A Wizard of Earthsea: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

As Vetch and Ged make their way across hundreds of miles of stormy seas, stopping on small islands occasionally for supplies and water, Ged refuses to use any spells or enchantments to ease their journey. Both men are full of a cold, heavy foreboding, and neither wants to use magic and upset the careful balance that allows them to sail forth at all. Ged steers their course toward the outermost fringes of the Reach. Vetch warns him that beyond this point, there are no lands at all—only the open sea. In this part of the world, Vetch says, there are things that haven’t been named.

Ged laments that he is going forth to meet his fate without having seen so much of the Archipelago. He talks longingly of all the places he still wants to go. He berates his foolish younger self for trading the light of the world “for a shadow.” The only thing that brings Ged comfort is his thoughts of Yarrow. He tells Vetch how much he admires his whip-smart sister, who is like an uncatchable minnow. Vetch smiles and says that Yarrow’s true name is Kest—“minnow” in the Old Speech. 

The pair sail through treacherous weather and dark nights—Ged realizes that it is shortly after Sunreturn, an unlucky time for travelers. Nevertheless, he holds their course steady. After refilling their stores of water on a strange, remote island, the two continue on. Vetch questions whether Ged has them on the right path, but Ged says only that he is drawn to the shadow like iron to a magnet. The two of them occasionally discuss how they might figure out the shadow’s true name, but even after trading stories of great wizards’ remarkable deeds, Ged settles on the idea that “to hear, one must be silent.”

Soon, Ged and Vetch come to the last island in the Archipelago for food and a night’s rest. Beyond here, Vetch warns, there is only ocean. Ged, however, believes there are perhaps lands undiscovered. Ged is suddenly seized in the middle of the night by a premonition that they are moving too slowly—the shadow is threatening to escape from them. They must leave now, he says, and head east—if Ged loses the shadow, he, too, is lost. 

Ged and Vetch sail onward, and, at last, Ged summons a wind to carry their ship eastward. Ged speaks little except to ask Vetch, after their noon meal, whether he believes that there are undiscovered lands. Vetch says he’s afraid that if the two of them sail too far, they will fall off the edge of the world. Ged does not respond to Vetch’s jest. They sail through the night, and, the next day, they encounter heavy rain. Ged continues summoning the winds—yet he worries that if they stray too far from the Archipelago, his powers will weaken.

The next day, Vetch questions whether Ged is perhaps being led into a trap—the shadow, Vetch points out, does not hunger or weaken, while they themselves do. Ged insists that they are nearly caught up with the creature. They continue sailing onward, sped by Ged’s winds, and Ged begins seeing a “dark vision” along the horizon. Suddenly, one afternoon, Ged stops the wind and orders Vetch to put down the sails. Ged clearly sees something—yet Vetch cannot see it. Still, he follows his companion’s orders. It soon becomes clear that Ged believes they have arrived in a bay, but Vetch cannot see the sand their boat seems to arrive upon.

Once the ship is aground—even though Vetch cannot see what land they may or may not have come to—Vetch and Ged both become aware of a strange stillness on the sea and in the air. Vetch steps out of the boat seemingly into the sea. As Ged walks forward, though, Vetch can see that it is indeed sand his friend walks upon. Ged’s staff begins to glow faintly as he walks on. Soon, Ged becomes aware of the shadow coming toward him across the sand.

As the shadow approaches, Ged finds that the shadow has taken the form of his father. Stunned, he blinks, and finds that it takes the form of Jasper. As Ged raises his staff to better see the shadow, it takes the form of Pechvarry. Ged continues forward toward the shadow as it continues shifting shape. Ged lifts his staff and it brightens intensely. The shadow casts off its false forms and once again becomes a strange, dark creature. As Ged and the shadow come face to face, Ged speaks the shadow’s true name to it: Ged. The shadow says the same thing back. Ged takes hold of his other self. Light and darkness meet.

Vetch hurries to help Ged, fearing his friend is overpowered, yet he finds himself unable to move through the sand Ged walks upon with ease. Vetch hurries back to the boat. As he gets in, he realizes he has lost sight of Ged. He looks around and at last sees his friend flailing in the waves—the sand is gone. Vetch rows over to Ged and hauls him back onto the boat. Ged is frightened and exhausted. He clutches his staff and doesn’t speak for a long time. Vetch begins sailing back from whence they came.

That night, as Ged spies the new moon in the sky, he declares at last: “It is done. It is over.” Ged begins to laugh. He declares that he is whole, free, and healed. As Vetch looks carefully upon his friend, he sees that it is true: Ged has not lost or won; he has simply made himself complete by naming the shadow and understanding his “whole true self.” Ged, Vetch knows, cannot be used or possessed any longer by any entity but himself. Vetch sings an old, happy song aloud as he sails westward.

After over a fortnight of sailing and using enchantments to sweeten the seawater and catch fish to eat, Vetch and Ged find land again. The weather is calm and steady, and both men delight in the songs of seabirds and the sights of the great cliffs that surround them as they return to the Archipelago. Soon, they are back on Iffish. After docking their boat, they wind through the streets of town toward Vetch’s house, where Yarrow, joyful, is waiting to meet them.

No song remains of Ged’s encounter with the shadow—the very song Vetch promised to write and sing. However, there is an enduring tale of a boat that ran aground on the open sea. The song varies from isle to isle: some say it was Vetch who steered the boat, while others say it was two humble fishermen. In the Deed of Ged, the lore dedicated to Ged’s legacy, no line even mentions his encounter with the shadow—even though many of his great accomplishments, including his return to Roke, his encounter with more dragons, and his ascendancy to Archmage of the Archipelago all have a place in the song.