''The Mammoth Hunters'' is an historical fiction novel by

Jean M. Auel Jean Marie Auel (; ; born February 18, 1936) is an American writer who wrote the '' Earth's Children'' books, a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe that explores human activities during this time, and touches on the interactions of Cro-Mag ...

released in 1985. It is the sequel to '' The Valley of Horses'' and third in the

Earth's Children ''Earth's Children'' is a series of epic historical fiction (or more precisely, prehistorical fiction) novels written by Jean M. Auel set circa 30,000 years before the present day. There are six novels in the series. Although Auel had previous ...

series.

Plot summary

This book picks up where '' The Valley of Horses'' ends; Ayla and

Jondalar Jondalar of the Zelandonii is the male main character of Jean Auel's Earth's Children speculative historical fiction series set in the Late Stone Age of Europe. He has long pale blond hair which he usually pulls back in a ponytail (called a "club ...

meet a group known as the Mamutoi, or Mammoth Hunters, with whom they live for a period of time. As the group's name suggests, their hosts rely on

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks an ...

not only for food but also for building materials and a number of other commodities - and indeed for spiritual sustenance. The protagonists make their home with the Lion Camp of the Mammoth Hunters, which features a number of respected Mamutoi. Wisest of their nation is Old Mamut, their eldest

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

and the leader of the entire Mamutoi priesthood, who becomes Ayla's

mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and colleague in the visionary and esoteric fields of thought. Observing Ayla's affinity with horses and wolves, Mamut begins to introduce her into the ranks of the Mamuti (mystics). Mamut is also one of the first to become aware of Ayla's unique upbringing. Many years ago, while on the Journey that all young men take for a

rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

, he broke his arm, and was healed by the medicine woman of Ayla's

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. While the ...

clan (the grandmother of Ayla's adoptive mother Iza). This story is referenced in ''Clan of the Cave Bear'' as the Neanderthals rationalize Ayla's behavior in terms of what they know about "the Others" ( Cro-Magnon). Mamut learned some of the Clan sign language during that stay, and became aware of the fact that the Clan are human (as opposed to other animals, as is the common opinion of most of his people). Also within the Lion Camp is a six-year-old boy named Rydag who, like Ayla's lost son Durc, is half Clan and half Other. He was adopted by the headman's mate, Nezzie, when his mother died giving birth to him. He cannot speak, having the same vocal limitations as the Clan, but he also has their ancestral memories. Ayla quickly discovers this and teaches him, and the rest of the Lion Camp, the Clan sign language. Rydag is a sickly child, having a heart defect which limits him from even playing like the other children of the Camp. Many Mamutoi regard him as an animal, but Ayla and the Lion Camp are vehement in their defence of him. Rydag's intelligence, maturity and wit endear him to Jondalar as well, who learns to overcome his cultural prejudice towards Clan and half-Clan people. More so than any other book in the

series, ''The Mammoth Hunters'' relies on the tension created by the relationships between the characters to create a storyline. Ayla is susceptible to being deceived or confused; she was brought up among essentially honest people who due to their visual language are incapable of deception. She also does not know that when a man asks her to "share Pleasures" with him, she has the option of refusing, since Clan women did not. Thus, there are a number of communication failures in her relationships with members of more complex societies, especially with Jondalar, who is obstinate and

passionate Passion (Greek ''πάσχω'' "to suffer, to be acted on" and Late Latin (chiefly Christian) ''passio'' "passion; suffering" (from Latin ''pati'' "to suffer"; participle: ''passus'')) is a term used to denote strong and intractable or barely ...

. Jondalar, a Zelandoni, is a foreigner among the Mamutoi, and Ayla's acceptance in their society makes him feel separated from her. The primary conflict is a love triangle between Jondalar, Ayla, and Lion Camp member Ranec. Ayla is attracted to Ranec, shares "Pleasures" with him a few times, and comes close to marrying him before several last-minute revelations reunite the former pair. Some fans have criticized author Jean Auel for making the book somewhat of a

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

compared to her other works. The author also uses the same technique (long minutely precise descriptive passages) for common sexual activity as she uses for stone age technology (e.g. flint-shaping). At the end of this novel, Ayla and Jondalar leave for the year-long return journey to Jondalar's people, the Zelandonii, a journey detailed in ''

The Plains of Passage ''The Plains of Passage'' is an historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel published in 1990. It is the sequel to '' The Mammoth Hunters'' and fourth in the Earth's Children series. Plot ''The Plains of Passage'' describes the journey of Ay ...

'' and continued in ''

The Shelters of Stone ''The Shelters of Stone'' is a historical fiction novel by Jean M. Auel published in April 2002. It is the sequel to ''The Plains of Passage'' – published 12 years earlier – and fifth in the Earth's Children series. It describes th ...

.''

Characters

Lion Camp Earthlodge

* Lion Hearth ** Talut (Headman) ** Nezzie *** Danug *** Latie *** Rugie *** Rydag (half-Clan) * Fox Hearth ** Wymez *** Ranec * Mammoth Hearth ** Mamut (shaman) ** Ayla **

* Reindeer Hearth ** Manuv *** Tronie *** Tornec **** Nuvie **** Hartal * Crane Hearth ** Crozie *** Fralie *** Frebec **** Crisavec **** Tasher **** Bectie * Aurochs Hearth ** Tulie (Headwoman) ** Barzec *** Deegie *** Druwez *** Brinan *** Tusie *** Tarneg

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mammoth Hunters, The Earth's Children 1985 American novels Historical novels