A Wizard of Earthsea

Ged meets Vetch soon after arriving on Roke and the two quickly become good friends. He is described as having a hearty appetite and “the accent of the East Reach” (45). He is “very dark of skin,” “plain,” and “his manners were not polished” (45); in these ways, he likely reminds Ged of the people from the simple village he grew up in.

Vetch proves to be one of Ged’s closest friends and advocates. He does his best to temper the feud between Ged and Jasper, though his gentle manner is not enough to keep the two from competing with each other. Vetch is the only one who runs to Ged’s aid instead of fleeing when the shadow emerges, and he is also the only other character who Ged’s otak is shown to tolerate.

Vetch also bolsters Ged’s confidence when Ged needs it most. Even after Ged has physically healed from unleashing the shadow, he has lost all faith in himself. Vetch, his only visitor, helps to begin to restore Ged’s self-confidence by revealing to Ged his true name, Estarriol. Because names are so powerful in the world of Earthsea, “Vetch [has] given that gift only a friend can give, the proof of unshaken, unshakable trust” (82). Vetch also subtly humbles Ged when Ged needs humbling, insisting upon accompanying Ged on his final journey to vanquish the shadow. He tells Ged that “I know I can be of no use to you; yet I think I should go with you” (186). Here, again, Vetch’s steadfast and kindly presence serves to temper Ged’s more prideful and dramatic inclinations.

Though Vetch himself undergoes no great character transformations over the course of the novel, his steadfast presence serves to help Ged’s own transformation. 

Ogion is Ged’s mentor. He is an extremely powerful wizard who stopped an earthquake in his younger days, though he is very humble and rarely uses his powers. He is described as “dark copper-brown; grey-haired, lean and tough as a hound, tireless” (19). Le Guin writes that “[h]e spoke seldom, ate little, slept less. His eyes and ears were very keen, and often there was a listening look on his face” (19).

Ogion undergoes no major changes over the course of the novel, though like Vetch, he serves to further Ged’s own transformation and help him on his journey. Ogion saves Ged’s life after Ged overspends his strength obscuring his village in fog, and he is the one to give Ged his true name when it comes time. He is the one who recognizes Ged’s true magical talents, and he is also the one to give Ged the first choice of what to do with those talents. Ogion also teaches Ged the value of silence and patience both through his own example and through explicit teachings; he is known as “Ogion the Silent” (146) in later chapters.

In addition to setting Ged on his way at the start of his magical education, Ogion also helps Ged to find his path later on. He is the one who tells Ged he must “turn around” (151) and chase the shadow of his own accord if he ever wishes to be free of it. In these ways, Ogion serves as a mentor, role model, and caretaker for Ged, and Ged recognizes him as his true master before leaving to find the shadow. 

Jasper is Ged’s rival on Roke and serves as a secondary antagonist. He is tall, highborn, and nearly as skilled as Ged. Ged takes an immediate dislike to Jasper because Jasper has “a way of smiling faintly as he spoke which made Ged look for a jeer hidden in his polite words” (43). Jasper appears to take an immediate dislike to Ged as well, though it is not clear if this is because of Ged himself or because of the disdainful way Ged treats Jasper from the start.

Ged and Jasper’s rivalry grows more and more heated until they challenge each other to a sorcerer’s duel where Ged unleashes the shadow. Just before casting the fateful spell, Ged feels that “Jasper [is] far beneath him […] no rival but a mere servant of Ged’s destiny” (70). In this way, Jasper serves as the vehicle of Ged’s pride and the catalyst of Ged’s loosing of the shadow.

Little is heard of Jasper after Ged unleashes the shadow and departs on his quest, but Vetch informs Ged that Jasper never earned his staff and is serving as a sorcerer in a royal court. He therefore has no major character development of his own, but Ged’s rivalry with him and the consequences of such have a huge bearing on Ged’s development over the course of the novel.