Wathort

Wathort is one of the four southern isles of the Archipelago where the rare, fierce, and voiceless creature called the otak is found, alongside Roke, Ensmer, and Pody. This small, sleek animal with broad face, dark fur, and great bright eyes is native to these islands, and its presence marks Wathort as a place of particular natural rarity in the known world.

Geography and Place in the World

Wathort lies in the southern part of the Archipelago, a region distinct from the central Inmost Sea and the Outer Reaches. It is not a major center of power or commerce in the narrative, but its inclusion among the otak's native islands situates it within the broader geography of Earthsea, a world of many islands where each land has its own unique character and creatures. The island is part of the same southern group as Roke, the Isle of the Wise, though it lacks the immense magical significance of that island.

The Kargad Empire and Racial Context

The Kargad Empire, a realm of four great lands—Karego-At, Atuan, Hur-at-Hur, and Atnini—is described as a savage, white-skinned, yellow-haired people who raid the Archipelago. In the first chapter of the book, Kargish warriors attack the village of Ten Alders on Gont, and their war-cry invokes the names of the White Godbrothers of Atuan: "Wuluah! Atwah!" This establishes the Kargs as a distinct, light-skinned people in contrast to the copper-brown and black-skinned peoples of the Archipelago. The author, Ursula K. Le Guin, later noted in an afterword that she deliberately made the Archipelagans various shades of copper and brown, shading into black in the South and East Reaches, while the light-skinned people among them have far-northern or Kargish ancestors. The Kargish raiders in the first chapter are white, and Serret, who betrays Ged, is white. This racial schema places Wathort, as a southern island, within the darker-skinned regions of the world, though the island itself is not directly involved in the Kargish conflicts.

The Otak and Its Significance

The otak, a creature native to Wathort and three other southern isles, is a significant animal in the story. It has no call or cry, and its teeth are cruel and its temper fierce, so it is not made a pet of. Ged encounters one on his journey back to the Great House of Roke after his year at the Isolate Tower, and it chooses to accompany him, riding on his shoulder. The otak later saves Ged's life when he lies spirit-lost after a failed healing attempt, licking his hands and face until he rouses. This act leads Ged to believe that the wise man never sets himself apart from other living things. The otak's presence in the story underscores the theme of connection between humans and the natural world, and its native island, Wathort, is part of the geography that makes this connection possible.

Narrative Significance

Wathort itself does not appear as a setting in the main narrative of A Wizard of Earthsea. It is mentioned only in passing as one of the four islands where the otak is found, and its name appears in the context of the Kargad Empire's description and the racial diversity of Earthsea. The island's significance is thus primarily geographical and thematic, contributing to the world-building of Earthsea as a place of varied lands and creatures, and to the author's deliberate construction of a non-white-centric fantasy world.