The Tombs are sacred and only the Priestess can enter

The Tombs are sacred and only the Priestess can enter is a foundational law of the Place of the Tombs of Atuan, a complex of temples and buildings in the Kargad Empire. This rule governs access to the most sacred precinct: the hilltop enclosure behind the Hall of the Throne, where nine black stones, the Tombs themselves, stand. The rule is absolute, reserving this ground for the One Priestess, Arha, and forbidding entry to all others, regardless of rank or authority.

The Sacred Enclosure and Its Boundaries

The Tombs are encircled by a massive, ancient rock wall, laid without mortar and half-fallen in places, which physically separates the sacred hilltop from the rest of the Place. Inside this wall, the nine stones—some standing, some leaning, two fallen—are crusted with lichen and bear vague carvings. One stone is smooth and black with a dull gloss. The area is described as a dreary, cold place, even in the desert summer, where the wind whistles between the stones. The rule's enforcement is absolute: no one else ever sets foot on that ground where they stand. The Priestess herself does not go among them often, but she is the only one permitted to do so.

The Priestess's Exclusive Role and Rituals

The rule is not merely a prohibition but a definition of the Priestess's unique role. Twice a year, at the full moon nearest the spring and autumn equinoxes, Arha performs a blood sacrifice before the Throne, emerging from the low back door of the Hall carrying a great brass basin full of smoking goat's blood. She must pour this out, half at the foot of the standing black stone and half over one of the fallen stones, which are stained by the blood-offering of centuries. This ritual is the only time the sacred ground is used for a formal ceremony, and it is performed by the Priestess alone. The rule also grants her the privilege of solitary access; she sometimes goes by herself in the early morning to wander among the stones, trying to make out the carvings, or simply to sit and look out at the mountains and the Place below. She goes because it is permitted her to go there, because there she is alone.

The Rule's Absolute Authority

The rule's authority extends beyond the priestesses and wardens to the highest secular and religious powers of the Kargad Empire. The first Godking, a century and a half ago, had come to enact the rites of his own temple, yet even he could not enter among the Tombstones. Even he had had to eat and sleep outside the wall around the Place. This demonstrates that the sanctity of the Tombs and the exclusive access of the Priestess supersede even the Godking's authority. The rule is a cornerstone of the religious order, establishing the Priestess as the sole intermediary between the mortal world and the nameless, ancient powers that the Tombs represent.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

The rule of the Tombs' sacredness and the Priestess's exclusive entry is central to the narrative of The Tombs of Atuan. It establishes the setting's unique power dynamics and the isolation of the protagonist, Arha. The rule creates a space of profound mystery and power, which becomes the stage for a crucial encounter when a wizard from the Archipelago, Ged, enters the Tombs—a direct violation of the rule. This violation sets the central conflict of the story in motion, forcing Arha to choose between her sacred duty and a new, dangerous understanding of the world beyond the desert. The rule thus functions as both a plot device and a thematic symbol of the rigid, ancient order that Arha must ultimately confront and transcend.