To hear, one must be silent

Another of my occasional visits to Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, a book that seems to spark new ideas with every re-read. One of the things that struck me this time around was the role of Ogion, always my favourite character, as the one person in Earthsea who seems to see straight to the heart of the heart of things. He seems to embody the essential difference between the contemplative, substantial wizardry of Gont and the showy illusions of the majority of the students of Roke.

To the inhabitants of Ten Alders, as to the rest of Gont, Ogion's reputation is towering. He is the man who quieted an earthquake and saved the town of Overfell from destruction. But he more importantly, he becomes the man who saves Sparrowhawk from the catatonia that has overcome him following his first great feat of magic and sets the greatest wizard of Earthsea on his path.

But when Ged becomes Ogion's apprentice, he is initially unimpressed with his master's peripatetic and almost determinedly unmagical lifestyle — his master doesn't even change the weather to stop himself from being rained on, but instead seeks the shelter of a stout pine tree. But this principally because Ged is blinded by his own impatience; Ogion's intentions can be seen in his replies to his pupil:

"When will my apprenticeship begin, Sir?"
"It has begun," said Ogion.
There was a silence, as if Ged was keeping back something he had to say. Then he said it: "But I haven't learned anything yet!"
"Because you haven't found out what I am teaching,"
...
"You want to work spells," Ogion said, presently, striding along. "You've drawn too much water from that well. Wait. Manhood is patience. Mastery is nine times patience..."

Later, after the release of the shadow and the disastrous encounter on Osskil, Ged's first instincts are to flee back to Gont and Ogion, whose lessons he now finally begins to understand. Ged's old master is the only person to see the solution to his problem: his flight from the shadow has allowed it to force events but if he becomes the hunter instead of the hunted, he can gain control of the situation and prevent it from using his own power against him.

A man would know the end he goes to, but he cannot know it if he does not turn, and return to his beginning, and hold that beginning in his being. If he would not be a stick whirled and whelmed in the stream, he must be the stream itself, all of it, from its spring to its sinking in the sea.

Where the mages of Roke are worldly, Ogion is more like a wandering monk who has spent his life walking, listening to the world, and searching for truth. It is Ogion's search for enlightenment that is the answer Ged cannot give when asked him to explain why Gontishmen practice wizardry.

Project progress

Had a bit of a wander round town, enjoying the nice weather — and not enjoying the polution! — before stopping off for a spot of Sunday bouldering.

The place was looking slightly denuded — some of the routes and problem have come down to allow the holds to be cleaned ahead of round three of the SW rounds of the BMC Youth Climbing Series on Saturday — but my remaining projects were still there and I made decent progress, crossing one off, adding a new one, and working through a couple of others.