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The Clan of the Cave Bear

by Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear, published in 1980, is the first novel in Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, a work of prehistoric fiction set in Ice Age Europe. It follows Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl orphaned by an… more

First published 1980 · 468 pages · English

12 quotes ★ 4.11 (286,429) Classics

Quotes from the Book

But when did you see her, talk to me? When did you see her go into the cave? Why did you threaten to strike a spirit? You still don't understand, do you? You acknowledged her, Broud, she has beaten you. You did everything you could to her, you even cursed her. She's dead, and still she won. She was a woman, and she had more courage than you, Broud, more determination, more self-control. She was more man than you are. Ayla should have been the son of my mate.
The difference in the brains of men and women was imposed by nature, and only cemented by culture.
The earth we leave is beautiful and rich; it gave us all we needed for all the generations we have lived. How will you leave it when it is your turn? What can you do?
And their memory made them extraordinary. In them, the unconscious knowledge of ancestral behavior called instinct had evolved. Stored in the back of their large brains were not just their own memories, but the memories of their forebears. They could recall knowledge learned by their ancestors and, under special circumstances, they could go a step beyond. They could recall their racial memory, their own evolution. And when they reached back far enough, they could merge that memory that was identical for all and join their minds, telepathically.
He's part me and part Clan, and so is Ura. Or rather, she's part Oda and part that man who killed her baby.
As Creb looked at the peaceful, trusting face of the strange girl in his lap, he felt a deep love flowering in his soul for her. He couldn’t have loved her more if she were his own.
Mog-ur has been spending all day and half the night in the place of the spirits. It must be a ceremony. While Ayla was gone, he wouldn't go near it; now he hardly ever comes out. When he does, he's so absentminded he forgets to eat. Sometimes he forgets to eat while he's eating.
It was a tense moment. If Norg refused them, they would have no choice but to return the long distance back to their cave. It would be a grave breach of propriety, but to allow Ayla entrance would be tantamount to accepting her as a woman of the Clan; at least it would give Brun a clear edge. Norg looked again at his mog-ur, then at the powerful one-eyed man who was The Mog-ur, then back at the man who was leader of the clan ranked first of all the clans. If The Mog-ur said so, what could he do?
countered. “I suspect the story was made up by a woman who had a
was dark and no more inviting
Ese aperitivo que es el hambre contribuía a que todo tuviera mejor sabor aún.
Brun, this is the man Ayla saw as whole. This is the man who set her standard. This is the man she loves and compares with her son. Look at me, my brother! Did I deserve to live? Does Ayla’s son deserve to live less?” The

Did you know?

  • The Clan of the Cave Bear was Jean M. Auel's debut novel, published in 1980.
  • It is the first book in the six-volume Earth's Children series.
  • The story is set in Ice Age Europe and imagines interactions between Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal humans.
  • Auel undertook extensive research into prehistoric survival skills, herbal medicine, and Ice Age ecology for the book.
  • The novel was nominated for an American Booksellers Association award for best first novel.
  • A 1986 film adaptation starred Daryl Hannah as Ayla.

About Jean M. Auel

Jean Marie Auel, born in 1936, is an American author best known for the Earth's Children series of novels set in prehistoric Europe. The Clan of the Cave Bear was her debut novel.

More about the author →

About the book

The Clan of the Cave Bear, published in 1980, is the first novel in Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, a work of prehistoric fiction set in Ice Age Europe. It follows Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl orphaned by an earthquake and taken in by a band of Neanderthals who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. Adopted by the medicine woman Iza and the aging shaman Creb, Ayla grows up among people whose customs, appearance, and abilities differ sharply from her own.

At its heart the book explores what it means to be an outsider. Ayla's independence and quick learning place her constantly at odds with the Clan's rigid traditions, and especially with Broud, the ambitious son of the clan leader. Auel imagines the encounter between two kinds of humans as a study in belonging, survival, and the tension between individual will and communal law, drawing on extensive research into prehistoric life, herbal medicine, and Ice Age ecology.

The novel became a major bestseller and helped popularize the genre of prehistoric fiction for a wide modern readership. It was nominated for numerous literary awards, including an American Booksellers Association nomination for best first novel, and launched a six-book saga that would follow Ayla across the ancient European landscape.

Key characters

  • AylaCro-Magnon girl orphaned and raised by the Clan; the protagonist
  • IzaClan medicine woman who adopts and cares for Ayla
  • CrebAging shaman (mog-ur) and Iza's brother who protects Ayla
  • BroudAmbitious son of the clan leader and Ayla's chief antagonist
  • BrunLeader of the Clan of the Cave Bear
  • DurcAyla's son, born with mixed Cro-Magnon features

Book details

First published
1980
Length
468 pages
Reading time
10 hours
Goodreads rating
4.11 (286k ratings)

Series & reading order

  1. 1 The Clan of the Cave Bear
  2. 2 The Valley of Horses
  3. 3 The Mammoth Hunters
  4. 4 The Plains of Passage
  5. 5 The Shelters of Stone
  6. 6 The Land of Painted Caves

Movie & TV adaptations

  • IMDb
    The Clan of the Cave Bear 1986

    Film directed by Michael Chapman, starring Daryl Hannah as Ayla

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