Ged (fictional character)

Ged is the main protagonist in Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea book series.

Originally called Duny, Ged was born on the island of Gont, in a peasant family, and lived a normal peasant life until his early teens, when the island was attacked by Kargs.

This attack changed Ged's life forever. As a small boy, Ged had heard the village witch speak various spells, so now he tried to use one himself, to protect his people from the Kargs. The spell worked, enveloping the village in a fog, which made the Kargs unable to see where the villagers were.

Impressed by this, the village witch held a naming ceremony for Ged. She removed his original name Duny, and named him Ged instead. Ged chose "Sparrowhawk" as his use-name, to use when his true name was not needed.

Because the witch could teach Ged very little, she sent him to study under Ogion instead. Ogion sent Ged to the wizard school on Roke. On Roke, Ged was a very good student, but his arrogance and envy of his classmates caused him to try a very dangerous spell: he attempted to call the spirit of the long-dead princess Elfarran. He succeeded in calling Elfarran, but as a side effect, the spell also released a dangerous evil power into the world. This evil power hunted Ged, until he was finally able to conquer it.

Ged also became friends with a prince named Arren. Arren eventually became King Lebannen, the first king of Earthsea for many centuries, and Ged became the new archmage.