Andrades

The Andrades are a group of islands in the northern reaches of Earthsea, lying beyond the Gontish Sea and the Enlades. They are a land of merchants and traders, known for their furs and ivories, and for the red-sailed ships that ply the northern waters. The region is first mentioned in the context of the Kargad Empire's raids, which threatened the Torikles and Torheven, but the Andrades themselves are not directly attacked in the narrative. Their significance in the story is primarily as a point of origin for the ship Shadow, which carries Ged from Gont to Roke, and as a source of the distinctive red cloaks trimmed with pellawi-fur worn by Andradean merchants.

Trade and Commerce

The Andrades are a commercial hub, exporting furs and ivories to the southern ports of the Archipelago. The ship Shadow, a trading vessel from the Andrades, is described as carrying these goods to Hort Town, a lawless place in the South Reach. The ship's master, a big, fat man in a red cloak trimmed with pellawi-fur, embodies the Andradean merchant class: practical, blunt, and focused on trade. He is not impressed by Ged's wizardry, asking only if he can work weather or bring the wind, and when Ged cannot, he tells him to find a place out of the way. This encounter establishes the Andrades as a place where magic is secondary to the practicalities of seafaring and commerce.

The Ship Shadow

The ship Shadow is the most prominent Andradean vessel in the story. It is a galley with seventy crewmen, fifteen oars to a side, and a drum to beat the stroke. The ship is described as well-built, riding low with her burden, and dancing on the lapping shore-waves. The steersman takes his place at the right of the sternpost, looking forward to the ship's master, who stands on a plank let in at the jointure of the keel with the stem, which is carved as the Old Serpent of Andrad. The ship's name, Shadow, is noted by Ogion with a darkening of his face, a foreshadowing of the shadow that will later pursue Ged. The ship carries Ged from Gont to Roke, and it is on this voyage that he first encounters the sea and learns the ways of a sailor.

Cultural Characteristics

The Andradean people are depicted as practical and somewhat rough. The crewmen of the Shadow are described as sturdy men with great arms, and the younger lads are friendly though rough and full of jokes and jibes. They call Ged "Goatherd" because he is Gontish, but they do not go further than that. The ship's master is a big, fat man in a red cloak trimmed with pellawi-fur, and he never looks at Ged but asks him in a mighty voice if he can work weather. This practical, no-nonsense attitude is a hallmark of the Andradean character. The Andrades are also a place where the Old Powers of Earth are known, as evidenced by the raven of Osskil that speaks in the speech of Osskil, a language that Ged guesses might be the speech of Osskil, and the raven's words "Terrenon ussbuk!" and "Terrenon ussbuk orrek!" are a reference to the Terrenon stone, an Old Power of Earth.

Narrative Significance

The Andrades serve as a crucial link in Ged's journey from his home island of Gont to the Isle of the Wise, Roke. The ship Shadow, with its ominous name, carries him across the Gontish Sea and through the Ebavnor Straits, past Havnor and the Inmost Sea, to Roke. The Andrades are also a source of the furs and ivories that are traded throughout the Archipelago, and the red cloaks trimmed with pellawi-fur are a distinctive marker of Andradean merchants. The region is not a major setting for the story's events, but it is a significant point of origin for the ship that carries Ged to his destiny, and its people and goods are a reminder of the wider world of Earthsea beyond the immediate narrative.