The Land of Painted Caves (Earth's Children 6)

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Manipulative Bitch: Though she never really bothers with her children, she's not above using them to guilt-trip people into helping her for the sake of her "poor, hungry children". Joharran, the leader, lifted his arm, signaling the band to a halt. Just beyond the place where the trail diverged, they now saw pale- tawny cave lions moving around in the grass. The grass was such effective camouflage, however, that they might not have noticed them until they were much closer, if it hadn't been for the sharp eyes of Thefona. The young woman from the Third Cave had exceptionally good vision, and though she was quite young, she was noted for her ability to see far and well. Her innate talent had been recognized early and they had begun training her when she was a small girl; she was their best lookout. In this three-part book, Ayla is 20 (in part 1), about 23 (in part 2) and 26 (in part 3) and is training to become a spiritual leader for the Zelandonii. Most of the first and second parts of the book involve Ayla's acolyte training to become Zelandoni. The third part of the book contains most of the action of the story and plot line. A English limited edition version of the book contained an augmented reality model of Ayla. This feature, called " Meet Ayla" was developed in collaboration with Jean Auel. When a smartphone is aimed at the front cover Ayla's model will appear. Ayla will throw a spear and says "I am Ayla of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, and in the name of the Great Mother I greet you." The Germanic editions of the novel had an animation of the painted cave.

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. The spiritual knowledge Ayla's Calling brings to the community is that men are active in the conception of a baby during 'Pleasures', which leads to the start of recognized fatherhood and that men have purpose on earth equal to that of women, and subsequently leads to the need for monogamous relationships to reduce jealousy/possessiveness over sexual partners and for fathers to take responsibility for children, thus shaping this prehistoric culture further to match our current one. Freudian Excuse: His mother died when he was young, he was raised by an uncaring relative and bullied and ostracized for being a 'child of mixed spirits'. As a result, he's not only got anger and trust issues, but despises the Clan, blaming them for his misfortune. Whatever obstacles she faces, Ayla finds inventive ways to lessen the difficulties of daily life, searching for wild edibles to make meals and experimenting with techniques to ease the long journeys the Zelandonii must take while honing her skills as a healer and a leader. And there are the Sacred Caves that Ayla’s mentor takes her to see. They are filled with remarkable paintings of mammoths, lions, and bears, and their mystical aura at times overwhelms Ayla.Law of Inverse Fertility: While she's not too bothered about still being unmated, it's implied that she wished she could've had children (and is possibly incapable of conceiving children); she mentions that despite having honored the Mother many times she never became pregnant, and Ayla also senses she seems wistful when she talks to other women about having children. Heroic BSoD: He has a brief one early in The Shelters of Stone, after finding out Thonolan is dead. He initially goes into denial, stuttering that Thonolan can't be dead because he's too young, he hasn't yet found a mate and had children and finally that he "hasn't come home" before breaking down sobbing. T]he millions of readers who have been with Ayla from the start will want to once again lose themselves in the rich prehistoric world Auel conjures and see how this internationally beloved series concludes.”– Booklist

You Are What You Hate: He is heavily implied to be of 'mixed spirits' (his mother was apparently half-Clan), but utterly despises the Clan and even calls Echozar, another man who is more obviously mixed, an "animal" and refuses to be around him. This is due to the fact there is a great deal of social stigma around children of 'mixed spirits' and he was bullied for it as a child, which the characters discuss.Inspirationally Disadvantaged: He is determined to become a hunter and provide for himself and his community despite having a crippled arm. Sexy Mentor: Zelandoni was a justified example to Jondalar in the past. She was actually assigned the sacred role of introducing him to sex and teaching him all about it; she just happened to be gorgeous as well. It's largely because of her that Jondalar is the Sex God he is now. Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted CavesThe second child and eldest daughter of Laramar and Tremeda. She acts as a mother figure to her younger siblings.