Original artwork, not a still
A Wizard of Earthsea ‧ 1968
"The Creation of Éa", the epigraph of A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The verse says that everything worth having comes out of its opposite: speech from quiet, light from dark, life from death. That is the idea behind Earthsea magic, where words carry power and the Balance is never to be broken. Fans quote it as a creed because it sums up the series in one breath, and the hawk image points to Ged himself.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for A Wizard of EarthseaShow the scene
The line opens the Earthsea song "The Creation of Éa", printed before the first page of the first Earthsea novel. It is an old chant that Le Guin invents for her world, and the book begins with it as a ritual preface before the narrator moves on to the youth of Ged, later called Sparrowhawk. The verse ends by turning to the bright flight of a hawk on the empty sky, which quietly names the boy the story is about.
Sources (1)
- A Wizard of Earthsea, WikipediaPlot summary quote box, and discussion of the openingReference checked
Context reviewed