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{{for|the movie|The Clan of the Cave Bear (film)}} {{For|the movie|The Clan of the Cave Bear (film)}}
{{short description|1980 novel by Jean M. Auel}}
{{Infobox Book | <!-- See ] or ] -->
{{Infobox book |
| name = The Clan of the Cave Bear | name = The Clan of the Cave Bear
| title_orig = | title_orig =
| translator = | translator =
| image = ]<!-- First edition cover preferred --> | image = The Clan of the Cave Bear cover.jpg<!-- First edition cover preferred -->
| image_caption = | image_size = 200px
| caption = First edition
| author = ] | author = ]
| illustrator = | illustrator =
| cover_artist = | cover_artist =
| country = ] | country = United States
| language = ] | language = English
| series = ] | series = ]
| subject = <!-- Subject is not relevant for fiction --> | subject = <!-- Subject is not relevant for fiction -->
| genre = ]<!-- ] --> | genre = ]<!-- ] -->
| publisher = ] | published = ], ]
| release_date = ]
| english_release_date =
| media_type = Print (]) | media_type = Print (])
| pages = 468 pp <!-- First edition page count --> | pages = 468 pp <!-- First edition page count -->
| isbn = ISBN 0-517-54202-1 | isbn = 0-517-54202-1
| dewey= 813/.54
| congress= PS3551.U36 C57 1980
| oclc= 6277166
| preceded_by = <!-- Preceding novel in series --> | preceded_by = <!-- Preceding novel in series -->
| followed_by = ]<!-- Following novel in series --> | followed_by = ]<!-- Following novel in series -->
}} }}


'''''The Clan of the Cave Bear''''' is a ] ] by ]. It is the first in the ] series that investigates the possibility of ] and modern ] ] living near each other at the same time. '''''The Clan of the Cave Bear''''' is a 1980 novel and ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Books by Jean M. Auel|url=http://www.jeanauel.com/books.php|website=Jeanauel.com|access-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> work of ] by ] about ]. It is the first book in the '']'' ], which speculates on the possibilities of interactions between ] and modern ] ].


==Setting==
]]]== Plot summary ==
The novel references the advance of ], setting the story 18,000 years BCE, when the farthest southern encroachment of the ] of the ] occurred. Auel's time-frame, sometime between 28,000 and 25,000 BCE, corresponds generally with archaeological estimates of the ] branch of humankind disappearing.


== Plots ==
⚫ The story is told from the point of view of a 5-year old girl who is suddenly orphaned and left homeless by an ] that destroys her family's camp. She wanders aimlessly, naked and unable to feed herself, for several ]s until, having been attacked and nearly killed by a ] and suffering from ], ], and infection of her wounds, she collapses, on the verge of ].


⚫ A five-year-old girl, ], who readers come to understand is Cro-Magnon, is orphaned and left homeless by an earthquake that destroys her family's camp. She wanders naked and unable to feed herself, for several days. She is attacked and nearly killed by a ], and, suffering from starvation, exhaustion, and infection of her wounds, she collapses, on the verge of death.
The narrative switches to a group of people — the "Clan" — who have also been made homeless by the destruction of their cave by the earthquake and are trekking in search of a new home. Alerted by ]s circling above the unconscious child, the ] of the group, Iza, asks permission from Brun, the head of the Clan, to rescue the waif. Iza uses her wide ] of healing herbs and procedures in order to nurse the little girl back to life. When she regains ], the girl is shocked to find that her rescuers are physically quite different from people with whom she is familiar: they are ] whilst she is of the ] people (known to her rescuers as the "Others").


The narrative switches to a group of people who call themselves "Clan" and who the reader comes to understand are ]. Their cave was destroyed in the earthquake, and they are searching for a new home. The ] of the group, Iza, discovers Ayla and asks permission from her brother Brun, the Clan leader, to help her, despite the child being clearly a member of "the Others," the distrusted antagonists of the Clan. The child is adopted by Iza and her eldest brother Creb. Creb is the group's "Mog-ur" or shaman, despite being deformed as a result of a difficult birth caused by his abnormally large head, and the later loss of an arm and eye after being attacked by a ]. The Clan worships spiritual representations of Earthly animals, called totems, that they believe can influence their lives by sending good or bad luck, and for whom Mog-ur acts as an intermediary. Brun allows Iza to treat the dying child and agrees to adopt her providing Creb can discover her personal totem spirit.
Various aspects of the differences between the Clan and the Others are brought out in the story. The Neanderthals' vocal apparatus is incapable of the range of vocalizations that the Cro-Magnons' is and members of the Clan cannot understand, far less pronounce, the girl's name: the closest they get to it (and the name by which she is subsequently known) is "]". However, the Neanderthals are portrayed as having a highly-developed non-verbal language of hand and arm gestures which Ayla at first has difficulty even recognising the existence of. Apart from physical differences there are mental and cultural differences between the Clan and the Others. Mentally the Neanderthals have highly developed memories including a hereditary Clan ] extending back through countless generations, which can be awakened through rituals performed by the Clan's "Mog-ur" — a holy man or ]. Increasing reliance on this ever-accumulating memory has resulted in a strict, almost ] adherence to ] and decreasing ability to ] which — the book makes clear — will result in the eventual demise of this branch of ].


Through meditation, Creb comes to believe that the child may be protected by the spirit of the cave lion, a powerful totem never given to a woman and only to very few men. He cites the cave lion attack the girl experienced shortly before being discovered as proof that its spirit marked her so that she could be adopted into the Clan. The girl travels with them for a while and starts to heal. When the group stops to discuss what they should do since they have not found a new home, Ayla wanders and discovers a huge, beautiful cave, perfect for their needs. Many of the people begin to regard Ayla as lucky, especially since good fortune continues to come their way as she lives among them.
Apart from Ayla and Iza, the character of "Creb", the Mog-ur, is most developed and significant in the book. Born with deformities which would normally have resulted in his being abandoned to die as an infant, he fortuitously was allowed to live and despite — or rather as a result of — his handicap, developed supreme mental and psychic abilities. As a child he was attacked by a ] which added to his infirmities but was regarded as being a blessing from the most highly revered and powerful spirit of the Clan people, who regard not just their own group but all people of their kind as an encompassing 'Clan of the Cave Bear'. Creb's abilities are such that he is not only his own group's Mog-ur but "The Mog-ur" of the entire extended clan of Neanderthal peoples in the region. Although Creb's powers — and deformities — are such that he is revered and feared by other members of his clan, he is touched by the practically helpless foundling, who encounters him with none of the awe or apprehension of other clan members, and Ayla and Creb establish a close surrogate father/daughter relationship.


In Auel's books, Neanderthals possess only limited vocal apparatus and rarely speak, but have a highly developed ]. They do not laugh or even smile, and they do not cry; when Ayla weeps, Iza thinks she has an eye disease. They also mature very early - to the point a person in their 20s and 30s is considered old and they become pubescent at around 7-9 years old with few maturing at 10 years old. Very soon after, they are given a mate and have children. Iza was considered to have a ] when she was nearly twenty and had stumbled upon Ayla.
The novel follows Ayla's development from child to young woman, illustrating ''en route'' various aspects of the Clan's way of life: ], ] and ] ], ]s, ]s, ]s, and environment. A thread running through the book is the antagonistic relationship between Ayla and Broud, who is son of the leader, Brun, and appointed successor as leader of the clan. The book ends with Broud's succession and his banishment of Ayla, who sets off to find other people of her own kind as Iza, on her deathbed, had urged Ayla to do.


Ayla's different thought processes lead her to break important Clan customs, particularly the taboo against females handling weapons. She is self-willed and spirited, but she tries to fit in with the Neanderthals, although she has to learn everything first-hand; she does not possess the ancestral memories of the Clan that enable them to do certain tasks after being shown only once.
⚫ The sequel '']'' continues Ayla's story, which is further developed in other books of the ] series which include "The Mammoth Hunters" ; "The Plains of Passage" ; and "The Shelters of Stone." The author is still working on the final book in the series.


Iza is concerned that when Ayla grows up, nobody will want her as their mate as she is very ugly to the Neaderthal, making her a burden to the group. She therefore trains Ayla as a medicine woman of her line, the most prestigious line of medicine women of the entire Clan. This will give Ayla her own status, independent of whether or not she is mated. It takes Iza much longer to train Ayla than it will her own daughter, Uba, since Ayla does not possess the memories of the Clan.
==Historical and research background==

The archaeological and paleontological research for this book was carried out by Auel from her public library. Some of the descriptions are based on the cave burial at ].
Ayla's main antagonist in the novel is Broud, son of the leader Brun, who feels that she takes credit and attention away from him. As the two mature, the hatred in Broud's heart festers. When they are young adults, he brutally rapes Ayla in a bid to demonstrate his total control over her, and he continues to sexually assault her multiple times a day. She sinks into depression that leaves her despondent and uninterested, and she becomes pregnant soon after at the age of ~11 years old. Iza explains to Ayla that her unattractive appearance compared to a Clan woman will likely preclude her from obtaining a mate before she gives birth — a circumstance Iza's people believe will bring the group bad luck. Having dreamed of being a mother for most of her life and convinced that this may be her only chance due to her powerful totem, Ayla refuses Iza's suggestion that she take medicine to abort the child. Following a difficult pregnancy and a near-fatal labor, Ayla rejoices in the birth of her son Durc, but because he has a number of Cro-Magnon features, he is classified by the Clan as deformed and is almost taken away from her, but after much pleading and convincing, Ayla is allowed to stay in the Clan and keep her son Durc.

Iza becomes extremely unwell due to her chronic illness and at her deathbed, she was just past twenty-six with white hair, gaunt frame and wrinkled skin.

The book ends with Broud's succession of Brun to leadership and Goov's succession of Creb as mog-ur. Broud orders Goov to place an immediate death-curse on Ayla. Another earthquake then happens, killing Creb. Ayla sets off to find other people of her own kind. Durc remains with the tribe under the protection of Brun who admonishes Broud and regrets his decision to make him leader.

==Sequels==
⚫ The sequel, '']'', continues Ayla's story, which is further developed in other books of the ] series, which include '']''; '']''; '']''; and the sixth and final installment in the series, '']''.

==Background==
The archaeological and paleontological research for this book was carried out by Auel from her public library, by attending archaeological conventions, and touring extensively on sites with briefings by working field archaeologists.<ref>Auel, various Series forwards, appreciations and credits, esp. '''''"]"''''' appreciations make it plain she'd outlined six book series in detail and visited digs in the various locales before this first book, and reprised such visits at various times since.</ref> Some of the descriptions are based on the first adult Neanderthal skeletons found in Iraq from the cave burial at ], dating between 60–80,000 years BP. Other data is clearly linked to the widespread ] and ], and their tell-tale ], which Auel uses as one center of her Cro-Magnon religious practices.<ref>Tools and carvings characteristic of these cultures and maps delineating the actual basis dig sites are located within the inside cover art of most of the sequels.</ref>

==Film and television adaptations==
In 1986, the novel was adapted into a ] directed by ] and starring ].

In 2014, the ] television network ordered a ] episode, based on the series of novels. ], ], Jean M. Auel, and ] are executive producers, with Woolverton writing the teleplay. The launch was slated for some time in 2015.<ref></ref>

Despite reports of plans to shoot a pilot for a series to have started in 2016, with Ireland as one location, this plan was canceled by Lifetime and has been shopped around to various networks with no luck. It is presumed to be dead, as of March 2016.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}}


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|History|Novels|Speculative fiction}}
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* ]
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* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Library resources box}}
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⚫ * {{Isfdb title|4435|The Clan of the Cave Bear}}
* *


{{Earth's Children}}
⚫ {{DEFAULTSORT:Clan of the Cave Bear, The}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Clan of the Cave Bear, The}}
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Latest revision as of 15:09, 20 November 2024

For the movie, see The Clan of the Cave Bear (film). 1980 novel by Jean M. Auel
The Clan of the Cave Bear
First edition
AuthorJean M. Auel
LanguageEnglish
SeriesEarth's Children
GenrePrehistoric fiction
PublishedMay 4, 1980, Crown
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages468 pp
ISBN0-517-54202-1
OCLC6277166
Dewey Decimal813/.54
LC ClassPS3551.U36 C57 1980
Followed byThe Valley of Horses 

The Clan of the Cave Bear is a 1980 novel and epic work of prehistoric fiction by Jean M. Auel about prehistoric times. It is the first book in the Earth's Children book series, which speculates on the possibilities of interactions between Neanderthal and modern Cro-Magnon humans.

Setting

The novel references the advance of the polar ice sheets, setting the story 18,000 years BCE, when the farthest southern encroachment of the last glacial period of the current ice age occurred. Auel's time-frame, sometime between 28,000 and 25,000 BCE, corresponds generally with archaeological estimates of the Neanderthal branch of humankind disappearing.

Plots

A five-year-old girl, Ayla, who readers come to understand is Cro-Magnon, is orphaned and left homeless by an earthquake that destroys her family's camp. She wanders naked and unable to feed herself, for several days. She is attacked and nearly killed by a cave lion, and, suffering from starvation, exhaustion, and infection of her wounds, she collapses, on the verge of death.

The narrative switches to a group of people who call themselves "Clan" and who the reader comes to understand are Neanderthal. Their cave was destroyed in the earthquake, and they are searching for a new home. The medicine woman of the group, Iza, discovers Ayla and asks permission from her brother Brun, the Clan leader, to help her, despite the child being clearly a member of "the Others," the distrusted antagonists of the Clan. The child is adopted by Iza and her eldest brother Creb. Creb is the group's "Mog-ur" or shaman, despite being deformed as a result of a difficult birth caused by his abnormally large head, and the later loss of an arm and eye after being attacked by a cave bear. The Clan worships spiritual representations of Earthly animals, called totems, that they believe can influence their lives by sending good or bad luck, and for whom Mog-ur acts as an intermediary. Brun allows Iza to treat the dying child and agrees to adopt her providing Creb can discover her personal totem spirit.

Through meditation, Creb comes to believe that the child may be protected by the spirit of the cave lion, a powerful totem never given to a woman and only to very few men. He cites the cave lion attack the girl experienced shortly before being discovered as proof that its spirit marked her so that she could be adopted into the Clan. The girl travels with them for a while and starts to heal. When the group stops to discuss what they should do since they have not found a new home, Ayla wanders and discovers a huge, beautiful cave, perfect for their needs. Many of the people begin to regard Ayla as lucky, especially since good fortune continues to come their way as she lives among them.

In Auel's books, Neanderthals possess only limited vocal apparatus and rarely speak, but have a highly developed sign language. They do not laugh or even smile, and they do not cry; when Ayla weeps, Iza thinks she has an eye disease. They also mature very early - to the point a person in their 20s and 30s is considered old and they become pubescent at around 7-9 years old with few maturing at 10 years old. Very soon after, they are given a mate and have children. Iza was considered to have a geriatic pregnancy when she was nearly twenty and had stumbled upon Ayla.

Ayla's different thought processes lead her to break important Clan customs, particularly the taboo against females handling weapons. She is self-willed and spirited, but she tries to fit in with the Neanderthals, although she has to learn everything first-hand; she does not possess the ancestral memories of the Clan that enable them to do certain tasks after being shown only once.

Iza is concerned that when Ayla grows up, nobody will want her as their mate as she is very ugly to the Neaderthal, making her a burden to the group. She therefore trains Ayla as a medicine woman of her line, the most prestigious line of medicine women of the entire Clan. This will give Ayla her own status, independent of whether or not she is mated. It takes Iza much longer to train Ayla than it will her own daughter, Uba, since Ayla does not possess the memories of the Clan.

Ayla's main antagonist in the novel is Broud, son of the leader Brun, who feels that she takes credit and attention away from him. As the two mature, the hatred in Broud's heart festers. When they are young adults, he brutally rapes Ayla in a bid to demonstrate his total control over her, and he continues to sexually assault her multiple times a day. She sinks into depression that leaves her despondent and uninterested, and she becomes pregnant soon after at the age of ~11 years old. Iza explains to Ayla that her unattractive appearance compared to a Clan woman will likely preclude her from obtaining a mate before she gives birth — a circumstance Iza's people believe will bring the group bad luck. Having dreamed of being a mother for most of her life and convinced that this may be her only chance due to her powerful totem, Ayla refuses Iza's suggestion that she take medicine to abort the child. Following a difficult pregnancy and a near-fatal labor, Ayla rejoices in the birth of her son Durc, but because he has a number of Cro-Magnon features, he is classified by the Clan as deformed and is almost taken away from her, but after much pleading and convincing, Ayla is allowed to stay in the Clan and keep her son Durc.

Iza becomes extremely unwell due to her chronic illness and at her deathbed, she was just past twenty-six with white hair, gaunt frame and wrinkled skin.

The book ends with Broud's succession of Brun to leadership and Goov's succession of Creb as mog-ur. Broud orders Goov to place an immediate death-curse on Ayla. Another earthquake then happens, killing Creb. Ayla sets off to find other people of her own kind. Durc remains with the tribe under the protection of Brun who admonishes Broud and regrets his decision to make him leader.

Sequels

The sequel, The Valley of Horses, continues Ayla's story, which is further developed in other books of the Earth's Children series, which include The Mammoth Hunters; The Plains of Passage; The Shelters of Stone; and the sixth and final installment in the series, The Land of Painted Caves.

Background

The archaeological and paleontological research for this book was carried out by Auel from her public library, by attending archaeological conventions, and touring extensively on sites with briefings by working field archaeologists. Some of the descriptions are based on the first adult Neanderthal skeletons found in Iraq from the cave burial at Shanidar, dating between 60–80,000 years BP. Other data is clearly linked to the widespread Aurignacian culture and Gravettian culture, and their tell-tale Venus figurines, which Auel uses as one center of her Cro-Magnon religious practices.

Film and television adaptations

In 1986, the novel was adapted into a film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Daryl Hannah.

In 2014, the Lifetime television network ordered a pilot episode, based on the series of novels. Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Jean M. Auel, and Linda Woolverton are executive producers, with Woolverton writing the teleplay. The launch was slated for some time in 2015.

Despite reports of plans to shoot a pilot for a series to have started in 2016, with Ireland as one location, this plan was canceled by Lifetime and has been shopped around to various networks with no luck. It is presumed to be dead, as of March 2016.

See also

References

  1. "Books by Jean M. Auel". Jeanauel.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  2. Auel, various Series forwards, appreciations and credits, esp. "The Shelters of Stone" appreciations make it plain she'd outlined six book series in detail and visited digs in the various locales before this first book, and reprised such visits at various times since.
  3. Tools and carvings characteristic of these cultures and maps delineating the actual basis dig sites are located within the inside cover art of most of the sequels.
  4. Lifetime Orders Drama Pilot 'The Clan of the Cave Bear'

External links

Library resources about
The Clan of the Cave Bear
Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children
Volumes
Adaptations
Characters
Categories: