Ayla's Domain Earth Children Welcome to my site dedicated to Jean Auel's Earth Children Series and Ayla. If you're not familiar with the books, try reading the book info, FAQ and character info sections. You can also look around if you are familiar. MAJOR UPDATE: Auel's 5th book, 'The Shelters of Stone' will be published worldwide on April 30 2002!!!! Book 1 The Clan Of The Cavebear - Published 1980 Ayla's family is lost in an earthquake when she is five. She roams around, and becomes weak from not eating. By mistake, she comes too close to a cavelion's den and is attacked. Iza, the healer of the Clan, finds her and heals her. Ayla lives with the Clan and learns their customs. Creb, the Mogur, adopts Iza and Ayla to his hearth and is like a father to Ayla. He is Iza's natural brother. Ayla isn't accepted by the clan at first, but she eventually is. This is because she is an "Other" [a Cro-Magnon]. She is given a totem spirit, too- The Great Cavelion. She has a son, and he is named Durc. But with that, Ayla makes an enemy, Broud. When Broud became leader, everything changed. Iza and Creb both die, and the cave is caught in an earthquake. Goov becomes Mogur and is ordered by Broud to give Ayla the death curse. Unwillingly, the task is performed. Ayla leaves her son, never to see him again... Book 2 The Valley Of Horses - Published 1982 ...Ayla travels looking for her people-the others. She finds a valley. It is almost winter, and she decides to stay. She accidentally kills a nursing horse while hunting and raises its young foul, who she names Whinney. She lives with and trains Whinney. Soon after, Ayla finds a baby cavelion, and names it Baby. Baby leaves and finds its own mate later, though. Meanwhile, Jondalar and his brother, Thonolan, are traveling on a Journey. They find their way by following the Great Mother River. They meet may people. Thonolan marries a Sharamudoi, Jetamio, but she dies in childbirth. Thonolan no longer wishes to live, takes one too many chances, and has a run in with a cavelion... Ayla is riding Whinney when she hears a scream! She finds two men, one alive and one dead. She realized a cavelion was attacking them, and recognized the cavelion-Baby. After saying hello to Baby, she goes back to the cave. She takes the man who is still alive back to her cave, who happens to be Jondalar. He eventually teaches her to talk. They, after a while, fall deeply in love. Ayla and Jondalar go on a hunting trip and while traveling, find the Mamutoi people... Book 3 The Mammoth Hunters - Published 1985 ...Ayla and Jondalar meet the Mamutoi, a people who live in the cold climate and are known for hunting mammoths. The Mamutoi are very friendly and hospitable. Ayla and Jondalar get to know the people, and both of them grow fond of the cave. The people are very fond of Ayla. After learning she was raised by flatheads [the clan], they aren't as open. This is because they don't believe that the flatheads/clan are humans. They do get over this, and they adopt Ayla. Ranec, who loves Ayla as much as Jondalar, gets in the way of Jondalar's relationship with her. In the end, Jondalar triumphs. Ayla and Jondalar decide to go back to his homeland, the Zelandonii's Ninth Cave. They overcome many hardships during the winter they spend with the Mamutoi, and Ayla decides that it was a test from the Great Cavelion Totem... Book 4 The Plains Of Passage - Published 1990 ...Ayla and Jondalar continue on their Journey to Jondalar's people. They meet many familiar faces, or at least they are to Jondalar. They meet the people of Jondalar's brother's wife. They meet other people Jon knew as well. While traveling, they also save a dying group of people from an evil ruler. Every time a new group of people was reached, they had to decide whether they wanted to stay with them or move on. They chose to keep going each time, and they eventually reach the cave of the Lanzadonii, where some of Jondalar's relatives live. Joplaya, Jondalar's cousin, loved Jondalar. Unfortunately, Jondalar didn't know this. Joplaya decides to marry a man who loves her, even though she dosen't love him. Ayla sees this and thinks of Ranec. She is thankful she still has Jondalar. After saying goodbye, Jondalar and Ayla head out to the Zelandonii. During their Journey, Ayla keeps having strange dreams about a cave. When they get to Jondalar's home, the cave is the one in her dreams! Ayla knows this is suppost to be her home. They are seen by Jon's sister and she shouts out that they are home... Book 5 The Shelters of Stone - To Be Published 2002 This book hasn't been released yet, but I'll tell you what I know about it. The scene is supposidly the Dorgone Valley of France. This is where the Zelandonii live. THE SHELTERS OF STONE continues the story of Ayla, who lost her family to an earthquake and was raised by the people who called themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. She arrives in the land of the Zelandonii, the home of Jondalar, the man she loves, but his people are wary of her and think of the Clan who cared for her as flatheads, animals that resemble people but who are not much smarter than bears. Ayla has brought with her two horses and a wolf, over which she has uncanny control. Though she tries to explain that she found the animals when they were babies and raised them as her own, to Jondalar's people - who have never tamed or domesticated animals - they seem supernatural and frightening. The story unfolds with those who want to cause trouble for Ayla, a woman who seems foreign and strange in this new land. Book 6 Book 6 hasn't been released yet. There are a few tidbits of inrormation I know about it though. #1: It will be the LAST book in the series. [Waaaaa!] #2: It will take place in Europe and South Africa #3: Auel is researching it now. #4: The rumor is that book 5 took so long because Jean was working on both at the same time. It might have been a good idea if she needed different kinds of research for each book, but from the same area. [Less traveling.] Character FAQ Characters Q: Who are the characters in the Clan? A: Here is a list: Iza: The medicine woman of the clan who takes the place of Ayla's mother. Uba: Iza's Real daughter, a girl of the clan- Vorn's Mate. Creb: The oldest of the three siblings-Creb, Brun, Iza-He is also the Mogur or holy man. Ayla, Iza, Uba and Durc live at his hearth. Durc: Ayla's Child. Brun: The leader of the clan. Ebra: Brun's Wife. Broud: The Leader-to-be who hates Ayla because she stole the spotlight from him at his Manhood crermony. Oga: Broud's Wife. Droog: The tool maker, Goov's Dad. Goov: The Mogur's Acolite. Aga: Droog's New Wife. Vorn's and Ona's Mom. Vorn: The future second-in-command. He is one year younger than Ayla. Ona: The little girl Ayla saves from drowning. Aba: Aga's Mom. Grod: a hunter. Uka: Droog's wife, Orva's Mom. Ebra's sister. Orva: Uka's Daughter. Zoug: Grod's Dad, he hunts with the sling and respects Ayla and thinks she isn't as bad as Broud thinks. Crug: a hunter. Ika: Crug's Wife, Borg's Mom. Dorv: Ika's Dad. Borg: a little boy in the clan. Characters Q: Who are the characters related to Jondalar? A: Here is a list: Jondalar: Ayla's sweetie. Marthona: Jon’s mommie. Dalanar: Jon’s dad. Joharron: Jon’s older brother. Joconan: Joharron’s dad; Marthona’s first husband. Thonolan: Jon’s little brother. Folara: Jon’s little sister. Willomar: Marthona’s third husband; Thonolan’s and Folara’s father. Joplaya: Jon’s cousin; Dalanar’s daughter. 2 years younger than Jon. Jerika: Joplaya’s mom; Dalanar’s wife. Marona: Jondalar’s ex. Q: What are the pets Ayla has? A: Here is a list: Whinney: Ayla's horse. Ayla killed Whinney’s mom for food so she raised the young female horse. Racer: Whinney's baby. Jon's horse. Baby: A cavelion Ayla found lying on the Steps. She only raised it because hyenas were going to eat it, but a relationship grew over time. Also killed Jon’s brother, Thonolan. Wolf: A wolf Ayla found while with the Mamutoi. Yes, Wolf is its name. Q: Who are the other characters in the book? Can you list them? A: I can't possibly list all of them. Sorry. People groups Q: Who are the people mentioned in the books? A: I suppose you mean the groups of people. The Clan: The people who raised Ayla after she was attacked by a cavelion. They are Neanderthals, and the Others [Cro-Magnons] call them ‘flatheads’. The Mamutoi: The people who Ayla and Jon lived with for a year. The Sharamudoi: Made up of two people... The Shamudoi: Land people The Ramudoi: River people ...who live together in peace to get more out of their surroundings. The Losadunai: People of the Hot Wells The S'Armunai: The people who killed passerbyers under a cruel ruler. The Lanzadonii: The cave of Zelandonii altered a bit. Started by Jondalar’s father. The Zelandonii: Jon's peeps. FAQ Ayla FAQ Q: Who is Ayla? A: Ayla is the heroine of the Earth's Children Series. Q: Can you give a summary of Ayla's life? A: She was left alone in the world after an earthquake took her family when she was five. She wandered, and over the days, grew weaker and weaker from not eating. After being attacked by a cavelion, she passed out by a river. The Clan, after their home was destroyed by an earthquake, found her, healed her and raised her. Her son was born to the clan, and when hard times came and forced Ayla to leave, she left him with them. She wondered, and found a "quaint" little cave, and lived there for three years, making friends with a horse Whinney, the horses's young Racer, and a cavelion Baby to name a few animals. Let alone comes Jondalar and Thonolan his brother on their Journey. Baby the lion kills Thonolan and Jon is hurt. Ayla heals him, and they are one pair of lovers! Anyway, they travel with the horses [mind you not the lion] to other people, and stay for a year. Then they travel for a bit more and reach Jonny's homeland. Q: What does Ayla look like? A: At the time of The Valley Of Horses [the second book] she is a tall, slender woman, blue-grey eyes the color of a dull sky, long blond hair, tanned skin. Q: Where was Ayla born? A: No one but Jean Auel knows that. We do know that she was traveling alone with her parents; we don't know about siblings. Ayla’s family lived in a lean-to by a river, probably for all 5 years of her life. There are lots of different places. Turkey and Hungary have been suggested. Ayla is a Turkish name... But your guess is as good as mine. Q: Why does everyone like Ayla? A: I can't answer that for anyone but myself, but I like her because she's smart, pretty and a kind heroine of a series that's unique. You don't find that too often. ECS FAQ Q: What is the Earth's Children Series [ECS]? A: The ECS is a series that takes place in prehistoric Europe during the Pleistocene Epoch in the Ice Age [approximately 25,000-35,000 years ago; not B.C. but years before present; although 2,000 years doesn’t matter much when you compare it to 25,000 years...]. It is about a girl/woman named Ayla [see Ayla FAQ]. It is written by Jean M. Auel. Q: What are the names of the books? A: There are four books published... 1)The Clan of the Cavebear 2)The Valley of Horses 3)The Mammoth Hunters 4)The Plains of Passage ...and two unpublished books. 5) The Shelters of Stone 6) Untitled If you want specific information on each book, go look at each book’s 'page'. Q: Can you explain some of the terms on your page? I don't understand them. A: Sure! Cave: A group of people living together or the shelter that they live in. Death Curse: A harsh clan punishment where everyone pretends you are dead. Donii: A carving of a woman, who people believed was their god[dess]. Epoch: A period of time. Journey: A traveling experience where boys or men travel great disances. Hearth: Living quarters of a family. Manhood Ceremony: A ritual of the clan where a boy goes on his first hunt. Mogur: The spiritual person of the Clan. Totem: A guiding animal spirit. [Clan] Q: What are Cro Magnons and Neanderthals? A: Cro Magnons are the closest relatives to humans today. The second closest are Neanderthals. All three types of humans are different species. News on the ECS News on Book 5: The Shelters of Stone will be coming out April 30 2002! News on Jean Auel: Book 6 is being started now!