Old Powers
The Old Powers of Earth are among the most ancient and dangerous forces in the world of Earthsea, predating the creation of the islands themselves. They are not spirits of the dead nor creatures of the natural world, but primordial entities bound to specific physical locations—a stone, a cave, a welling spring—and they cannot cross the sea. Unlike the magic of the Archipelago, which is governed by the principles of Equilibrium and the True Speech, the Old Powers are amoral, seeking only to dominate and consume those who come into contact with them. The narrative of A Wizard of Earthsea consistently portrays them as a source of ruin, a temptation that leads not to power but to enslavement and destruction.
Nature and Location
The Old Powers are described as being bound to a single isle, a certain place, and they will not cross over the sea. This territorial limitation is a key aspect of their nature, as seen when the creatures of the Terrenon stone, after pursuing Ged, turn back rather than follow him over the water. The most prominent example in the story is the Terrenon stone, a founding-stone of the tower-keep in Osskil. This stone is described as being made before Segoy raised the islands of the world, and it will endure until the end of the world. It is a very ancient thing, an old and terrible spirit imprisoned in a block of stone, and it is kept locked away in a dungeon-cell behind three doors, sealed by binding-spells and blinding-spells. The stone itself is cold, bitter cold, and nothing can ever warm the room where it lies. The Old Powers are also linked to the Tombs of Atuan, where the nine standing stones are said to have been planted in the darkness when the lands were raised up from the ocean's depths, older by far than the Godkings or the Twin Gods, older than light.
The Danger of the Old Powers
The central teaching of the wizards of Roke and of Ogion is that the Old Powers of earth are not for men to use. They were never given into human hands, and in human hands they work only ruin. This is a fundamental law of magic, and the story demonstrates its truth through the fate of those who seek to harness them. The Witch of Ten Alders, though no black sorceress, never meddled with the high arts or trafficked with Old Powers, but her ignorance of the Balance and the Pattern kept her from the true wizard's path. The danger is that these powers are not merely passive; they actively seek to enslave. The Terrenon stone, for instance, is said to have a voice and can answer questions, but it is a trap. The Lord of the Terrenon, Benderesk, and his wife Serret, who have both yielded to the stone, attempt to lure Ged into touching it, promising him the power to defeat his shadow. Ged, however, recognizes the peril, stating that the spirit is sealed in a stone not because it is precious, but because it can work great evil. The Archmage Gensher had also warned Ged of a power in the North, something that would destroy him, a shadowed force that the mage could not see clearly.
The Old Powers and the Shadow
The shadow that Ged looses is not itself an Old Power, but it is linked to them. In the Lore-Books, Ged reads a tale of an ancient Dragonlord who came under the sway of one of the Old Powers, a speaking stone. At the stone's command, he raised up a dead spirit, but his wizardry being bent awry, there came with the dead spirit a thing not summoned, which devoured him from within and walked in his shape, destroying men. This directly parallels Ged's own experience on Roke Knoll, where his summoning of Elfarran is corrupted, and a shadow-beast emerges. The Old Powers are thus shown to be a corrupting influence that can twist even the most powerful wizardry to evil ends. The shadow itself, though unnamed and formless, is a creature of unlife, and its nature is tied to the dark realm from which the Old Powers also draw their strength. The dragon Yevaud, who is himself an ancient being, offers to tell Ged the shadow's name, hinting at a knowledge that even the mages of Roke do not possess, a knowledge that may be shared by the oldest powers of the world.
The Old Powers and the Sea
A crucial limitation of the Old Powers is their inability to cross the sea. This is a fundamental rule of the world: evil is of earth, and out of the sea there rise storms and monsters, but no evil powers. This is demonstrated when the creatures of the Terrenon stone, after pursuing Ged, circle a while croaking, and one by one beat back ponderously inland over the moors. The Old Powers will not cross over the sea, being bound each to an isle, a certain place, cave or stone or welling spring. This geographical limitation is a key reason why the Archipelago, a sea-girt world, can maintain its balance. The sea itself is a defense against the ancient, earth-bound darkness. Ged's final confrontation with the shadow takes place on the Open Sea, a place where the Old Powers have no sway, and where he can meet his enemy on neutral ground.
Thematic Significance
The Old Powers represent the ultimate temptation for the wizard: the promise of limitless power without the constraints of balance and consequence. They are the dark mirror of the true wizard's art, which is based on knowledge, patience, and the understanding that all power has a price. The narrative's consistent rejection of the Old Powers reinforces the central theme of the book: that true mastery comes not from dominating the world, but from understanding one's place within it. The Old Powers are a force of stasis and consumption, while the magic of the Archipelago is a force of life and change. The story of Ged is, in part, a story of learning to resist the lure of these ancient, inhuman forces and to find strength within himself, rather than in the power of the earth.
