Since the stories take place during the Würm glaciation, populations are small in number and are surviving mostly in hunter-gatherer fashion. Prior to the discovery of metals, the primary materials used for tools are leather, wood, bone, horn, and flint. Earn Your Happy Ending: She mates Lanidar, who treats her kindly and freely offers to help care for her younger siblings, and she learns skills like cooking and healing from Ayla, who along with Jondalar, become a surrogate family to her. Earth's Children is a series of epic [1] historical fiction (or more precisely, prehistorical fiction) novels [2] [3] written by Jean M. Auel set circa 30,000 years before the present day. There are six novels in the series. Although Auel had previously mentioned in interviews that there would be a seventh novel, [4] publicity announcements for the sixth confirmed it would be the final book in the sequence.

Fantastic Racism: The Zelandonii are often very hostile towards so-called flatheads (Neanderthals) and those of ' mixed spirits'. Some people are more indifferent towards them, while others actually become tolerant towards them, but the prejudice towards them is clearly deeply ingrained in their culture. It's theorised that this may be because many generations ago, the Zelandonii and the Clan shared territory and ended up getting into fights over it, causing ongoing distrust and resentment on both sides. I've gone out on drives, but I never was very good with a spear, and I don't seem to be much better with the thrower," Folara said. "I'll take Jonayla." The infant was now thoroughly awake, and when the young woman held out her arms for the baby, she willingly went to her aunt.The series is set in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic era, after the date of the first ceramics discovered, but before the last advance of glaciers. The books focus on the period of co-existence between Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals. The One That Got Away: For Bodoa. She was in love with him as a young woman, but he chose to mate Marthona over her and she never mated anyone else, throwing herself into her work instead. Bait the Dog: When she first meets Ayla early in The Shelters of Stone, she is outwardly quite pleasant to her and indicates to Jondalar she wants to let bygones be bygones. She even offers to take Ayla with her to get her some new clothes and do her hair and make-up, in preparation for the welcoming ceremony the Ninth Cave is holding for her that evening. However, it's soon revealed that Marona is actually using it as an opportunity to try and humiliate Ayla.

To Jondalar, for being mated to Ayla and later for beating him up after he catches him having drunken sex with Ayla.

Open Library

They don't know us, that's why they're so confident," Ayla continued. "If they were a resident pride that lived around people and had been chased or hunted a few times, I don't think they would be so unconcerned." The Earth Children" is an overarching term; their primary allegiances are to their people and their caves. Each culture has a name for itself ( Zelandonii, for instance, means "Children of the Great Earth Mother who live in the Southwest") and may subdivide into smaller Caves or Camps (the Twenty-Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi). Curiously, however, most Other culture names includes their word for Great Earth Mother: Doni in Zelandonii, Mut in Mamutoi ("Children of the Great Earth Mother who hunt Mammoths"), Gaea in Sungaea (translation unknown), etc. Their culture is far more egalitarian, with different twists and customs at every hand; Mamutoi Camps, for instance, are co-ruled by headmen and headwomen who are biological, or adoptive, siblings, and the Sharamudoi, a people that lives half-on and -off the Great Mother River, form complex co-mate systems between river couples (Ramudoi) and land couples (Shamudoi). Each entire people generally gathers for Summer Meetings every year, during which a number of important ceremonies, such as the Matrimonial, take place. Gut Feeling: She says she sensed she would never see Thonolan again when he left on his Journey, because when they said goodbye she instinctively told him “Good Journey” (the farewell the Zelandonii tend to use when they don’t expect to see someone again for a long time). It doesn’t hurt any less when she finds out he’s dead, though. Walking Spoiler: Her whole character is a spoiler for the ending of the fourth and fifth books, revealing that Ayla gets pregnant, and that she gives birth to a girl. I've tried a spear-thrower a few times, Joharran. I don't have one of my own, and I'm not very good at it," Thefona said, "but I can throw a spear without one."

Jennifer S. Baker (January 1, 2014). The Readers' Advisory Guide to Historical Fiction. American Library Association. ISBN 978-0-8389-1165-5 . Retrieved November 23, 2016. Generation Xerox: Both his parents were the leader of the Ninth Cave; he became leader after Marthona retired.Massive Numbered Siblings: She has six living children. She neglects all of them, forcing her eldest daughter Lanoga to step in as a parent. She has given birth to seven children in all, but her fifth child died in infancy. Marthona's eldest son and her only child with her first mate, Joconan. He's the older half-brother of Jondalar, Thonolan and Folara, mate to Proleva and father of Jaradal. He is leader of the Ninth Cave. Before they reached the fork in the trail a young woman near the front suddenly stopped, her eyes opening wide as she stood perfectly still, staring ahead. She pointed with her chin, not wanting to move. "Look! Over there!" she said in a hissing whisper of fear. "Lions!" Thank you, Thefona, for reminding me," Joharran said. "Nearly everyone can handle a spear without a spear-thrower, including women. We shouldn't forget that." Then he directed his comments to the group at large. "We need to let those lions know that this is not a good place for them. Whoever wants to go after them, using a spear by hand or with the thrower, come over here." Maya Mavjee, president and publisher of the Crown Publishing Group, said “The Land Of Painted Caves is a brilliant achievement by one of the world’s most beloved authors. Jean M. Auel’s millions of fans, who have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the epic story of Ayla and Jondalar, will not be disappointed by this stirring and satisfying finale.” Auel’s longtime agent Jean Naggar added: “Once again, the launch of this latest book in Jean Auel’s unique series promises to be an international extravaganza. Working with this extraordinary author and series from its beginnings has been a great personal and professional pleasure. The Land Of Painted Caves is a triumph and a wonderful read.” [ citation needed]

Stalker with a Crush: Has shades of this towards Ayla, following her around, spying on her with Jondalar and fantasising about her. He is infatuated with her and often wishes he were in Jondalar’s place. Accurate to current DNA evidence, Auel depicts Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals as able to interbreed. The mixed-race children are generally not favorably regarded by either group. As in many historical cultures, malformed Clan children are routinely subjected to exposure, while the Others may allow such children to live but prejudicially label them as 'abominations'. Such children and their experiences enter the plotline in several books of the series.What makes you think so?" Joharran said. He was always surprised at Ayla's wealth of knowledge of four-legged hunters, but for some reason it was also at times like this that he noticed her unusual accent more. Put on a Bus to Hell / Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He doesn't take the revelation that sexual intercourse between a man and woman leads to pregnancy very well, as this all but confirms he is indeed a child of mixed spirits with a Neanderthal grandfather, and proceeds to run away from the Ninth Cave with Madroman. In the ancient days when the weather spirits were honored, roles within the Clan had not yet become so markedly differentiated by sex—for example, women still hunted alongside the men when they didn't have little children who needed their care. At this time, women were also the ones in charge of the spiritual life of the Clan. Because they once controlled access to the spirit world, and because the ceremonies involved begging the Clan spirits in what could be considered an unmanly fashion, Clan tradition holds that should a woman see one of the men's religious ceremonies, the clan in which this occurred would suffer disaster. When a ceremony invoking the weather spirits is held to sanction Ayla's hunting, especially strong protection was required for the men, both to guard against the presence of a female at the ceremony and because the ancient spirits were feared as much as they were honored in the days when they were worshiped. Ayla's subsequent accidental observation of one of the highest ceremonies at the Clan Gathering is interpreted by Creb to foretell doom for the entire Clan of the Cave Bear, as those ceremonies have meaning for all the clans of the Clan, even those not present at the Gathering. Jondalar frowned at his brother, then grinned sheepishly. "Yes she is, but, as dangerous as they are, I always hate to kill a cave lion if I don't have to. They are so beautiful, so lithe and graceful in the way they move. Cave lions don't have much to be afraid of. Their strength gives them confidence." He glanced at Ayla with a glint of pride and love. "I always thought Ayla's Cave Lion totem was right for her." Discomfited by showing his strong inner feelings for her, a hint of a flush colored his cheeks. "But I do think this is a time when spear-throwers could be very useful." Serial Spouse: Downplayed. She's been mated three times; her first mate died, she and her second mate amicably 'severed the knot' and she's been Happily Married to her third mate for many years.