Ea (Ea-r-th-Sea)

In Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea universe, Ea (or Éa) has two primary meanings: the first island created by the creator Segoy, and the foundational creation poem (The Creation of Éa).

The Island (Ea)

Location: An island located in the North Reach of the archipelago, south of Enlad, north of Havnor, and near the Sea of Éa.

Origin: Legend says it was the very first land raised out of the Open Sea by the creator Segoy.

History: Alongside the neighboring island of Soléa, Ea was home to the earliest mages (the Rune Makers) who first discovered the Hardic runes in the Language of Making. Historically, it was a principality ruled by a Prince of Éa of royal lineage. 

The Creation Poem (The Creation of Éa)

The Song: The oldest known poem and oral tradition in Earthsea, spanning 31 stanzas in the Old Speech (the true tongue of dragons and magic). 

The complete 31-stanza text of the Creation of Éa from Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea universe does not actually exist (in our world). Within her novels, it is referenced as a sacred creation myth describing how Segoy raised the islands, but Le Guin only ever wrote short fragments rather than the full epic. Any complete versions found online are strictly fan-made creations. 

The Epigraph: Its famous opening lines. "Only in silence the word, only in dark the light, only in dying life: bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky", serve as the epigraph and philosophical heart of A Wizard of Earthsea.

Thematic Core: The poem encapsulates Earthsea's central law of the Equilibrium, the core Taoist philosophy underpinning Le Guin's magic system. It shows that binary, polar opposites (light/dark, life/death, silence/sound) are mutually dependent required to make up a single whole. Ged’s ultimate victory at the end of the first book relies completely on his understanding of this principle when he embraces his shadow.

Magic of EarthSea

Magic in Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea works through the Old Speech (also called True Speech or the Language of the Making), the primordial language spoken by Segoy to create the islands of the world. 

Core Principles of Magic via the Old Speech

The Power of True Names: Every object, person, and place has a true name in the Old Speech that reflects its exact essence and identity. Knowing and speaking a thing's true name grants a mage power over it.

Limits of Power: A mage can only control what is near them and what they can name completely. For example, controlling an entire ocean would require knowing the true name of every single part of it. 

True Change vs. Seeming: Illusions or minor charms (seeming) can make something look different (like turning a pebble into a diamond), but true magic requires altering the item's reality or true name.
The Binding to Truth (Humans): When humans speak the Old Speech, they are magically bound to speak the absolute truth and cannot lie in it. 

The Exception of Dragons: Dragons are born speaking the Old Speech natively. Unlike humans, they are not bound to the truth and can twist true words into falsehoods, prevarication, or misdirection.

The Law of Equilibrium: Magic is not meant to conquer or act as a weapon of raw destruction. Using the Old Speech changes the world, so mages must practice deep prudence to avoid breaking the cosmic balance (the Equilibrium).