Weatherworking

Weatherworking is the art of controlling the elements of wind, rain, fog, and storm, and it is one of the most widely practiced branches of magic in Earthsea. From village weatherworkers who shunt rainclouds out to sea to the trained wizards of Roke who raise the magewind, the ability to command the weather is a common measure of a sorcerer's skill. Yet the art is governed by a strict ethical principle: the Balance, or Equilibrium, which warns that every change to the weather has consequences elsewhere. As the Master Windkey of Roke teaches his pupils, "Rain on Roke may be drouth in Osskil, and a calm in the East Reach may be storm and ruin in the West, unless you know what you are about." This principle distinguishes the true wizard from the mere weatherworker, for the wizard uses such power only at need, knowing that to summon up earthly forces is to change the earth of which they are a part.

Origins and Early Practice

Ged's first encounter with weatherworking comes not from formal training but from a village weatherworker of the Northward Vale, who taught him several charms, including a trick called fogweaving. This binding-spell gathers mists together in one place and, in the hands of one skilled in illusion, can shape the mist into ghostly seemings. Ged first proved his great power by using this spell during the Kargish raid on Ten Alders. He wove the fogweaving charm together with a spell of concealment, creating a dense fog that hid the village and allowed the outnumbered villagers to defeat the invaders. The effort drained his strength and left him speechless and stunned, but it saved the village and drew the attention of the great mage Ogion, who came to heal him and give him his true name.

Training at Roke

At the School for Wizards on Roke, weatherworking is a formal discipline taught by the Master Windkey. Whole bright days of spring and early summer are spent out in Roke Bay in light catboats, practicing steering by word, stilling waves, speaking to the world's wind, and raising up the magewind. These are intricate skills, and Ged's early attempts are marked by mishaps: his boat jibes under a wind suddenly blowing backwards, or collides with another boat though they have the whole bay to navigate in, or is swamped by a huge, unintended wave. Yet he proves apt, and within a month is bettering lads who have been a year at Roke before him. The Master Windkey also teaches the deeper principle behind weatherworking: that the true wizard uses such spells only at need, for to summon up earthly forces is to change the earth of which they are a part.

The Magewind and Its Limits

The magewind is a specialized form of weatherworking that creates a wind under the wizard's direct control, used for swift travel over the sea. Ged first learns to raise the magewind at Roke, and later uses it extensively during his voyages. When he sails from Low Torning to confront the Dragon of Pendor, he uses the magewind for speed, fearing what is behind him more than what is before him. After his victory, when he tries to return to Roke, the Roke-wind—the protective enchantment that keeps evil powers from the Isle of the Wise—rises against him, proving that the shadow he loosed is very close upon him. The ship's master, seeing the magewind fail, realizes that the wind blows not against his ship but against Ged. Later, during his sea-quest to hunt the shadow, Ged raises the magewind to chase the fleeing shadow across the Open Sea, holding it hour after hour with a power that amazes his friend Vetch, who feels his own power weakened and astray so far from land.

Weatherworking as a Measure of Character

Throughout Ged's story, weatherworking serves as a measure of his character and his growth. As a boy, he uses fogweaving impulsively, driven by need and pride, and the effort nearly destroys him. As a young wizard in Low Torning, he serves the islanders as a weatherworker, performing simple crafts without shame, for he had been a witch-child among poorer folk. Yet when the shadow hunts him, he finds that his weatherworking is blocked by the Roke-wind, a sign that the evil he loosed has made him unwelcome even on the Isle of the Wise. In the final confrontation on the Open Sea, he uses the magewind not for escape but for pursuit, turning his power against the darkness he himself created. The art of weatherworking, which began as a village trick, becomes a tool of both survival and redemption, always tempered by the knowledge that every spell has its price.