The Tombs of Atuan is a fantasy novel by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the Winter 1970 issue of Worlds of Fantasy magazine, and published as a book by Atheneum Books in 1971. It is the second book in the Earthsea series after A Wizard of Earthsea (1969). The Tombs of Atuan was a Newbery Honor Book in 1972.
Set in the fictional world of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan follows the story of Tenar, a young girl born in the Kargish empire, who is taken while still a child to be the high priestess to the "Nameless Ones" at the Tombs of Atuan. Her existence at the Tombs is a lonely one, deepened by the isolation of being the highest ranking priestess. Her world is disrupted by the arrival of Ged, the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea, who seeks to steal the half of a talisman that is buried in the treasury of the Tombs. Tenar traps him in the labyrinth under the Tombs, but she then rebels against her teaching and keeps him alive. Through him she learns more about the outside world, and she begins to question her faith in the Nameless Ones and her place at the Tombs.
Like A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan is a bildungsroman, which explores Tenar's growth and identity. Tenar's coming-of-age is closely tied to her exploration of faith and her belief in the Nameless Ones. The Tombs of Atuan explores themes of gender and power, in the setting of a cult of female priests in service to a patriarchal society, while providing an anthropological view of Kargish culture. Tenar, who became the subject of Le Guin's fourth Earthsea novel, Tehanu, has been described as a more revolutionary protagonist than Ged, or Arren, the protagonist of The Farthest Shore (1972), the third Earthsea volume. Whereas the two men grow into socially approved roles, Tenar rebels and struggles against the confines of her social role. The Tombs of Atuan shares elements of a heroic quest story with other Earthsea novels, but it subverts some tropes common to the fantasy genre at the time, for example, by choosing a female protagonist in Tenar and a dark-skinned leading character in Ged.
The Tombs of Atuan was well received when published, with critics commenting favorably on the character of Tenar, Le Guin's writing, and her "sensitive" portrayal of cultural differences between the Kargish people and those of the rest of Earthsea. The story also received praise for its exploration of religious themes and ethical questions. Le Guin's treatment of gender was criticized by several scholars, who stated that she had created a female protagonist, but within a male-dominated framework. Nonetheless, the novel has been described by scholars and commentators as "beautifully written", and a "significant exploration of womanhood".
Background
Ursula K. Le Guin's universe of Earthsea first appeared in two short stories, "The Rule of Names" (1964) and "The Word of Unbinding" (1964), both published in Fantastic. These stories developed early concepts for the fictional world. They were both later anthologized in Le Guin's collection The Wind's Twelve Quarters, published in 1975. Earthsea was the setting for a story Le Guin wrote in 1965 or 1966, which was never published. In 1967, Herman Schein (the publisher of Parnassus Press and the husband of Ruth Robbins, the illustrator of A Wizard of Earthsea) asked Le Guin to try writing a book "for older kids", giving her complete freedom over the subject and the approach. Drawing from her short stories, Le Guin began work on A Wizard of Earthsea. Le Guin has said that the book was in part a response to the image of wizards as ancient and wise, and to her wondering where they come from. Le Guin later said that her choice of fantasy as a medium, and of the theme of coming of age, was a product of her writing for adolescents.
The short stories published in 1964 introduced the world of Earthsea and important concepts in it, such as Le Guin's treatment of magic. Le Guin's depiction of Earthsea was influenced by her familiarity with Native American legends as well as Norse mythology. The influence of Norse lore can be seen in the characters of the Kargs, who are blonde and blue-eyed, and worship two gods who are brothers. Influential in The Tombs of Atuan is Le Guin's familiarity with anthropology, visible in her description of Kargish culture and cultural differences with the rest of Earthsea. Le Guin's belief in Taoism is visible in the idea of a cosmic "balance" in the universe of Earthsea. Le Guin originally intended for A Wizard of Earthsea to be a standalone novel, but she wrote The Tombs of Atuan as a sequel after considering the loose ends in the first book, and wrote a third book, The Farthest Shore, a year later after further consideration. Scholars have stated that the civil rights movement, and opposition to the Vietnam War that was gaining prominence during the period The Tombs of Atuan was written, subtly affected the structure of the book. Although not a "primarily feminist" novel, Le Guin's decision to choose a female protagonist has been described as a nod to the women's rights movement, while Tenar's growing disquiet with her beliefs has been compared to the unease of individuals who began to protest discrimination and the Vietnam War.
Setting
Earthsea is an archipelago, or group of islands. In the fictional history of this world, the islands were raised from the ocean by Segoy, an ancient deity or hero. The world is inhabited by both humans and dragons, and several among the humans are sorcerers or wizards. Influenced strongly by Le Guin's interest in Taoism, the world is shown as being based on a delicate balance, which most of its inhabitants are aware of, but which is disrupted by somebody in each of the original trilogy of novels. Magic in the societies of Earthsea is depicted as a force for both good and evil. The setting of Earthsea is pre-industrial, and has many cultures within the widespread archipelago. Most of the characters of the story are of the Hardic peoples, who are dark-skinned, and who populate most of the islands. The internal universe of Earthsea has not remained constant across Le Guin's various works set in it, but has been continually adjusted and revised.
Some of the North-eastern islands are populated by the white-skinned Kargish people, who see the Hardic folk as evil sorcerers: the Kargish, in turn, are viewed by the Hardic as barbarians. The Kargish peoples have a distinct culture and geography: for example, they do not use written language, as they consider it an evil practice. The Kargish people have been described by scholars as being the analog of people in the United States; similarities include an organized religion, and a class system. This society does not believe in the equilibrium that the rest of the archipelago believes in, and does not believe in magic either. The Kargad empire is a theocracy; its monarch, the God-king, claims to represent the power of the Nameless Ones, described as the "powers of the dark, of ruin, of madness". The society is depicted as militant, and patriarchal. Le Guin suggests that though the God-king relies upon the Nameless Ones and their high priestess to maintain his authority, he no longer believes in them.
Plot summary
Tenar, a girl born on the Kargish island of Atuan, is believed to be the reincarnation of the high priestess of the tombs of Atuan. She is taken from her family when she turns five, and goes to the Tombs. Her name is taken from her in a ceremony, and she is referred to as "Arha", or the "Eaten One", after being consecrated to the service of the "Nameless Ones" at the age of six with a ceremony involving a symbolic sacrifice. She moves into her own tiny house, and is given a eunuch servant, Manan, with whom she develops a bond of affection.
Arha's childhood and youth are lonely; her only friends are Manan and Penthe, a priestess her own age. She is trained in her duties by Thar and Kossil, elderly priestesses of the two other major deities. Thar tells her of the Undertomb and the Labyrinth beneath the Tombs, teaching her how to find her way around them in the darkness. She tells of the treasure hidden within the Labyrinth, which wizards from the Archipelago have tried to steal. When Arha asks about the wizards, Thar tells her that they are unbelievers who can work magic.
When she turns fourteen, Arha assumes all the responsibilities of her position, becoming the highest-ranked priestess in the Tombs. As part of her duties, she is required to execute prisoners sent to the Tombs by the God-King of the Kargad lands; she has them killed by starvation, an act which haunts her. After Thar dies of old age, Arha becomes increasingly isolated: although stern, Thar had been fair to her; Kossil despises Arha and feigns belief in the Nameless Ones.
Arha's routine is disrupted by her discovery of the wizard Ged (the protagonist of A Wizard of Earthsea) in the Undertomb, the main hub of the Tombs. As Ged advances into the Labyrinth, she traps him behind a locked door and through a peephole sees him unsuccessfully attempt to open the door with a spell. Ged eventually collapses out of exhaustion, and Arha has him chained while debating his fate.
After questioning him, she learns that he has come to the Tombs to retrieve one half of the long-lost Ring of Erreth-Akbe, a magical artifact broken centuries earlier which is inscribed with nine Runes of Power; the breaking caused the Bond-Rune, necessary for peace in Earthsea, to be forgotten. Ged unknowingly received his half of the Ring during the events of A Wizard of Earthsea, and a dragon later told him what it was. Arha is enamored by Ged's tales of the outside world and delays executing him, instead sneaking him food and water.
Kossil learns of Ged's existence, forcing Arha to promise that Ged will be sacrificed to the Nameless Ones; however, she realizes that she cannot go through with it, instead instructing Manan to dig a false grave in the Undertomb; she hides Ged in the Treasury, where neither Manan nor Kossil can enter. As she departs the Treasury, Ged thanks her using her true name—Tenar.
Arha and Kossil have a public argument in which Kossil declares that the Nameless Ones no longer have power while Arha curses her in their name. Realizing that Kossil will now be determined to kill her, she heads to the labyrinth and sees Kossil exhuming Ged's false grave. Evading her, Arha goes to the Treasury and confesses everything to Ged, who has found the other half of Erreth-Akbe's ring. He tells Arha that she must either kill him or escape with him, and says that while the Nameless Ones demand her service, they neither give nor create anything in return. He tells her his true name, reciprocating her trust.
Manan intervenes by attempting to attack Ged, but falls to his death in a pit as the tombs begin to collapse in on themselves; Ged holds off their destruction until they are able to escape to the surface. Arha reverts to calling herself Tenar as she and Ged travel across Atuan to the coast where his boat is hidden, intending to travel to present the Ring at Havnor. While waiting for the tide, she feels an urge to kill Ged for destroying her life, but realizes while gazing at him that she has no anger left. Ged and Tenar sail to Havnor, where they are received in triumph.
Major characters
Tenar