The Place Inside the Blizzard

In the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin, myths and parables are used as an insight into Gethenian culture and as a form of foreshadowing.  In Chapter 2, we learn about a Gethenian myth titled "The Place Inside the Blizzard" that foreshadows to an issue that comes up later in the book.  It involves two brothers, Getheren and Hode, who vow kemmer to each other and get banished for it because it is very looked down upon in their culture. One of the brothers, Hode, commits suicide which is also looked down upon in this culture. Distraught, Getheren travels on foot for days until he reaches the place inside the blizzard, where souls of people who have killed themselves go. This story provides insight to the culture and how they feel about suicide and sibling kemmer. This myth can be seen as an allusion to Estraven, who also vowed kemmer to his brother. The myths in the story I feel might be similar to passages in holy books like The Bible or The Qur'an. Also, this gives us more of a sense of relation to Gethenians because they too have widely held beliefs based on parables and are so deeply engraved in their culture that they probably don't even think twice about it. The feelings of Gethenians being patriotic people is also strengthened by their widely held beliefs.