The Word of Unbinding

The Word of Unbinding (1964) is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the January 1964 issue of Fantastic, and reprinted in collections such as The Wind's Twelve Quarters. In this story, the world of Earthsea, which was later made famous by A Wizard of Earthsea, was first introduced. At the beginning of the story the protagonist, a wizard named Festin, is apprehensive at the news that the evil Voll is marching from island to isla... more

The Word of Unbinding (1964) is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in the January 1964 issue of Fantastic, and reprinted in collections such as The Wind's Twelve Quarters. In this story, the world of Earthsea, which was later made famous by A Wizard of Earthsea, was first introduced. At the beginning of the story the protagonist, a wizard named Festin, is apprehensive at the news that the evil Voll is marching from island to island, subduing all in his way, and no one understands or can fight his magic. Suddenly, Voll has reached Festin's own island and the protagonist is imprisoned. At first Festin, a strong wizard in his own right, is confident of his power to escape and overcome Voll - but all his attempts are rebuffed more than defeated. Finally, Festin's desperate longing for his beloved countryside makes him transform himself into a fish, swimming in one of the island's cool steams. However, Voll has noticed what happened, and the evil one's servants find and... less