Ursula LeGuin Trivia

1. What is the name of the planet on which the events in this book take place?

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: Gethen or Winter

The events in this book take place on the planet Gethen, which was originally called Winter by its Hainish discoverers. Gethen is a cold planet (compared to Earth) and may be in the middle of an ice age (Chapter 7). Most of Genly Ai's complaints have to do with the colder than normal (for him) temperatures. The planet has earth normal air and gravity (at least Genly never remarks on either of these planetary attributes).

From Quiz Ursula K. LeGuin's Ekumen

Answer: Winter's King

"Winter's King" appears in the short story collection "The Wind's Twelve Quarters". "Winter" is another name for the planet Gethen, due to its extreme and very long winters. The other three titles are also stories from the collection, but which are not part of the Hainish Cycle. The most famous characteristic of the Gethenians, the fact that they are fully androgynous 26 days out of every month, is not evident in "Winter's King", though it becomes important in "The Left Hand of Darkness". Gethen is also the setting for the short story "Coming of Age in Karhide", which appears in the collection "The Birthday of the World".

From Quiz The Farthest Shore

Answer: the Court of the Fountain

This is the same place Ged first met Archmage Nemmerle and was hailed as "Archmage" by the crow. There is a rowan tree next to it.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: The Eaten One

The Nameless Ones eat away the person to be their priestess so that she is commited to them. That is why she is called The Eaten One.

From Quiz A Wizard of Earthsea

Answer: Duny

It was the only thing his mother gave him besides life, for she died before he was a year old. Ged, of course is his truename, given at age 13 and Sparrowhawk is his use name. Frodo, well, he's from "Lord of the Rings," of course.

From Quiz The Other Wind

Answer: Hara

Alder is a village sorcerer from the island of Taon. He has the talent of mending.

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: The Envoy

Genly Ai is the representative of the Ekumen on Gethen, a confederacy of worlds. He has come to Gethen alone in order to show that his mission is peaceful. During all of his travels, he is called the Envoy, rather than the ambassador - as is made plain in chapter 8.

From Quiz The Farthest Shore

Answer: Enlad

Arren is, of course, the Prince of Enlad. Iffish is the home of Vetch (Ged's friend), Havnor is the capital island and Roke is the isle of the wizards.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: Penthe

Kossil is the Overpriestess of the Godking's Temple and Thar is the Overpriestess of the Twin Gods Temple. Manan is Arha's servant.

From Quiz A Wizard of Earthsea

Answer: Ogion

After the "battle" with the Kargs, Ogion healed the boy Duny and promised to return to give him his truename and take him as an apprentice. Nemmerle was the Archmage on Roke and Gandalf is also from "Lord of the Rings."

From Quiz The Other Wind

Answer: Tehanu

Tehanu is sometimes called the Woman of Gont, because some people are uneasy that she bears her name openly.

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: Therem Harth ir Estraven

Estraven is the other main character in this book and plays a large part in Genly Ai's survival and the success of his mission on Gethen. We first meet Estraven in Chapter 1. King Argaven is the king of Karhide. Faxe the Weaver is a member of the foretelling group to which Genly asks a question in Chapter 5. Uth Shusgis is a commissioner in the Orgoreyn government.

From Quiz The Farthest Shore

Answer: slave ship

Arren was taken by slavers when they were in Hort Town. He had run to try to lead the thieves away from Ged and was captured by the slavers.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: Manan

Duby and Uahto are Kossil's servants. Atwah is one of the Twin Gods. The other is Wuluah.

From Quiz A Wizard of Earthsea

Answer: 9

Master Changer, Master Doorkeeper, Master Namer, Master Herbal, Master Patterner, Master Windkey, Master Hand, Master Chanter and Master Summoner. There is also the Archmage, but he is not counted as one of the Masters.

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: Karhide and Orgoreyn

Karhide is the first nation that Genly visits. It is a monarchy. Orgoreyn is somewhat socialist and is run by commissioners. Genly crosses into Orgoreyn and doesn't understand how much danger he is in. Estraven tries to warn him, but Genly does not listen. Genly does travel to Otherhord but it is in Karhide. Sith is another continent that we really don't hear about in this book. Perunter is mentioned as having people "who are not only bearded, but hairy all over" (Chapter 5).

From Quiz Ursula K. LeGuin's Ekumen

Answer: Odonianism

Odonianism is named after its founder, Laia Odo, who died several hundred years before the story begins (Odo does, however, appear in a short story "The Day Before the Revolution"). Pravic is the language spoken on Anarres. There are no such things as Cetianism and Anarres-anarchy, though the twin planets on which the story takes places, Anarres and Urras, are collectively known as Tau Ceti, making the inhabitants of both planet Cetians. "The Dispossessed" also won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards in 1974 and 1975.

From Quiz Earthsea Trivia

Answer: Erreth-Akbe

"The Lord of the Two Lands" was actually one of the titles of the person responsible for bringing Erreth-Akbe back into life, the Pelnish sorcerer known commonly as Cob.

From Quiz The Farthest Shore

Answer: emmelstone

We know Ged was really trying to find out why the spells were not working. He posed as an emmelstone merchant so he could work undercover.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: The Undertomb

Aptly named, The Undertomb is literally beneath the tombs above. It is forbidden for light to be there, but twice Arha sees the beauty of the caves, once when she first sees Ged and once when she sees Kossil looking in the grave.

From Quiz A Wizard of Earthsea

Answer: Vetch

Ged's usename is Sparrowhawk. Jasper was his rival. Yarrow is Vetch's sister.

From Quiz The Other Wind

Answer: Accursed-sorcerers

The Kargs believe the Hardic people to be cursed because they aren't reborn.

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: They are androgenous except at certain times when they reproduce.

All humans on Gethen are androgenous except when they go into "Kemmer", the sexual portion of their reproductive cycle. If a child is conceived during kemmer, the feminine person stays female until approximately a year after the birth (for lactation). Genly suffers at several points in the story because Gethanans think that he is a "pervert" - that is, that he is continuously in kemmer. This is explained as a report inserted into Genly's story (report) from one of the first investigators (Chapter 7).

From Quiz The Farthest Shore

Answer: jumped into the water

Sopli (that's the dyer's name) was afraid and jumped into the water, even though he could not swim. He really wanted to get to land. It is assumed he drowned. Ged was hit by a spear.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: by the river

She found the man in a place she remembered where she could hear water. He had broken his knife trying to get to the water. Arha called to him from above through a spyhole.

From Quiz The Other Wind

Answer: Dragonfly

Irian is from the island of Way. There is a novella about her in the anthology "Legends".

From Quiz "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. LeGuin

Answer: Nine

There is one weaver, two zanies, one pervert (continually in kemmer), and five foretellers. They answer Genly's question definitely with no hedging, telling him that Gethen will be a member of the Ekumen in five years. The question to be asked must not be open ended, as that can cause the foretelling to go haywire. It is interesting that Genly finds it difficult to accept foretelling as he can bespeak people (telepathy) and there are hints that hainish culture gives training in other talents that are similar (Chapter 10).

From Quiz Ursula K. LeGuin's Ekumen

Answer: A marriage system in which four people are married to each other

This marriage system, called a sedoretu, is a prominent feature of ki'O (as people from O are known) society, as they are quite difficult to arrange successfully. The stories "A Fisherman of the Inland Sea", "Unchosen Love" and "Mountain Ways" all discuss the challenges posed by these four-person marriages. The "almost total lack of social structure" would fairly accurately describe the planet Eleven-Soro, where society collapsed due to extreme overpopulation. The "communal living" is a feature of life on Anarres, and the economy based on slavery is a description of the twin planets Werel and Yeowe.

From Quiz Tombs of Atuan

Answer: The Painted Room

Manan insisted he be chained and brought a chain and lock from the Room of Chains. Arha chose the Painted Room because it had a door that could lock.

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