myths aka hearth tales

In The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin, there are a couple chapters where instead of continuing the plot of the story we encounter some myths. These myths are considered folk tales which the Getheniens refer to as hearth tales. The hearth tale of the two brothers is when we are introduced to what is known as "kemmering." Kemmering in a way is like being in heat but also what their intercourse is called. Through this we learn a bit more of the way the Gethenien culture is. Following the fact that they are androgynous, they are also unprejudiced about individuals sex. They also do not shame incest. They do have restrictions though. The two siblings may kemmer together but they cannot vow oath to each other which is like marriage on earth. No life-long incestuous relationships are allowed. When one of the brothers, Hode, hears they are not allowed to remain together he commits suicide. When the news of Hode's suicide went around, Getheren, the other brother, is driven out of town into the coldest place. This also represents the Gethenien culture and how severely they shame and close people off after shameful acts such as suicide or whatever it may be. He ends up finding his brother who has committed suicide there. He tries to capture him but he gets way. He ends up having to amputate his left hand and after this happens his old town begins to prosper again after their famine. These myths are not coincidences but reveal characteristic of the Gethenien culture and they also foreshadow the rest of the book.

A Story Within A Story

Throughout the book there are many myths and folk tales, which the Gethenian people refer to as “hearth tales” throughout the book. I usually would just quickly read through these chapters of books, however for The Left Hand Of Darkness it's so important to acknowledge these chapters instead of taking a glimpse at them. Chapters 4 and 9 I believe, were hearth tales. The purpose of reading those chapters  were so that we could understand the Gethenian culture and history better. One of the myths I recall was about two brothers who separated and remet in the Place Inside the Blizzard. We are given knowledge about the rules from their culture which is that siblings can have a child together but not more than one. Also, we learn that suicide is seen as something super shameful and sinful. Something else that I noticed while reading is that the cold plays a huge impact in the ancient myths of Gethen, since that is a big part of where they live. For example, the odd place that the two brothers met could have been in another location such as a rainforest, a hotter place such as a desert, or any other place.
-Brianna Rubio

Culture Shaping Myths

Throughout The Left Hand of Darkness, the story is told from different points of views and there are different little myths thrown in here and there.  In total there were five myths: The Place Inside the Blizzard, The Nineteenth Day, Estraven the Traitor, On Time and Darkness, and An Orgota Creation Myth.  There were put there to prepare you for the next chapter or maybe explain the backstory of certain traditions.  Take for example The Nineteenth Day and On Time and Darkness.  Both of these chapters had to do with the Foretellers and having questions answered at the cost of something valuable to them.  They showed how seriously the Gethens trust these future seeing people over the centuries of being there.  In The Nineteenth day someone starts to go mad from knowing the day he will die, but not the exact date simply because he asked his question with too little detail.  On Time and Darkness, one of the foreteller groups is asked a question that could not be answered and ended up being able to see everything changing his life entirely.  In both cases, these foretellers change the lives of those that encounter them simply because they are so involve in the current culture of the Gethens and they believe to the letter every word they say.  The Gethens are people that seem to like having the answers to whatever questions they have and are willing to trade for those answers.  Their culture around Foretellers has developed over the years into what it is during the time of the book to show how trusting the people are of them.
-Brendan Stilwell

Myths Myths Myths

All the myths in the book sporadically relate to the plot.  Such as The Place Inside the Blizzard (ch. 2), this myth talks about two brothers that vowed kemmering to each other. Hode committed suicide which is a BIG NO-NO for the Gethenian culture, the other brother Gethren was banished.  Both of the brothers later reunited at the place inside the blizzard in the planet of Gethen.  In Chapter 4, The Nineteeth Day Lord Brestory rem ir Ipe went to Thangering Fastness and offered forty beryls and half the years yield from his orchards as the price of a Foretelling. Then later Lord Brestory rem ir Ipe asked the foretellers when he will die. Although all the myths in the book relate to the plot you can surly tell how these myths are all really important to the Gethenian society because in ch.15 Gethly and Estraven go to cross the Karhide glaciers and then Genley brings up the The Place Inside the Blizzard myth. 

It's a cold and harsh world

From the start of the novel, the world of Gethen is introduced to the reader as an extremely cold planet. Cold in theory is related to loneliness and isolation which Genly Ai feels due to the fact that he struggles to "fit in."  Where Ai comes from the cold was never a problem. "They told me, keep the Envoy warm, he's from a hot world, and can't stand our cold" (117). The theme of loneliness is portrayed through Genly because he is an envoy, a loner in a different planet where he was put in. There is a place inside the blizzard is cold and empty which promotes isolation. It is where those who committed suicide go and roam forever. In this place they are not able to talk to each other forcing them into isolation. The constant cold of Gergen contributes to the theme of isolation and loneliness because it affects Genly Ai a lot of physically and shows similarities in the way he acts.
-Sean Pacheco

assuming gender

Genly comes from a world where gender role is a thing. Men dominance is typical from the planet Genly comes from. It's normal to feel attracted to someone based on physical feature including their beauty, style, race, and gender. However now Genly is in a gender-less planet. His struggle is adjusting to this culture. As we know, they do not have any gender that will distinguish their identity. To be with someone is as easy as to just vow "kemmering". This system of marriage eliminates all forms of sexual discrimination, even better it seems like they have solved that flaw that is found on our planet earth. It leads a Gethenian to be capable of taking on both roles as a woman and/or as a man.  Despite Genly's years of research about the Gethenian culture, his attitude towards gender is wired to automatically label a person as a male or female on the first encounter.

loneliness can never be a friend

Throughout this book, the cold has been the overall mood of the novel. A cold stricken land where Gethenians choose to stay has change everything about them. how they get there food, there clothing, and life style all revolves around the cold. Especially now with genly and Esterven trapped in the vast land of snow trying there best to get back to karhid. its hard for Genely when Esterven tells him the only way they can survive is to travel all through the mountains. Genly still argues whether it would be safe to cross the ice-crossing than wait till spring. But Esterven only tells him," solitude.." (202) implying that no one will be there during this winter. Also, as they struggle with  food supply Estreven come back with a pile of food only to imply that he had stolen it. This also gives out how hard it is to live in the cold were no food can be provided in hand and drastic measures have to be precocious in order  to survive. 

Furthermore, when Genly explains that,"where there is no beer on winter there is orsh, where there is neither beer nor orsh there are no people"(202). Stating the fact that without something warm and conforming like a hot cup of "orsh", there would be a Communion of people to fight out the solitude the cold give.

Another thing too is that when both are in the most coldest conditions and being close to warmth,  Genly ask,"then i am AI-who uses first names?" " hearth brothers or friends..."

later leaving Genly to think "a friend. what is a friend in a world where any friend may be a lover at a new phase of the moon?...they were no flesh of mine, no friends, no love between us"(213). Even in the cold, Esterven strongly tells genly that they could never be friends. This is the solitude cold gives. even in the depth of death these Gethenians choose to be alone in there own world. Helping but never wanting to be friends. This is why solitude and isolation is being portrayed to the cold, because so as the cold wants to be alone, so do these Gethenians who only struggle to survive in there strange world.