/~bencollver/log/2024-07-19-clan-of-the-cave-bear-by-jean-m-auel on tilde.pink

	View source

	# 2024-07-19 - Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

	Chrono Trigger was my favorite game on the SuperNES, and Ayla was my
	favorite character. When i learned that Ayla was named after and
	based on the protagonist in Clan of the Cave Bear, it added it to my
	to-read list. Recently someone else recommended the book to me, and
	i bumped it higher on the list.

	gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Chrono_Trigger

	https://www.chronowiki.org/wiki/Ayla

	As a child i avoided Clan of the Cave Bear because it seemed too
	popular. I sought out books that were more obscure or somehow
	interesting. My loss! Reading this book now, i thoroughly enjoyed
	it. I liked the natural outdoor setting in the unspoiled prehistory
	of continental Europe. I liked the strong shamanic element woven
	into the entire story. I loved how Ayla approached major life
	problems as tests from her totem (patron spirit), tests of her
	worthiness; the greater the challenge, the greater the reward.

	Ayla is a cro-magnon child who loses her family to a natural
	disaster, and is then adopted by a neanderthal tribe. Ironic that
	Ayla was the blond haired, blue eyed character while the neanderthals
	were brown eyed and darker. Current models reverse this dynamic. To
	be fair, the book was published in 1980 with less complete knowledge
	about neanderthals.

	The neanderthals in this book communicated primarily via sign
	language. In 1980, it was supposed that neanderthals could not make
	nor hear the same range of sounds as cro-magnons. In this book,
	sign language permits more nuanced and rich communication, and it is
	woven into ritual like a dance form.

	I look forward to reading more books in this series!

	See also:

	gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/Earth's_Children

	author: Auel, Jean M.
	detail: gopher://gopherpedia.com/0/The_Clan_of_the_Cave_Bear
	LOC: PS3551.U36 C57
	tags: book,fiction,outdoor
	title: Clan of the Cave Bear

	# Tags

	book
	fiction
	outdoor