarran's spirit, calling out, "Elfarran I will call, the fair lady of the Deed of Enlad." This act of summoning, born of a desire to prove his power to Jasper, directly leads to the catastrophic loosing of the shadow. The song thus becomes a direct link to Ged's own tragic error, as he attempts to manipulate a story of immense consequence for petty personal gain. The song's themes of love, loss, and the balance of power are woven into the fabric of the narrative, providing a mythic parallel to Ged's own journey from pride to understanding. The song is also part of the curriculum at the School for Wizards, where Ged studies the Deeds of heroes and the Lays of wisdom, beginning with the oldest of all songs, The Creation of Éa, and continuing with other foundational works like The Deed of Enlad.

Cultural and Literary Context

The Deed of Enlad is a classic example of the epic tradition within Earthsea, a song that is both a source of entertainment and a vessel for profound moral and philosophical lessons. It is performed by the Master Chanter at the Sunreturn festival, a key event in the Roke calendar, where the Lady of O is present and Jasper performs an illusion-charm for her. The song's tragic narrative, with its clear cause-and-effect relationship between love and destruction, serves as a counterpoint to the more hopeful and redemptive arc of Ged's own story. It is a reminder that even the greatest heroes and the most beautiful loves can lead to ruin, a lesson that Ged must learn through his own harrowing experiences. The song's existence within the world of the novel underscores the importance of storytelling and history in shaping the values and actions of its characters, and it provides a rich, intertextual layer that deepens the reader's understanding of the novel's central themes of balance, consequence, and the nature of true power.