Witches in Earthsea are women of the Archipelago who practice magic. Witches are not permitted to go to the School on Roke as women are not allowed. Witches are born with an inherent skill for magic, and learn from other witches the little knowledge they can. They are not generally well educated, as education in magic is restricted to men.
Witches were original founders of the School on Roke, but were later banned by wizards who believed that celibacy was necessarily for their own training and maintaining of their powers. Witches are not well respected, but are vital to most communities as healers and midwives.
Witches rarely marry men, but may concieve a child with a man and live alone or marry a woman. Same-sex marriages between witches and women or other witches are called a "she-troth" or a "witch-troth".
It is common to call a witch "auntie" even if she is unrelated.
Notable Witches[]
A witch named Ard was the teacher of Heleth, the wizard who prenticed Ogion the Silent.
Elehal (use-name Ember) was one of the founders of the Roke School.
Ivy of Middle Valley is a witch in Tehanu who tries to help Therru when she is first burnt.
Moss was a witch of Re Albi and friend of Tenar. She appears in Tehanu and The Other Wind.
The witch Rose appears in Tales from Earthsea in a short story called "Darkrose and Diamond".
Another witch named Rose appears in "Dragonfly" (Rose is a considered a common name).
The first teacher of Ged was his aunt, a witch in Ten Alders. By Tehanu Ged cannot remember her name, but in "Firelight" he remembers her name was Raki.