Werel (Alterra)
Encyclopedia
Werel is a fictional planet of the star Gamma Draconis, in the 'Ekumen
' science fiction stories of Ursula K. Le Guin
. It is one of two planets of this name in that series.
, and its later history is given in City of Illusions
. The third planet of the star Gamma Draconis, it has an elliptical orbit lasting sixty Earth-years. Also a moon with an orbit 400 days long, leading to some wild weather. It was settled after the invention of the ansible
and was planned as a defence against the enigmatic 'enemy'. But there was no contact after the first ship, consisting entirely of people from Earth. These colonists settled in a town called Landin, and tried to co-exist with the native high-intelligence life forms.
Werel is also referred to as Alterra, and mentioned under this name in The Left Hand of Darkness
. It should not be confused with the Werel
of Four Ways to Forgiveness
, which is the fourth planet of a very different star.
At first the Earth-human population dwindled. Then they formed a close alliance with one of the native tribes and also found that they could interbreed, which had previously been impossible. On this basis, they recover and unify the world.
After 1200 years, the Alterrans send a ship to Earth, using a near-light-speed system. They are attacked and all but two perish. One of these outwits the alien Shing, oppressors of Earth, and returns to fetch help. Presumably he succeeds: Genly Ai in The Left Hand of Darkness
comes from Earth and remembers the 'Age of the Enemy' as something terrible, but also now over.
On the other hand, giant stars last 100 million years or so, which is much less time than Earth needed to evolve complex life. It is possible that the native humanoids are of Hainish origin, modified as some other planetary populations have been modified. This would account for the successful imbreeding, which should not be possible if they had evolved from completely different biospheres.
In 1.5 million years, Eltanin will pass within 28 light years of Earth. At this point it will be as bright as Sirius
. This would be long after Le Guin's tales and is not mentioned in her fiction.
Ekumen
The Hainish Cycle consists of a number of science fiction novels and stories of Ursula K. Le Guin. Most of them are not set on the planet Hain, but have it as a distant background...
' science fiction stories of Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
. It is one of two planets of this name in that series.
History
It is the setting for Planet of ExilePlanet of Exile
Planet of Exile is a 1966 science-fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin in her Hainish Cycle. It was first published as an Ace Double following the tête-bêche format, bundled with Mankind Under the Leash by Thomas M. Disch.-Plot summary:...
, and its later history is given in City of Illusions
City of Illusions
City of Illusions is a 1967 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, set on Earth in the distant future in her Hainish Cycle. City of Illusions is significant because it lays the foundation for the Hainish cycle, a fictional world in which the majority of Ursula K...
. The third planet of the star Gamma Draconis, it has an elliptical orbit lasting sixty Earth-years. Also a moon with an orbit 400 days long, leading to some wild weather. It was settled after the invention of the ansible
Ansible
An ansible is a hypothetical machine capable of instantaneous or superluminal communication. Ansibles occur as plot devices in science fiction literature.- Origin :The word ansible was coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in her 1966 novel, Rocannon's World...
and was planned as a defence against the enigmatic 'enemy'. But there was no contact after the first ship, consisting entirely of people from Earth. These colonists settled in a town called Landin, and tried to co-exist with the native high-intelligence life forms.
Werel is also referred to as Alterra, and mentioned under this name in The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness is a 1969 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of books by Le Guin all set in the fictional Hainish universe....
. It should not be confused with the Werel
Werel (Voe Deo)
Werel is a fictional planet in the 'Ekumen' science fiction novels of Ursula K. Le Guin. It is the fourth planet of a yellow-white star. It is dominated by the Voe Deo, who independently colonised Yeowe, the previously uninhabited third planet...
of Four Ways to Forgiveness
Four Ways to Forgiveness
Four Ways to Forgiveness is a collection of four short stories or novellas by Ursula K. Le Guin. All four stories are set in the future and deal with the planets Yeowe and Werel, both members of the Ekumen, a collective of planets used by Le Guin as part of the background for many novels and short...
, which is the fourth planet of a very different star.
At first the Earth-human population dwindled. Then they formed a close alliance with one of the native tribes and also found that they could interbreed, which had previously been impossible. On this basis, they recover and unify the world.
After 1200 years, the Alterrans send a ship to Earth, using a near-light-speed system. They are attacked and all but two perish. One of these outwits the alien Shing, oppressors of Earth, and returns to fetch help. Presumably he succeeds: Genly Ai in The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness is a 1969 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of books by Le Guin all set in the fictional Hainish universe....
comes from Earth and remembers the 'Age of the Enemy' as something terrible, but also now over.
Science
The long orbit is scientifically correct, since Gamma Draconis is a giant star and a habitable world would have to be much further away from its sun. Eltanin, a name given in City of Illusions, is one of the star's traditional names. Its distance from Earth is given as 142 light-years, which is close to the current estimate.On the other hand, giant stars last 100 million years or so, which is much less time than Earth needed to evolve complex life. It is possible that the native humanoids are of Hainish origin, modified as some other planetary populations have been modified. This would account for the successful imbreeding, which should not be possible if they had evolved from completely different biospheres.
In 1.5 million years, Eltanin will pass within 28 light years of Earth. At this point it will be as bright as Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
. This would be long after Le Guin's tales and is not mentioned in her fiction.