Gont

Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards. From the towns in its high valleys and the ports on its dark narrow bays, many a Gontishman has gone forth to serve the Lords of the Archipelago in their cities as wizard or mage, or, looking for adventure, to wander working magic from isle to isle of all Earthsea. Of these, some say the greatest, and surely the greatest voyager, was the man called Sparrowhawk, who in his day became both dragonlord and Archmage. His life is told of in the Deed of Ged and in many songs, but this is a tale of the time before his fame, before the songs were made.

Geography and Character

Gont is defined by its central mountain, whose peak rises a mile above the sea. The island's terrain is rugged and varied: high on the mountain lies the lonely village of Ten Alders, where Ged was born, situated at the head of the Northward Vale. Below the village, the pastures and plowlands of the Vale slope downward level below level towards the sea, with other towns lying on the bends of the River Ar. Above the village, only forest rises ridge behind ridge to the stone and snow of the heights. The island's rivers, like the River Ar, are very quick and cold. The island is also home to the town of Re Albi, perched on the edge of the high rocks of Overfell, from which one can see far below the deep harbor and the towers of the Port of Gont, and the ships that go in and out the gate of the bay between the Armed Cliffs. The Port of Gont itself is a bustling seaport with great houses and towers of cut stone, a waterfront of piers and docks, and a bay that is both silent and shining.

History and Inhabitants

The people of Gont are described as not warlike; they are famous for goat-thieves, sea-pirates, and wizards. The island's history includes a major invasion by the Kargad Empire, a savage, white-skinned, yellow-haired people who sailed to Gont in a host of thirty great longships, taking and burning East Port, and then moving up the Vale wrecking and looting. This invasion culminated in the battle at Ten Alders, where the young Ged used a fogweaving spell to defend his village, and the Kargs were ultimately harried back down to the beaches above East Port, where they fought with their backs to the sea till every man was killed. The island is also the home of the great mage Ogion, who lived in Re Albi and who once saved the city of Gont from an earthquake that would have shaken the towers down and closed the channel of the Armed Cliffs with avalanche. He spoke to the Mountain of Gont, calming it, and stilled the trembling precipices of the Overfell as one soothes a frightened beast.

Narrative Significance

Gont is the setting for Ged's birth, childhood, and his return after his flight from Osskil. It is where he first learns magic from the witch of Ten Alders, where he receives his true name from Ogion, and where he ultimately returns to seek Ogion's counsel before his final hunt for the shadow. The island's geography, from its high mountain forests to its deep harbors, shapes Ged's early life and his identity as a Gontishman, a heritage that is both a source of pride and a defining characteristic throughout his journey. The island's people, with their distinct speech and customs, provide a grounding contrast to the more cosmopolitan settings of Roke and the Archipelago. The Archipelagans, including Ged, are described as various shades of copper and brown, while the light-skinned people among them have far-northern or Kargish ancestors, a detail that reflects the author's quiet subversion of the racist tradition in fantasy literature.