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, 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 …
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, 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 buried in the treasury of the Tombs. Tenar traps him in the labyrinth under the Tombs, but then rebels against her teaching and keeps him alive. Through him she learns more of the outside world, and 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 that 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 the story of a heroic quest with other Earthsea novels, but subverts some of the tropes common to the genre of fantasy at the time, such as by choosing a female protagonist, and a dark-skinned character.The Tombs of Atuan was well received when it was 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 the people of the rest of Earthsea. The story 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".
I can see what UKLG was doing here - something very unlike "A Wizard of Earthsea," a female protagonist, an investigation into different forms of power; but because the protagonist's world is near-silent and empty, a place of tombs, not a lot goes on and there is only really one action throughout the story. It could just as easily been a short story and I don't think it is very long as it is. I'm also put in mind, having read up on Orpheus and Eurydice, of that myth from Eurydice's viewpoint. Although she was originally a creature of the high mountain pastures what if she now saw Hades as home? What if that became her place and she was fleeing there? What isn't afraid of the dark because it lives there?
My heart hurts! Was für ein Buch! Selten Charaktere in nem Buch erlebt, die so liebevoll miteinander umgehen. Und was das Buch über Freiheit zu sagen hat! Ich mags ganz arg :)
This engaging story follows Arha, a child who is tragically taken from her loving mother to act as a high priestess in what was essentially a religous cult. She is separated from everyone else from an early age, and forced to lead a very narrow life that she has been indoctrinated to value. Then, just as she is coming of age, an intruder enters her domain. Fortunately, she is still young and curious (and, perhaps, lonely) enough to question him--and keep him alive instead of having him killed, as she is expected to do.
During this enlightenment, this intruder reminds Arha of her real name (her birth name), and explains his mission, helping her to see her life and surroundings more objectively. In the end, she makes her own decision. I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that this former priestess does escape her old life, but I'll leave …
This engaging story follows Arha, a child who is tragically taken from her loving mother to act as a high priestess in what was essentially a religous cult. She is separated from everyone else from an early age, and forced to lead a very narrow life that she has been indoctrinated to value. Then, just as she is coming of age, an intruder enters her domain. Fortunately, she is still young and curious (and, perhaps, lonely) enough to question him--and keep him alive instead of having him killed, as she is expected to do.
During this enlightenment, this intruder reminds Arha of her real name (her birth name), and explains his mission, helping her to see her life and surroundings more objectively. In the end, she makes her own decision. I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that this former priestess does escape her old life, but I'll leave it at that. And yes, we do meet the main character from the first book (somewhat older and definitely wiser).
The Tombs of Atuan is written in a pleasing style that is paced well with a nice amount of description and detail. I have a high tolerance for detail in realistic novels, but the same amount of detail in science fiction and fantasy is sometimes hard for me to follow. This is no doubt due to a lack of imagination on my part--but anyway, this novel was quite enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the next book of this series.
A deliberate contrast to A Wizard of Earthsea, this story is less successful because the plotting is less clear. Of course, this produces an almost claustrophobic sensation that mirrors Arha's experience of being First Princess. One other thing is the slight miss of characterization with Ged, who comes off as greedy and brusque.
Review of 'The Tombs of Atuan (Earthsea Trilogy, Vol. 2)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Here I've been going around thinking [b:The Left Hand of Darkness|18423|The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle #6)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488213612s/18423.jpg|817527] was my favorite Le Guin novel, but no, it's definitely The Tombs of Atuan.
This book made such an impression on me as a kid that I have carried Arha's labyrinth in my memories for all the years since. Rereading it as an adult (and a feminist) was an absolute joy: it contains everything I remembered with such fondness, and much more.
When I read Earthsea as a kid, I was stunned by how different it was from any other fantasy story; decades later, I still am.
I could write an essay about the symbolism and the gender dynamics and the lessons about male and female power within society, but here, let's just use these quotes from the afterword in the Kindle edition:
But since I was writing about …
Here I've been going around thinking [b:The Left Hand of Darkness|18423|The Left Hand of Darkness (Hainish Cycle #6)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488213612s/18423.jpg|817527] was my favorite Le Guin novel, but no, it's definitely The Tombs of Atuan.
This book made such an impression on me as a kid that I have carried Arha's labyrinth in my memories for all the years since. Rereading it as an adult (and a feminist) was an absolute joy: it contains everything I remembered with such fondness, and much more.
When I read Earthsea as a kid, I was stunned by how different it was from any other fantasy story; decades later, I still am.
I could write an essay about the symbolism and the gender dynamics and the lessons about male and female power within society, but here, let's just use these quotes from the afterword in the Kindle edition:
But since I was writing about the people who in most societies have not been given much power—women—it seemed perfectly plausible to place my heroine in a situation that led her to question the nature and value of power itself. The word power has two different meanings. There is power to: strength, gift, skill, art, the mastery of a craft, the authority of knowledge. And there is power over: rule, dominion, supremacy, might, mastery of slaves, authority over others. Ged was offered both kinds of power. Tenar was offered only one.
In the Archipelago, strong, active magic belongs almost entirely to men, witches being untrained and mistrusted; and the Old Powers are commonly described as misogynists describe women: obscure, dark, weak, and treacherous. In The Tombs of Atuan, the Old Powers, the Nameless Ones, appear as mysterious, ominous, and yet inactive. Arha/Tenar is their priestess, the greatest of all priestesses, whom the Godking himself is supposed to obey: But what is her realm? A prison in the desert. Women guarded by eunuchs. Ancient tombstones, a half-ruined temple, an empty throne. A fearful underground labyrinth where prisoners are left to die of starvation and thirst, where only she can walk the maze, where light must never come. She rules a dark, empty, useless realm. Her power imprisons her.
Rereading the book, more than forty years after I wrote it, I wonder about many of its elements. It was the first book I wrote with a woman as the true central character. Tenar’s character and the events of the story came from deep within me, so deep that the subterranean and labyrinthine imagery, and a certain volcanic quality, are hardly to be wondered at. But the darkness, the cruelty, the vengefulness . . . [...] Maybe it was the whole primitive, hateful idea of the feminine as dark, blind, weak, and evil that I saw shaking itself to pieces, imploding, crumbling into wreckage on a desert ground. And I rejoiced to see it fall. I still do.
This is the story of the events that made Ged into the famed Archmage that is alluded to in [b: Wizard of Earthsea|13642|A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353424536s/13642.jpg|113603]. He travels to the tombs to recover a piece of an artifact only to be made into a prisoner of the high priestess of the temple, the girl without a name who worships the Nameless Ones. A fascinating character exploration of the girl, who is later known as Tenar.
What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.
And a few …
This is the story of the events that made Ged into the famed Archmage that is alluded to in [b: Wizard of Earthsea|13642|A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353424536s/13642.jpg|113603]. He travels to the tombs to recover a piece of an artifact only to be made into a prisoner of the high priestess of the temple, the girl without a name who worships the Nameless Ones. A fascinating character exploration of the girl, who is later known as Tenar.
What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveller may never reach the end of it.
And a few more lines that read like [b: Name of the Wind|186074|The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)|Patrick Rothfuss|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1515589515s/186074.jpg|2502879] directly references this: His silence became not absence of speech, but a thing in itself, like the silence of the desert.
