School for Wizards on Roke

The School for Wizards on Roke, often called the Great House or the Isle of the Wise, is the paramount institution of magical education in Earthsea. It is a place where the high arts of wizardry are taught, a fortress of learning and power that stands at the heart of the Archipelago's magical tradition. For Ged, it is the stage for his most triumphant learning and his most catastrophic failure, a crucible that forges his skills even as it exposes the deepest flaws in his character.

Identity and Physical Realm

The School is housed in a vast, grey stone building in the town of Thwil on Roke Island. It is a place of formidable magic, built not only of stone but of spells stronger than stone. The entrance is a door of horn and ivory, carved on its inner face with the Thousand-Leaved Tree, and it is guarded by the Master Doorkeeper, who tests all who seek entry. Within, the School contains open courts, roofed halls, the Room of Shelves filled with ancient Lore-Books, the great Hearth Hall where the community gathers for festivals, and a labyrinth of corridors and towers. The students sleep in small, stone cells, furnished only with a straw-filled mattress, a life of deliberate plainness. The School is surrounded by the enchanted landscape of Roke, including the Roke Knoll, whose roots go down to the center of the earth, and the mysterious Immanent Grove, a place of profound magic where the Master Patterner studies and where no prentice may set foot.

Governance and the Nine Masters

The School is governed by the Nine Masters of Roke, each a master of a specific branch of wizardry. These include the Master Windkey, who teaches the arts of wind and weather; the Master Hand, who teaches sleight and the lesser arts of Changing; the Master Herbal, who teaches the properties of things that grow; the Master Chanter, who teaches the Deeds and Lays; the Master Changer, who teaches the true Spells of Shaping; the Master Summoner, who teaches the summoning of energies and spirits; the Master Namer, who teaches the true names of all things from his isolated Isolate Tower; the Master Patterner, who learns supreme magery within the Immanent Grove; and the Master Doorkeeper, who guards the School's entrance. The Archmage, the head of the School, is chosen by the Nine Masters from among the mages of all Earthsea. During Ged's time, the Archmage is the ancient Nemmerle, who gives his life to save Ged from the shadow he looses, and is succeeded by Gensher of Way.

Ged's Arrival and Early Training

Ged arrives at the School carrying a letter from his master Ogion, which declares he will be "greatest of the wizards of Gont." He is tested by the Master Doorkeeper, who forces him to speak his true name, Ged, before he can enter. Once inside, he is greeted by the Archmage Nemmerle in a sunlit court, where he experiences a moment of profound understanding, feeling himself to be "a word spoken by the sunlight." He is then taken under the wing of the older student Jasper, whose condescending manner immediately kindles Ged's pride and rivalry. Ged's early training is intense and varied. He studies with the Master Chanter, learning the Deeds of heroes; with the Master Windkey, practicing weatherworking in Roke Bay; and with the Master Herbal, learning the ways of plants. He excels at the arts of illusion, learning them so quickly that the Master Hand begins to teach him the true Spells of Shaping, a dangerous knowledge for one so young. He also studies with the Master Summoner, who teaches him about the balance of the world and the perils of summoning. A year is spent in the Isolate Tower with the Master Namer, Kurremkarmerruk, learning the true names of countless places, things, and beings, a task that is the foundation of all true magic.

The Loosing of the Shadow

Ged's pride and his bitter rivalry with Jasper lead to his downfall. During the Long Dance festival, Jasper goads Ged into a challenge. Ged, seeking to prove his superiority, boasts that he can summon a spirit from the dead. On the slopes of Roke Knoll, he performs the Spell of Summoning, calling the spirit of the long-dead princess Elfarran. The spell works, but it tears open the fabric of the world, and through the breach comes not Elfarran, but a shapeless, malevolent shadow. The shadow attacks Ged, clawing his face and shoulder, and would have consumed him had the Archmage Nemmerle not intervened. Nemmerle drives the shadow away, but the effort costs him his life. The shadow, now loose in the world, is bound to Ged, a creature of his own making that hunts him relentlessly. The event shatters Ged's confidence and leaves him scarred, both physically and spiritually.

Aftermath and Transformation

In the aftermath of the disaster, Ged is gravely wounded and lies blind and mute for weeks. The Master Herbal tends to him, and he slowly recovers, but he is a changed person. He is filled with shame and fear, and his magical abilities are impaired; spells come haltingly from his tongue. The new Archmage, Gensher, refuses his fealty, telling him that the shadow waits for him and that he must stay on Roke until he gains the strength to face it. Ged is isolated and humbled, studying with younger students. His friend Vetch, before leaving Roke, gives him the gift of his true name, Estarriol, a gesture of profound trust that helps restore Ged's sense of self. Ged eventually earns his wizard's staff and is sent to the township of Low Torning, a remote posting that marks his first step away from the School and toward his ultimate confrontation with the shadow. The School for Wizards on Roke, which had been the site of his greatest ambition and his most terrible failure, becomes the place where he learns the hard lessons of humility, responsibility, and the true cost of power.