Fantasy and Taoism in The Earthsea Cycle

The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, regarded as one of the most successful Western fantasy novels worldwide, constructs for the readers a fantasy Earthsea world where the harmonious combination of Oriental philosophy and Western literature lays the pillar. Drawing upon the philosophy of Taoism and Tao Te Ching, and resorting to the analysis of the three most significant elements in the book, true name, this essay conducts a profound and comprehensive exploration of the Taoist wonders in The Earthsea Cycle. This essay illustrates the connections among true name, language creation view and Tao to reveal how true name reflects the nature of life and existence. At last, the essay concludes that The Earthsea Cycle is a literary work of Western fantasy entwined with Oriental Taoist philosophy. True name is the essence of existence in the Earthsea world, while magic originates from the need to develop while following the course of nature. All things in The Earthsea Cycle rely on nature and inaction, and grow within the circle of life.


Introduction
Ursula K. Le Guin, claimed as "America's greatest living science fiction writer" by Streitfeld (2016) in The New York Times, has lived a life heavily or even decisively influenced by and characterized with Taoist ideas and philosophies, both in the daily trivialities and the literary spectrum. In the interview by Producer Dmae Roberts for the second time, Le Guin said, "Taoism and Anarchism fit together in some very interesting ways and I've been a Taoist ever since I learned what it was" (Roberts, 2010) . In the interview with Brenda Peterson, Le Guin did not hesitate to show her deep interest in Taoism by remarking that "This is something women need, I think, and long for, often without knowing it. That's undoubtedly one reason why all my life I've found the Tao de Ching so refreshing and empowering" (Peterson, 2016) . Such open and direct statements of her interest in and love of Taoism and all that it stands for demonstrate how Taoism plays an indispensable role in shaping Le Guin   Chronicles of Narnia, the dichotomy of Good and Evil serves as a prevailing theme throughout the whole story.
The clash of the good and the evil, the divergence of the light and the dark make up the backbone of the stories, which witness how the heroes like Frodo and the lion, in the unremitting search for the absolute good, ultimately achieve the perpetuity and infinitude, as Jesus did. However, in all the stories of The Eathsea Cycle, the eastern Taoist thinking sparkles and twinkles. In The Earthsea Cycle, Le Guin does not utterly downplay the importance and justification of the dichotomy of Good and Evil. Never has she blindly trailed along the path. In contrast, Le Guin makes full use of the dialectical thinking in Taoism, proves the negative with the assistance of the positive, and holds the firm belief that light and darkness, good and evil, life and death are all mutually interdependent.
There is no need or possibility to ever repudiate the existence of evil and death, or to pursue the unadulterated good and uncorrupted immortality. The reason lies in that though named differently, the opposite elements and forces are actually two sides assuring the wholeness and completeness in one thing. Le Guin's own magic guides the Oriental Taoism to function in concord with the Western fantasy narratives. Philosophy and literature collaborate in harmony and spark innovative thoughts in the realm of fantasy. Taoism and Western fantasy literature have both reached a new peak.
As for the significance and contribution of this essay, the pervious academic research dedicated to The Earthsea Cycle was based on diversified perspectives and conveys profound messages, such as the growth of the protagonists, the power of language, the role of the female, and the Transcendentalist interpretation of the text.
However, despite the fact that numerous interviews and her literary works witness Le Guin's public emphases on Taoism's paramount influence on her personal life and literary career, few scholars have taken the initiative to explore the Taoist connotations of the typical elements and significant symbols, such as true name, in The Earthsea Cycle. Regarded from the practical and social aspect, this essay encourages more cultural exchange and academic innovation by establishing a strong and solid connection between the western fantasy literary works and the oriental philosophical schools, which offers an excellent platform in reality to further people's understanding of the transcultural elements.
From the perspective of its research structure, this essay elaborates on the nature of life in Taoism indicated by the employment of true name in The Earthsea Cycle. In terms of its framework, this essay first draws upon the element, true name in The Earthsea Cycle, and the Taoist concept of the connection between name and creation to analyze how true name lays the unyielding foundation in both of them. Moreover, in reference to Heidegger's theory of language, this essay applies language as the essential thinking element, and is based on the relationship between creation view and language in order to discuss the element, true name, in the Earthsea world in the Taoist contextual situation. Furthermore, this essay resorts to the original essence, nature and status of language to reconsider the relationship. As a result, the essay draws a conclusion on how the depictions of true name in The Earthsea Cycle reflect its reference to Taoism.

True Name as the Essence of Tao and the Creation of the Earthsea World
True name appears constantly and is one of the most important and repeatedly appearing elements in The Earthsea Cycle. More specifically, true name, as the core of Old Speech, also known as Tongue of Making, is, in fact, the origin and source of all the everyday-life languages used by people living in islands of the Earthsea world.
Old Speech (Le Guin, 1968: pp. 46-47) , which should be referred to in the abstract sense, interestingly controls the natural power with materialized manifestations, due to the fact that true name is the exact representation of all things' fundamental attribution. In other words, understanding Old Speech enables people to catch a glimpse at the essence of existence. As a result, as a repetitive element in The Earthsea Cycle, true name lays the pillar for the whole fantasy world. Taotse and Le Guin regard names as a priority before many other concepts in that names construct the bridge and forge the bond between men's cognition and their external existence. More specifically, according to Tao Te Ching, "The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The Named is the Mother of All Things" 1 . The original state of the universe happens to be an unnamed or nameless one, meaning that all things cannot be addressed directly with their present names. The universe at the beginning of time, thus, finds itself in disorder and chaos.
Name, which is constantly and dynamically changing, becomes the origin of all existence by reflecting the essential attribution of everything. Naming, the process that forges the most effective and efficient bond between people and the external world, showers people with a relatively profound and comprehensive understanding of being, and in consequence, transform the primitive chaotic status into a meaningful civilization of regulations, legislations, and organizations. Therefore, it is through the naming process and names that human beings start to reach out for the universe and to comprehend the being.
The Tao in Taoism is tantamount to true name in The Earthsea Cycle. With the constantly changing names and the stable static essence of things, the creation and development of the universe stems from the starting point of one end in the circle while rolling constantly to create a harmonious return "from the Mysteries into the deeper Mystery" (35). Likewise, in The Earthsea Cycle, Segoy, equipped with little more than language, creates the Earthsea world and systematically constructs the civilized society. The name forwarded by Segoy in The Earthsea Cycle is fundamentally the equivalent to the Tao. The reason lies in that without language, word, or name, there would not have been life, existence, or the light bursting from things. Hence, in this sense, there is no fundamental difference between true name in The Earthsea Cycle and the Tao in Taoism.
The incredible power of names and naming is not a foreign concept in a lot of cultures, religious beliefs and philosophical schools. "Theoretical, practical and aesthetic consciousness, the world of language and of morality, the basic forms of the community and the state-they are all originally tied up with mythico-re-ligious conceptions" (Cassirer, 1946: p. 44) . To be more specific, naming, the process reflecting men's endeavor to explore the external existence, as well as names, the representation of the internal attribution of existence itself, are both heavily demonstrated in The Earthsea Cycle, and can both trace their sources back to Taoist thinking, Christian belief on creationism, and Adam naming view. It is God that creates the world, separates heaven from earth, and light from darkness by making corresponding demands and orders orally. Later, with God's mercy and permission, Adam names things so that the internal characteristics of things could find their external manifestations in a direct and unambiguous manner. Hence, the original state of being as a disordered chaos is gradually transformed into a well-organized civilization with the power of naming and names. Not only does Le Guin construct the Earthsea world with poetic words and expressions, but also she directly adds true name as one of the most significant elements in the magical spectrum to engage truth and nature of all things in The Earthsea Cycle. One example is that in the first book of The Earthsea Cycle, when the ancestors of all men raise the islands from the bottomless depth of the sea, the unique true name is safely and soundly preserved in all things. The Old Speech whose every single letter and word represent nothing but truth is closed connected with the real nature of all things. For instance, "every single drop of water in the ocean has its name in the Old Speech" and "there is no end to that language" (Le Guin, 1968: pp. 46-47) . As a result, true name, as the representative to the nature of all existences, consists magic and endows men with true power.
The view regarding true name in The Earthsea Cycle coincide with the related Taoist thoughts, however, the ones about the nameless things and the unnamed state diverge from each other. According to Taoism, the nameless state of the universe that traces back to its origin is Tao itself. Because of its characteristics being eternally unchanging and surreal simultaneously, the Tao, in this sense, is existence. More specifically, in terms of existence, on the one hand, Existentialists hold the belief that "existence precedes essence" (Sartre, 1977 Taoist interpretation of true name as the essence of magic and power can be summed up in two parts. To obtain the true name of a thing requires a thorough interpretation of its real nature, while to address a thing with its true name is to act in accordance with its real nature, with Tao, and with the natural rules of the universe. In reality, when a person learns to act in accordance with nature instead of his or her individual interests, the person might have little chance to acquire magic, however, such actions will undoubtedly bring him or her something as powerful as magic, or even more powerful than magic. Based on the above analysis, it is explained that true name is the essence of Taoism and The Earthsea Cycle. On the one hand, in The Earthsea Cycle, the function of the world, the empowerment of magic, and the destructive power of evil all originate from the acquirement of true names. "At the beginning of time, all things bore their own true names" (Le Guin, 1970: p. 107) . Without true name in the Earthsea world, people would have had no effective and efficient means to explore both their inner selves and the external existence. On the other hand, in Taoism, names are the original of a civilized world with regulations and order. "The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; The Named is the Mother of All Things" (33). It is the appearance of language and the use of names that cultivates the world into the one we see, experience, and live in at the present. Therefore, true name lays the foundation for both the Taoist ideas and creation of the world in The Earthsea Cycle.

True Name as the Basis for People to Explore Creation both Inwardly and Outwardly
The Earthsea world is a miniature of the real one with true name playing an indispensable role in people's everyday life. The power of wizardry is decided by his knowledge of names, which means knowing the true name of a thing, be it a person, an animal or a plant, will undoubtedly endow the person with power over it (Comoletti, 2001: p. 113) . All things with the true name must be summoned, controlled and used once the name is learned and spoken out loud. Thus, the acquirement of true names in the Earthsea world helps the protagonists to become empowered and more confidently explore the outside world. Meanwhile, the process of naming and learning the true names also motivates the people to listen to the most trivial yet real sound resonating in their heart, thus having a fruitful conversation with their inner self and soul. ・ True name is the reflection of the real essence of existence, the real nature of life, and the real self of people.
In the universe, few but true name can be found as something eternal, being the only infinite and everlasting absolute that never fades away with the passage of time. For example, In A Wizard of Earthsea, the process of naming by Ogion to Ged is heavily depicted with elements carrying symbolic meanings and metaphoric connotations. To be more specific, during the process of giving the true name to a person, the first step is to take the common names away from the person. The cloudy sky and the sparkling spring, which set the background for the naming process, are the symbols of the original chaotic and surreal state at the beginning of time when the universe and all things in it are still nameless. Secondly, the person involved in the process will be asked to walk across the icy mountain spring after taking off all clothes, which serve as a symbol for baptism, innocence and purity, and emphasis on the true nature of life. Consequently, giving a person or a thing the true name is to reveal the true nature of the existence.
・ While true name establishes identity and represents the true self, if it is taken away, unimaginable consequences including the loss of an individual's identity and the external chaotic state will be caused and must be endured. More specifically, in Tombs of Atuan, Tenar, a little girl who is considered as the reincarnation of the Priestess to serve and worship the unnamed power, finds her name being taken away at the ceremony of Sacrifice. The deprivation of her name forcefully pushes her to sacrifice the rest of her life serving the Dark Power and worshiping the unnamed unknown deity, because living namelessly means living without a person's true self, which includes a person's values, ethics, and the pursuit of happiness. "The little girl, who had no name anymore but Arha, the Eaten One, lay on her back looking steadily at the dark" (181). Another example can be found in Tehanu, it is her constant questioning of her true name and the subsequent true self that leads Therru to recognize and embrace her real identity at last. As a dragon and a dragon lord, when Kalessin lands, Therru "and the dragon look at each other, eye to eye and they know who they are. They recognize each other" (Le Guin, 1990: p. 22) . Thus, without the true name, a person loses the identity independence, and individuality, which is also the true self.

Earthsea World
Although true name does play an indispensable role in The Earthsea Cycle by laying the foundation for the function of the society and the empowerment of magic apprentices, the employment of true name does not require any complicated spell casting process, sophisticated rituals beforehand, or complex assistance of magical accessories such as the wand. On the contrary, in The Earthsea Cycle true name sings a soundless song with silence. To break through the traditional fantasy setting, Le Guin discards the popular fantasy elements with audacity. In a philosophical and poetic tone, the Earthsea world is constructed with clear spirits and a silent song.
In The Earthsea Cycle, the acquirement of true name and the subsequent empowerment both require silence and tranquility, which play the role as a premise and catalyst for men to listen to, hear and comprehend the voice from a higher yet real source. For example, in A Wizard of Earthsea, as a magic apprentice instructed by his supervisor Ogion, Ged's eyes are opened to glance at the essence of magic, which has little to do with the commonly acknowledged dazzling performances of skills and rituals or perplexing recipes of exotic herb names. In contrast, the supremacy and divine-like power of magic paradoxically lies in its simplicity to listen to and learn true name, which can "confer identity and help to distinguish one from one's human and nonhuman and environment" (Selinger, 1988: p. 26) . Listening to true name and all things the linguistic collaborations represent is to listen to the song of silence, to approach truth through the superficial confusing illusions, and to eventually obtain the true power. Moreover, in Tehanu, Therru's awakening does not happen until she listen to the song sung by her heart with two names, "one of rebirth and one of simultaneous separation and symbiosis" (Selinger 29) in the forest of silence and tranquility. Hence, in The Earthsea Cycle, the soundless song in the environment contributes to the cultivation of the protagonists' inner peace and tranquility as well as the eventual physical empowerment and spiritual enlightenment.
According to Taoism, the function, manifestation and influence of Tao itself is also a silent one. Similar to Old Power in the Earthsea world, Tao plays the role of a passive supervisor and regulator to keep the function and operation of life, nature, and the world in harmony and balance. More specifically, "the Tao that can be told of is not the absolute Tao; The Names that can be given are not absolute Names" (33). Despite the constant attempts and efforts to explain and illustrate Tao with words and languages, the perfectness of Tao, as the essence of all things of all forms in the universe, hardly finds any exact definition or accurate interpretation by the linguistic approaches. The reason lies in that people who listen to Tao might hear no sound, and those who glance at Tao might see no form. Thus, Tao can only be described with words such Yi, Xi, Wei, which are used to depict divine and are themselves without specified meaning. As a result, both true name and Tao sing a soundless song, since they either represent or are the essence of all things themselves.
The soundless song in both The Earthsea Cycle and Taoism comes from a divine and heavenly power, and goes to the individuals' inner self. Specifically, the song is a quiet one in both The Earthsea Cycle and Taoism, because, "the great tone is barely heard" (Le Guin, Way 56), and "there is great beauty in the silent universe" (101). According to Martin Heidegger, the German philosopher who is deeply influenced by Taoist philosophies and becomes the founder of Existentialism, language is the external presentation of being, which means language should not be regarded as human expression or human activity in this sense. Therefore, language speaks, and symbolizes the appearance of heaven. As all things develop following heaven's way, or in other words nature's way, language and true name reveal one's true identity simply by speaking it out. Thus, to exist is to discover, reveal and embrace one's true nature in language and true name, both of which are delivered as a soundless and heavenly song.
The soundless song is characterized with constant dynamic changes, and should by no means be considered as equivalent to dead silence. To be more specific, language is the "heavenly music" (287) and the sounds of silence.
The language of heaven, whose definition consists of modifiers such as natural and silent, indicates the appearance and expansion of heaven and Tao that sings the song about beauty and being with soundless melodies yet vivid lyrics. What's more, it is exactly the sounds of silence, which indicate manifestation, demonstration and illustration that inspire and motivate people to look for to see, and to listen to hear. The soundless song of Tao might at some point transcend all things, and thus, become the most active and dynamic roaming in the universe filled with changes to eventually reveal and summon the essence of life as well as the nature of death in a secretive silence. Consequently, the soundless song is silent but dynamic, not different from being, which is soundless but constantly changing.
The silence that can be found in the soundless song in the Earthsea world is spiritual and from soul, which roams in the spectrum of inner self and mentality. The perception, cognition and exploration of the soundless song are also carried out in the spiritual or metaphysical perspective. Specifically, in The Earthsea Cycle, Old Power, in accordance with the Tao in Taoist, can be detected in all things yet rises above all things as well. Old Power functions and develops in a way that follows the rules of nature that in silence, echo with the teachings of Laotse.
For instance, in Tehanu, only when Therru shuts away the surrounding clutters and listens for the tiniest sound of vitality and truth bursting out from within by meditating in the silent and peaceful forest, does she understand her real self, embrace her negative emotions, integrate all, and achieve completeness. Likewise, in reality, a person might found his or her heart disturbed by the external noise of worries, sorrows, and melancholies, but the soundless song of his or her spirit and soul never ceases. Another example can be found in The Farthest Shore, where prince Arren never voluntarily reveals his true name, but it does not prohibit Ged from grasping it at all.
Arren's true name is Lebannen, which means Rowan tree in Old Speech and predicts its owner's great responsibility to restore order while banishing the evil powers. With words, the soundless song of Arren's true name already reveals its owner's nature and self in a peaceful and silent manner. Therefore, the soundless song of true name in the Earthsea world is spiritual.
The soundless song of true name and Tao also requires the silence, particularly the inner one, of the listeners as a necessary condition. More specifically, "language is not the simple daily life trivial noisy sound, but the sound of being" (Rosenfeld, 1976: p. 535) . Nevertheless, the majority of people only listens to and hears the materialized noise in the worldly world, instead of the silent yet rhythmic sounds of being. As a result, in order to catch the soundless song of true name and comprehend the meaning of Tao, one is expected to temporarily shut down his or her physical sensory, logical reasoning, and even emotional empathy. By returning to peace and maintaining the inner tranquility, one can appreciate the song and even get a glimpse at the secret of life. In terms of The Earthsea Cycle, take The Tombs of Atuan as an instance. Tenar, the child of light, is unfortunately born in the suffocating and engulfing underground darkness. When she thinks nothing can be worse, Tenar is chosen to take the position of the woman priest to serve the Nameless Ones with no other purpose in life. Nonetheless, just as the external cluttering noise can by no means eradicate the soundless song of true name in the universe, the pitch-dark environment undoubtedly finds no means to conceal the radiant light bursting out from within.
Eventually, the path to awakening and empowerment lies in front of the female protagonist as she recognizes that "she is not Tenar. She is not Arha. The gods are dead, the gods are dead" (Le Guin, 1968: p. 104) . In consequence, it is in the harmonious union and integration of both the peace in the inner self and the tranquility in the external environment that everything reveals their true nature.
The soundless song of true name in Taoism and The Earthsea Cycle also guides the people to get rid of their personal desires driven by the materialized lust. Specifically, the settlement of heart and storage of cultures plays a significant part in Taoist beliefs, and requires men to "attain the utmost in Passivity, hold firm to the basis of Quietude" (191). Tao being a great sound that is hard to be heard cannot be explained or described. In fact, any attempt to interpret Tao's perfectness, without exceptions, always turns out to be but imperfect efforts with imperfect exploration medium. "Therefore: oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion in order to see the Secret of Life; Oftentimes, one regards life with passion in order to see its manifest forms" (33). Being desire free is the requirement for people to truly comprehend the soundless song of true name, because a person can integrate with Tao and glance at what is hidden above and behind only on the condition that he or she forsakes the personal desire and remains free from the interruptions of subjective judgments and opinions. Accordingly, in the Earthsea world, the protagonists, such as Ged, are constantly struggling to fight against their personal desires and act in accordance with the natural rules. Hence, the soundless song of true name asks people to focus on the construction of their spiritual homeland by discarding desires.
The soundless song of true name in The Earthsea Cycle and Taoism is the harmonious balance between the positive and the negative elements. According to Laotse's philosophical notion, no distinctive boundaries separating being from nonbeing exist. On the contrary, the concept of being and that of nonbeing are considered as one to use, which means the appearance of being is constantly accompanied by that of its counterpart. As a result, instead of endeavoring to exclude the personal desires, men are expected to actively transform from the state of being desire free to that of having desires all the time, which motivates men to keep the spirit of curiosity and exploration for venturing outwardly on the way to the pursuit of inner, external and the ultimate truth. For instance, in A Wizard of Earthsea, the strongest enemy of the protagonist, Ged, is the nameless shadow let out by himself due to his ignorance and arrogance at that time. Moreover, the only way to overcome the nameless evil has nothing to do with any dazzling performance of magic or violent scenes of physical combats. Contrastingly, simply by addressing the shadow with its true name, Ged, embracing the shadow to be a part of himself, and consequently accomplishing the wholeness as a person, Ged manages to restore peace and order for the Earthsea world. Therefore, the soundless song also sings good and evil as a pair of complimentary elements, instead of the dichotomy of absolute pure good or definite inferior evil.
Based on the analysis above, it is illustrated with analysis of Taoism and examples in The Earthsea Cycle that the song of true name and Tao is a silent one. On the one hand, in The Earthsea Cycle, numerous episodes of the protagonists' adventures demonstrate how a person can effectively and accurately grasp true names without asking directly, which requires words and language as the medium. More importantly, the silence in the song of true name is not merely about the external elements, such as the environment. In fact, the soundless song of true name also plays the role as a prerequisite asking for the construction and the constantly refining process of a person's inner peace. It is the harmonious combination between the external silence and inner peace that leads people to better listen to and comprehend this great yet soundless song of true name in the Earthsea world. The relationship between the internal and external tranquility is a dialectical one, which means inner peace lays a solid foundation for external tranquility, while the latter acts as an effective catalyst for the former. On the other hand, according to Taoism, Tao, the way of life, nature and the universe, is also a soundless one. The soundless song of Tao, however, is drastically different from dead silence, because though soundless and silent, it is actually in constant and dynamic changes. Therefore, as can be seen in both Taoism and The Earthsea Cycle, the soundless song of true name never ceases. To regard all things from the perspective of the world, to listen to the silent speech of the way, and to reunite one's self with nature-this is the Taoist philosophy in the soundless song of true name in The Earthsea Cycle.

Conclusion
Naming lays the first stone for the construction of the palace of order and regulations, while true name, which carries the indication of true nature, acts as the essence of the Earthsea world, where the protagonists, under its influence, go on the adventures both outwardly and inwardly. More specifically, firstly, true name is the essence of Tao and the Earthsea World. In Taoist  Consequently, it is expected that the future research in the related fields will include more diversified Earthsea elements, resort to comprehensive comparisons of different understandings about Taoism, and apply the similar research methodology to a wider range of works.