Earth's Children - The Clan / Characters

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The Clan

The Clan of the Cave Bear, or simply the Clan, is the name Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) give to themselves. They are a separate species/sub-species from Cro-Magnon (early Homo sapiens sapiens – that's us lot), but still human – they are believed to share 99.7% of their DNA with modern humans. Though similar to modern humans in many ways, they also greatly differ in a number of others. Ayla is raised by a clan, led by Brun, located on the Crimean Peninsula, in The Clan of the Cave Bear, although there are other clans scattered across Europe.

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In General

Absurdly Youthful Mother: Many mothers in the Clan seem this way to Cro-Magnon, with some of them being as young as eight. However, the Clan actually reach physical maturity much earlier than Cro-Magnon, so while they are young, they're technically adults.
All Cavemen Were Neanderthals: Subverted. Whilst the Clan are explicitly Neanderthals, they are portrayed pretty realistically and are just as intelligent and culturally sophisticated as Cro-Magnon. In fact, some aspects of their society surpass Cro-Magnon equivalents. Cro-Magnon largely regard them as just animals, but it's made clear this isn't the case and Ayla spends a lot of time educating her own people on how the Clan actually are.
Animal Motif: Everyone in the Clan has a totem spirit represented by a particular animal, who is believed to guide and watch over them. Mog-urs meditate to determine a baby's totem and will usually pick one that seems to match the baby's appearance and personality. The Clan also heavily identify with bears; their chief deity is Ursus, the Great Cave Bear, whom they believe first showed them how to make and use fire, wear animal skins as clothes and so forth. Ursus is the totem of the whole Clan, though he can sometimes be a personal totem for an individual (such as in the case of Creb, who was 'chosen by the cave bear'...and by that we mean 'nearly mauled to death by one as a kid'). Even Cro-Magnon associate the Clan with bears, with some even believing them to be more closely related to bears than humans.
Artistic License – Biology: Though the author has clearly done her research in order to portray them realistically, she also made up a few things in regards to their biology, such as the racial memory and in particular them being unable to vocalise as well as Cro-Magnon. The last one is justified as a Neanderthal hyoid bone wasn't discovered until a few years after the first book was published, so Auel had to make do with the research available and created a signed language for the Clan to use.
Boring, but Practical: Compared to Cro-Magnon, the Clan usually make and use simplistic clothes, tools, weapons and other objects without decorations and such, but they are stated to be very well-made and durable.
Brain Food: When Ayla accidentally stumbles onto the Mog-urs' secret meeting during the Clan Gathering, she discovers them eating the brains of a man who had been killed during the Cave Bear Ritual as part of a sacred rite.
Bury Your Disabled: Children born with physical deformities and other such conditions are often abandoned to die. There are a few exceptions though; Creb was born with some deformities, but was allowed to live because his father was the clan leader and his mother was a highly prestigious medicine woman. Because he couldn't hunt, he couldn't ever become leader, with that role being passed to his younger brother Brun, but he did become Mog-ur and earned a great deal of respect and status as a result. Hybrid children, who are often mistakenly believed to be deformed, are sometimes permitted to live; in the case of Ura, this was more of a Cruel Mercy to punish her mother for bringing 'bad luck', but Ayla's son Durc was allowed to live as a genuine act of compassion after she and Creb spoke for him.
Creative Sterility: Possibly the greatest limitation of the Clan is their inability to innovate. Not only are they almost incapable of developing new (stone-age) technology and techniques, their ability to even process something out of the ordinary is severely limited. Additionally, they lack almost any concept of imagination ^note.
Fantastic Honorifics: The shamans or holy men of the Clan are called Mog-urs. They are generally publicly known by this title over their birth name.
Fantastic Racism: The Clan tend to be wary of Cro-Magnon, whom they call "the Others", regarding them as strange, noisy and rather ugly. Brun is initially uncertain about Iza taking in Ayla because it might anger the spirits, until Creb convinces him this is their will. At the Clan Gathering, some other clans also express dismay over Ayla preparing the sacred psychotropic drink used in the mog-urs rituals because she's an Other, until Brun convinces them she's well-trained and was accepted as an apprentice by his own highly-regarded medicine woman. That said, the Clan simply tend to avoid the Others and their views of them are not nearly as hostile as many Cro-Magnon's views on the Clan. Ayla notes that the Clan don't view the Others as animals, nor do they treat them and those who associate with them with genuine hatred and revulsion, while the reverse is true for Cro-Magnon regarding "flatheads" and those of "mixed spirits". It's also worth noting that some of the Clan's wariness of the Others is inflamed by gangs of Cro-Magnon attacking Clan members unprovoked for 'sport'.
Genetic Memory: One of the biggest differences between the Clan and Cro-Magnon is the former's inherited memory. They can pass down a wealth of knowledge to their offspring and children generally only need to be reminded once to instinctively know how to do something. Even some hybrids with a Cro-Magnon parent have these memories, such as Rydag. Unfortunately, this has a downside; the Clan's genetic memory is practically full at this point and it hinders them from learning and adapting. This is implied to be one of the main reasons they eventually died out, as they simply couldn't keep up with Cro-Magnon.
Language of Truth: Due to relying primarily on body language and gesture to communicate, the Clan are incapable of lying to each other and can tell when others "make words that are untrue".
Lineage Comes from the Father: Inverted, surprisingly. Although the Clan are usually quite patriarchal, because they don't understand the concept of biological fatherhood, lineage is passed down through mothers. Fathers speaking about their kids would say "He's the son of my mate" or "she's the daughter of my mate." Since even mated women are technically available for any man to "relieve his needs" with (only the leader's mate is generally off limits or you have to ask his permission), the "son of my mate" phraseology is appropriate since even if you did know that fathers have a part in creating children, you wouldn't necessarily be sure that you were the one who helped to create your mate's child.
No Guy Wants an Amazon: Ayla, who is nearly 6ft and has an athletic build, is seen as being "big and ugly" by Clan standards (her other unusual physical features, such as her larger forehead, small nose and blue eyes, are seen as making her look rather strange or unattractive too). Clan women, whilst clearly physically strong, are generally much smaller in stature compared to men and have stronger physical features, which is seen as more attractive by Clan standards.
No Woman's Land: Played with.
- The Clan are quite patriarchal; men are always the leaders or Mog-urs (shamans) and generally have more power and respect within the Clan. Women of the Clan have to obey men, being trained to be attentive to their needs and also being required to let any man who 'makes the signal' have sex with her. Men of the Clan are allowed to use corporal punishment against women who are disobedient, though beating them bloody is frowned upon, and women are raised to be generally meek and submissive to men. They usually have no status in their own right, instead gaining status through their mates. Daily tasks are also strictly gendered; men do hunting and make tools and weapons, whilst women gather food, cook and clean. It is considered bad luck for a woman to even touch a weapon and they can be executed (usually via the death curse) if caught using one. They must also isolate themselves when they get their periods and for a certain amount of time after they've borne a child.
- However, this isn't entirely their fault. Some of the entrenched gender roles are not so much cultural as they are biological; over generations, the Clan became so used to having one sex perform particular tasks and roles, they lost the genetic memories they rely on to do the opposite. In other words, most Clan women are incapable of learning how to hunt, nor would they have the desire to do so. The same applies to men and because of this, they are dependent on each other for survival. For this reason, Iza believes that despite outward appearances, deep down the Clan know that men and women are both equally important. As such, most women don't feel any lesser and most men treat them with respect and dignity - a man who fixates on tormenting and abusing a woman, such as in the case of Ayla and Broud, is seen as shameful and lacking in character. Medicine women are also very powerful; they're the only women in the Clan who have status in their own right, are deferred to by everyone in regards to medical matters, and believed to wield strong magic to heal people effectively. Clan men have been known to appreciate strength and courage in a woman; Brun, though it makes him a bit uncomfortable and he rarely openly shows it, is clearly impressed by Ayla's skill with a sling and ability to survive the death curse, and comes to respect her, whilst Guban is pleasantly surprised when Yorga begins fighting off the gang that attacked them to protect him. Clan women also feel sexual desire like Cro-Magnon women and can display this in their own way; they have certain postures and gestures they use to try and encourage a man to 'make the Signal' at her and do other things to get a man's attention. Of course, this is only referring to Clan women. For Cro-Magnon women living amongst the Clan, it's a lot more difficult and oppressive.
One Twin Must Die: Having twins is viewed as a bad omen amongst the Clan and often one twin will be abandoned to die. Having triplets is seen as even worse.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Neanderthals are on average much shorter than Cro-Magnon (by the age of eleven, Ayla towers over practically everyone in her clan). However, they're also much stronger, stockier and more muscular, including the women. A few Cro-Magnons remark that although Neanderthals look small, they wouldn't make the mistake of thinking them frail, while some Cro-Magnons who pick fights with the Clan soon find this out the hard way.
A Real Man Is a Killer: A boy is officially considered a man once he has made his first kill on a hunt, proving he can contribute to his clan.
Rejection Ritual: The Clan have a ritual called the death curse, which is mainly reserved for serious violations of their rules and traditions. Those who are cursed with death are genuinely seen as dead by a clan; people are not supposed to talk to them, look at them or acknowledge them in any way, as acknowledging a 'spirit' could bring bad luck.
Rule of Seven: The Clan have a rule in which a newborn baby must live past seven days before accepted by a clan's leader. This also gives the leader time to assess whether babies seemingly born sick or deformed in some way should be allowed to live. After seven days, however, they're formally considered part of the clan and are protected, being given a name and totem by the Mog-ur.
The Silent Bob: All of the Clan primarily communicate through an elaborate and comprehensive system of signed language, which also includes body language and facial expression. Even something as subtle as a raised eyebrow can add extra meaning and depth to a conversation. Individual clans also have different variations of signed language and the Mog-urs (holy men/shamans) have their own sacred signed language (which includes no spoken words at all). Cro-Magnon who witness Ayla making a speech in the Clan way say it's obvious her gestures and movements are purposeful, rather than her simply randomly waving her hands around.
The Speechless: Downplayed. The Clan can vocalise and have some form of spoken language, but not to the same extent as Cro-Magnon. They have difficulty pronouncing more complex words or names and so often use more simplistic words, with only one or two syllables. They often only speak when it comes to important nouns, such as names or titles, or to place emotional emphasis on conversations.
The Stoic: What all Clan men aspire to be, this being the standard of masculinity amongst their society. One Clan man was sitting on a broken leg for hours rather than kick up a fuss about the pain, or risk losing face by asking for help.
Suddenly Always Knew That: Probably the greatest advantage the Clan has, apart from their impressive strength, are their genetic memories. People of the Clan do not learn by instruction, but instead draw upon generations of memories already in their brains from birth.
Theme Naming: The Clan tend to have very short names with only one or two syllables (this is because they have a lot of difficulty pronouncing names and words with more, due to physical differences). Notably, almost all Clan women seem to have names ending in "a". They also tend to use hard consonants over soft consonants, probably due to the same reason; Ayla (who was raised to talk like a Neanderthal), Yorga and Guban all have difficulty saying Jondalar's name for the first time (which uses softer consonants and has three syllables).
Tribal Face Paint: The Clan use red ochre to paint a line down an infant's face and paint on the symbol of their totem during their naming ceremony, as demonstrated when Ayla is adopted into Brun's clan. When boys reach manhood, they have their totem symbol tattooed on their bodies. When Ayla decides to adopt a foal she names Whinney in The Valley of Horses, she uses red mud to paint the horse's muzzle similar to the clan's naming rituals. When a person dies, their body is painted with ochre before they're buried to represent the blood of the womb.
Two Guys and a Girl: The leader (like a chieftain) and mog-ur (spiritual leader) of each individual clan are always men, but the other extremely important and high-ranking position of clan healer is always held by a woman, with the official title being medicine woman.
Un-person: This is essentially what happens to people who are cursed with death. The person is seen as a lingering spirit and so is completely ignored, not even being looked at, as acknowledging a spirit could cause it to stick around 'haunting' the cave and bring misfortune. All of their possessions are burnt and people mourn for the cursed person as if they had really died. Unlike most examples of Un-person, the person isn't erased from existence per se and they can be talked about afterwards, but people will only speak of them as they would any person who is actually deceased.

Brun's Clan

Brun

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

The leader of the clan that takes in Ayla. He is the father of Broud, the mate of Ebra and the brother of Creb and Iza.

Animal Motif: His totem is a bison, often symbolizing strength, unity and prosperity: all signs of a good leader.
Belated Love Epiphany: A non-romantic example. Brun only realizes how much he cares for Ayla (in a fatherly sense) after she's cursed with death by Broud.
The Chains of Commanding: Brun states that Clan leaders have less freedom than women, and that a leader must put the Clan's needs above his own.
The Chessmaster: He faces heavy odds to retain the seniority of his Clan at the Clan Gathering due to the fact that his Medicine Woman is a Token Minority with a "deformed" baby. Nevertheless, even after personally losing a contest for which he was the favorite, he manages to engineer the situation to retain his Clan's pre-eminence.
Cool Old Guy: By the end of the first novel. He'd be the best leader ever if he didn't love his Jerkass son Broud so much.
Doting Parent: Towards Broud, though he won't hesitate to discipline him if he gets out of line. Unfortunately, his love for his son and surety that he will make a great leader someday blinds him to the fact that Broud's, at best, a Spoiled Brat who is nowhere near ready to take on such a responsibility.
The Fettered: Brun's ideal of leadership is the most positive version of this. In a lecture to Broud, he states that Clan leaders have less freedom than women, and that a leader must put the Clan's needs above his own. Broud, whose leadership style is all about self-aggrandizement, doesn't understand where his father is coming from.
Freudian Trio: With his siblings. He is generally The Spock; he's The Stoic who tries to act in a calm and rational manner and puts the wellbeing of his people first, even if that means getting tough, with Iza and Creb sometimes persuading him to soften up and act on compassion.
Horrible Judge of Character: Brun is usually a decent judge of people, but this trope kicks in when it comes to his son. Brun does recognise that Broud has serious issues with anger management and egotism, giving him a serious talking to about it in his youth, but Brun believes he's grown out of it by the time he decides to retire and that Broud is ready to be leader. He quickly realizes he's made a huge mistake.
I Have No Son!: Downplayed. He threatens to disown Broud if he keeps acting up as a kid (read: beating a young girl to unconsciousness because she was slightly disrespectful to him). Later, after making his son leader, only realize what a terrible job he's doing, he tells Broud how ashamed of him he is, that he's unworthy to be leader and that he wishes Ayla had been his heir instead.
The Leader: Of the clan Ayla is raised by. He's of the 'Levelheaded' variety, being stern yet fair, prioritising his people's well-being above all, listening to advice yet also competent in making his own decisions, and leading the clan to peace and prosperity after their original cave was destroyed.
Like a Daughter to Me: He comes to regard Ayla, his adopted niece, as this, though sadly he only voices this after she's already been banished. He outright tells Broud he wishes that Ayla had "been the son of my mate" instead of him.
Meaningful Name: "Brun" is close to "bruin" (another term for a bear) in both sound and spelling.
Must Make Amends: After Broud curses Ayla with death, Brun subtly promises her that he will help care for and protect Durc; it's implied it's partly because he feels he failed Ayla by allowing Broud to become leader in the first place and he knows Broud may target Durc out of hatred for his mother. It's also hinted Durc may become important to the clan in the future, so hopefully Brun will do a better job imparting his values and skills onto his grandson.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After losing a sporting competition at the Clan Gathering, Brun realizes he's not as strong as he used to be due to getting on in years and takes this as a sign it's time to retire so his son can start leading the clan. Brun does it for the good of the clan but unfortunately making Broud leader was an absolutely terrible idea. Brun seems to realize it as well, after it's too late.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With his mate, Ebra. At the least, they are fond of each other and he treats her with great respect and affection. The biggest issue they have is Brun's belief Ebra spoils and coddles Broud, which is detrimental to him.
Plausible Deniability: As Ayla is walking away from the cave after being cursed with death, she looks back one last time and sees Brun watching her. Brun raises his arm in a way that would reasonably look like he was just stretching or scratching his nose to others, but Ayla realizes he's subtly making the Clan's hand signal for "Walk with Ursus" to her; Brun can't be more open about it as acknowledging someone cursed is taboo, but he still shows Ayla what support he can.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Zig-zagged with Ayla. Though his first priority is the Clan's rules and traditions, he does try to help her out on occasion, a notable example being the incident when Ayla is discovered to have been using a sling. Although tradition demands that she be put to death, Brun gives her a chance by only having her be cursed with death for a month, due to believing her skills could be useful to the clan, that her totem wants her to hunt (and thus harming her could anger him) and out of gratitude for using her skill to save his grandson.
"Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives a pretty epic one to Broud at the end of the first book, basically telling him he's an immature Jerkass who brings shame to himself and the clan, unworthy to be leader and that a woman he hates would make a better man than him.
Retired Badass: He retires from his position as leader at the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear. He's still a hundred times more badass than Broud will ever be despite being an old man and everyone knows it. After their cave is destroyed in an earthquake, the clan immediately looks to Brun rather than Broud for guidance and it's mentioned that despite it being against their traditions, if Brun decided to take back leadership in that moment, the clan would follow him without question.
Two Guys and a Girl: With his siblings, Iza and Creb.
Why Are You Not My Son?: At the end of the first book, he publicly shames Broud and simultaneously shows his belated appreciation of Ayla by unfavorably comparing them and wishing that Ayla had been his son and heir instead, as she always displayed far more dignity, humility, self-control, compassion and respect for her elders than Broud ever has.

Iza

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

A medicine woman of the Clan and the sister of Brun and Creb. She adopts Ayla as her daughter and also has a biological daughter, Uba.

All-Loving Heroine: As a child, she brought injured animals into the camp to try and heal them and even though Ayla is not Clan, she sees her only as a lost and injured child in need of her help and willingly adopts her as her daughter.
Animal Motif: Her totem is a saiga antelope. Although they may appear frail at first glance, they're stronger than they look, which applies to Iza (both in terms of physical and mental strength); some people remark that a saiga antelope is an unusually strong totem for a woman to be protected by and it's believed this is the reason Iza's mate failed to get her pregnant for so long. They're also considered intelligent and observant, definitely traits Iza shares. Some cultures also believe saiga antelope - especially their horns - possess healing properties (which unfortunately is a big part of the reason they're now critically endangered to due to over-hunting), which could allude to Iza's own abilities as a healer.
Awful Wedded Life: Her mate was very cruel and often beat her, partly out of jealousy because, as a medicine woman from a prestigious line, she had a great deal of social standing, whilst he was basically a nobody. Unsurprisingly, she's not very bothered when he is killed in an earthquake.
Cassandra Truth: On her deathbed, she tries to warn Ayla to seek out her own kind, because she realizes now she will never be able to live with the Clan indefinitely as she is too different, and that she should leave soon, otherwise Broud will do something terrible to her once he becomes leader. Ayla doesn't heed her advice and, sadly, Iza is proved to be correct: Broud ends up trying to force her to marry him and to give up custody of her son, then curses her with death when she speaks out against him, permanently separating her from her loved ones.
Contraception Deception: She would secretly prepare and drink a contraceptive herbal tea to stick it to her abusive mate, as he felt humiliated by the fact he hadn't fathered any sons. She did eventually get pregnant as the tea isn't 100% reliable, but her mate died before the baby was born and she gave birth to a girl.
Cool Old Lady: By the end of the first book, for being a wise, loving and infinitely patient woman who even flouts Clan tradition to protect her adopted daughter, even though this is incredibly difficult for her. Although, at twenty-seven, she would still be considered young by our standards.
Doting Grandparent: To Durc. And this was even before he was born; she risked her own health going out in poor weather to find herbs that would help Ayla during her pregnancy and delivered Durc personally. Even though he's initially considered deformed, she loves him and helps Ayla protect him.
Establishing Character Moment: In her first scene, Iza finds Ayla close to death and is adamant about saving her life; she persuades Brun to let her help the child and he grudgingly agrees if she can carry Ayla herself. To Brun's surprise and grudging respect, Iza successfully carries Ayla a long way despite being pregnant and having supplies to carry, and sets about treating her wounds as soon as they make camp. This establishes her as a compassionate and determined woman, who is willing to push back at her society's conventions to do what she believes is right.
Freudian Trio: With her brothers. She is usually The McCoy, being the most prone to act on her emotions and deeply compassionate.
Good Parents: To Ayla and Uba. She is emotionally and physically nurturing, cares for them when they're sick or injured, comforts them when they're upset and does an excellent job teaching them to be healers. It overlaps a bit with Parents as People in Ayla's case, as some of Iza's attempts to shape her into a 'good Clan woman' are harmful to Ayla in the long-run and quite questionable from the reader's perspective, though Iza isn't doing it from malice and eventually realizes that Ayla is just different. Despite this she loves her unconditionally and defends her even when she violates the Clan's rules, accepting Ayla for herself.
Incurable Cough of Death: How she dies towards the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear. It is heavily implied she has tuberculosis.
The Medic: She is the medicine woman (healer) of her clan. She is descended from a long line of gifted and respected medicine women and is very skilled at her job, passing on her skills to both Ayla and Uba.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: She mentors Ayla in becoming a medicine woman and dies near the end of the first book. Ayla subsequently takes Iza's place as their clan's medicine woman, although towards the end Iza came to believe Ayla didn't belong with the Clan; Ayla indeed finds happiness and belonging elsewhere (after being forced out by Broud), though Iza's teachings remain invaluable to her.
Platonic Life-Partners: With her brother, Creb. After her mate died, Creb moved in with her and became a father figure to her daughters. She never took another mate and treated her brother like one instead, but without any romantic or sexual feelings.
Supreme Chef: She is a very good cook and passed on what she knows to Ayla.
Teen Pregnancy: She's nineteen when she gets pregnant with and gives birth to Uba; she's also the same age when she adopts Ayla as her daughter. Notably, due to the Clan physically maturing faster than Cro-Magnon, Iza is well into adulthood and is actually considered unusually old to be having her first child.
Two Guys and a Girl: With her brothers, Brun and Creb.
You Didn't Ask: Due to the way the Clan communicate, Iza Cannot Tell a Lie...so when Ayla runs off with her allegedly deformed newborn son, intending to hide out in a cave for seven days until Brun is forced to accept him, Iza protects them by simply not mentioning where exactly Ayla has gone or what she's doing, and actively tries to avoid the subject. Unfortunately, Creb eventually figures something is up and asks her outright, forcing her to come clean and invoking this trope in the process.

Creb

Creb/Mog-ur

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear | The Plains of Passage^note

The Clan's Mog-ur (shaman), brother of Iza and Brun, and Ayla's surrogate father figure.

Animal Motif: He has two, due to having two totems. His second totem, the Cave Bear, represents his persona as one of the most powerful Mog-urs of all the clans, a person inspiring awe and commanding respect. His birth totem is the roe deer, which represents the person he is Beneath the Mask; gentle and shy.
Bears Are Bad News: Subverted. He was mauled by a cave bear as a child and nearly died. However, he and everyone around him actually sees it as a sign he is spiritually enlightened, having been 'chosen' by the totem spirit of the Cave Bear. He also claims the cave bear as his second personal totem.
Cane Fu: Creb's walking stick is his only means of defending himself and those around him.
Celibate Hero: He never had a mate and is no longer really interested, content living with his (happily) widowed sister and his nieces.
Character Death: At the end of the first book, he is killed by falling rocks inside the clan's cave during an earthquake, though he continues to appear in dreams and visions in the sequels.
Cool Old Guy: He lives to be unusually old by Clan standards and is greatly admired and respected for being a genius, infinitely patient, and being willing to love Ayla even when he couldn't accept her inappropriate behavior.
Cool Uncle: To Uba and Ayla, combined with Parental Substitute. He's especially this to Ayla, as he teaches her Clan legends and how to do basic numeracy (which most people in the Clan can't grasp as easily). He also speaks up for Ayla's son to be allowed to live and shields her presence from the other Mog-urs when she accidentally walks in on their ritual.
Covered with Scars: Due to surviving a cave bear attack as a child, his whole body is permanently scarred. Many people - especially those not close to him - find his scars frightening or off-putting, though Ayla isn't afraid.
Cursed with Awesome: Creb's mauling by a cave bear as a child, which gave him frightening scars, was taken as a sign of favor by the spirit of the cave bear. As a result of this, he chosen to be the next Mog-ur, responsible for communing with the spirits on behalf of the Clan, for which he proved to have a knack. It also entitled him to a portion of the meat from every big game hunt, which he was unable to provide for himself due being crippled from birth.
Due to the Dead: After finding his body, Ayla briefly signs the Clan's funeral rites over it.
Eye Scream: In his backstory, he lost one of his eyes after being mauled by a bear. This leads to some other clans referring to him as "Mog-Ur One-Eye".
Family Man: He is very devoted to his family, serving as a father figure to Uba and Ayla, and supporting and helping out his sister Iza the way a mate would.
Freudian Trio: With his siblings. He is usually The Kirk, being a balancing force of logic and sentimentality between Brun and Iza.
Genius Cripple: Has one eye and one arm, walks with a limp and can't hunt, so technically he's not even a man by Clan standards. But he's the most spiritually powerful mog-ur (religious leader, "shaman") of the whole Clan, brilliant and capable of insights most Neanderthals can't figure out.
Handicapped Badass: Downplayed. Although not a hunter by any stretch of the imagination, Creb is perfectly capable of defending himself with his walking stick.
Heroic BSoD: He has an emotional breakdown after the ritual at the Clan Gathering, where he sees in a vision that the Clan will eventually die out. He never really gets over it and eventually retires, as he no longer feels the same joy he used to in conducting the rituals and communing with the spirits.
High Priest: Downplayed. The Clan don't have an official religious leader, but Creb is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and respected Mog-ur in his region; as such the other Mog-ur tend to defer to him and he leads their rituals. Even on the other side of Europe there are clans who have heard of Creb's power and hold reverence for him.
"I Can't Look!" Gesture: When Broud orders Ayla cursed with death, Creb finds it so unbearable to watch he turns away and walks into the cave. This ends up causing his death, as he’s still inside the cave when it collapses during an earthquake.
Like a Daughter to Me: He regards Ayla as his daughter, stating as much on a few occasions, such as when the other men ask if he would consider mating her (he doesn't for this reason) and when he pleads with Brun to let her and her son live.
Living Legend: He is famed amongst various clans for his great power and wisdom. It turns out that he's even known and respected by clans living almost on the other side of the continent, as Guban is revealed to have heard of him.
Love Overrides the Law: He falls into this more and more with Ayla as she continues to break Clan traditions. He votes against condemning her to death for using a sling, pleads with Brun to let her keep her "deformed" son, and finally, he keeps it a secret when she intrudes on a ceremony reserved for mog-urs (where he mentally lampshades it himself, saying that he should condemn her to death right then and there). It is justified in his case, as Ayla is one of the only people who loves him as a person (most people either ridiculing or fearing him).
My Country, Right or Wrong: Even though he opposes the capital punishment of Ayla for using a sling, he does his part in administering the curse of death after Brun decides that it is the correct course of action.
Named After the Injury: Some of the Clan know Creb as Mog-Ur One Eye, as he lost one of his eyes in a cave bear attack as a child (along with one of his arms).
Near-Death Experience: As a child, he was mauled by a cave bear and narrowly survived. He and his clan believed it was sign he had been chosen by the Great Cave Bear to become their next Mog-ur (shaman).
Only Known by Their Nickname: Played with. Most people call him Mog-ur, his title, but his close family and friends call him by his given name, Creb.
Parental Substitute: To both Ayla and Uba, both of them having lost their fathers at a young age (in Uba's case, before she was born). He's technically their uncle, but he's the man they grow up around and learn from, so he's their dad in all but name.
Platonic Life-Partners: With his sister, Iza. After her mate died, Creb moved in with her and became a father figure to her daughters. She never took another mate while he never had a mate to begin with, treating his sister like one instead, but without any romantic or sexual feelings.

Spirit Advisor: He possibly becomes this to Ayla from the second novel onwards, particularly in The Plains of Passage. He often appears to her in dreams, giving her advice or hints when she's feeling uncertain about something.
Two Guys and a Girl: With his siblings, Brun and Iza.
Trademark Favourite Food: Roast ptarmigan stuffed with eggs or herbs is his favorite meal. Iza and Ayla make it specially for him and whenever Ayla sees or eats ptarmigan, she's reminded of Creb.
Unwanted Healing: Creb refuses to let Iza remove his rotten tooth despite it causing him lots of pain and discomfort, out of fear of the procedure (in fairness to Creb, the series is set in the Stone Age so medical treatments are cruder and riskier compared to modern medicine). He does ask her to lance it and give him herbal treatments to reduce his pain, but as Iza warns him, this isn't a long-term solution and only prolongs his suffering. Iza and Ayla finally talk Creb into letting them take out the tooth.

Broud

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Brun's son and the future leader of the Clan, who despises Ayla and goes out of his way to cause her grief.

Animal Motif: The wooly rhino, his totem. He tends to have the more negative traits associated with rhinos, such as a quick temper, displaying aggression towards anything perceived as a threat and (metaphorical) short-sightedness.

Archnemesis Dad: To Durc, although both are unaware of their relation because of the Clan's way of thinking about reproduction. Broud utterly despises Durc and his mother, trying to persuade Brun to let Durc die when he was an infant and spending years abusing Ayla, before banishing her and separating mother and son forever. Everyone fears that with Ayla gone, Broud will turn on their son instead, although Brun and Uba have both vowed to protect him. Given that it's hinted Durc has a large role to play in the future of the clan, he may also become The Rival to his father eventually, though this isn't confirmed in the books.
Bad Boss: He manages to prove himself as one mere moments after being made leader, abusing his power to 'punish' Ayla for imagined slights, forcing Creb out of his hearth, ignoring his people's protests and opinions, failing to reassure and organize his people after the earthquake and hastily ordering Ayla be cursed with death just because he hates her.
Big Bad: He's the primary antagonist of the The Clan of the Cave Bear and the biggest human threat Ayla faces.
Control Freak: He's pretty obsessive in exercising power and control over those under him, especially Ayla.
Disproportionate Retribution: Everything he does to Ayla. He beats and torments her for being slightly disrespectful to him, or for completely imagined wrongdoings.
Dumbass Teenage Son: Played with. He spends most of the first book as a teenager, though this makes him a man by Clan standards. He doesn't understand the leadership decisions Brun makes, despite the genetic memory that he is supposed to have. Brun ends up having to explain himself to Broud in ways that he himself never had to have anyone explain to him. However, this also may be due to his blinding hatred of Ayla.
Evil Is Petty: He forces Ayla to be his 'second woman' and separates her from her son for no reason other than he hates her; he claims that Durc needs a mated couple to care for him and Ayla needs a man to provide for her, but Ayla is perfectly capable of caring for herself (she's a medicine woman and was granted permission to hunt with a sling) and Broud doesn't give two hoots about Durc, even encouraging Brun to have him killed as a newborn for his 'deformity'. Ayla also correctly deduces he's forcing Creb from his hearth just to stick it to her.
Evil Nephew: A bit of one towards Iza and Creb. He doesn't ever really directly hurt them, because Brun would never allow it (and he's afraid of their supposed magical powers), but he shows little respect for either of them and hurts them via Ayla, Iza's adopted daughter, beating and tormenting her. After becoming leader, Broud immediately orders Creb be kicked out of his hearth and moved to another one near the draughty cave entrance, even though Creb is a very old and sick man by this point who has lived at that hearth virtually all his life. Ayla correctly guesses he's only doing it to spite her and calls him out, prompting him to curse her with death in front of Creb.
Fatal Flaw: His ego. He can't stand any perceived damage to his pride, no matter how small, and it directly fuels many of his negative actions, especially towards Ayla. His arrogance also means he tends to do whatever he wants, dismissing the opinions of others (especially if he has personal grievances against them, regardless of how useful they might be).
Fury-Fueled Foolishness: A recurring theme with Broud, from his physical attack on Zoug to his attempt to strike Ayla after her death curse (which is a big taboo in the Clan).
Green-Eyed Monster: He is jealous of any attention Ayla gets, feeling that he himself deserves attention instead.
Hair-Trigger Temper: A major flaw. He gets angry with minimal provocation and generally responds with Tantrum Throwing or violence.
Hate Sink: It's really saying something when the Ax-Crazy murderess Attaroa is still more sympathetic than this guy (due to her Dark and Troubled Past and Freudian Excuse). Broud has no real excuse for his obnoxious behavior and Irrational Hatred of Ayla. She hates him, the readers hate him and by the end most of the clan, including his own father, hate him too.

I Told You So: After Ayla tries to hide her "deformed" baby until his naming day, therefore giving Brun no choice but to accept him into the Clan, he claims that this is the natural consequence of the allowances granted her by his father. He uses the situation to actively undermine Brun's authority, and uses every available opportunity to tell the other men of the Clan that he would have done things differently. Even Brun begins to doubt his own judgment.
I Resemble That Remark!: When Broud tries to upstage Zoug's sling lessons for the boys, the older man calls him "a boy who thinks he's a man". Broud responds by pushing Zoug to the ground, which in Clan culture is an unmanly loss of self-control and indeed comes off as extremely childish.
Jerkass: He's generally rude, arrogant, short-tempered, prone to violence and self-centred. To start with, he begins despising Ayla simply because he feels she upstaged his transition into adulthood, which was in no way her fault. Not to mention, she's only five when they first meet. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. In the end, his own father calls him out on it and all but disowns him.
Jerkass Has a Point: For all of his cruelty and immaturity, there are times when the other men of the Clan - even Brun and Creb - find it impossible to refute the points he brings up.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: For one small moment, it seems that Broud might be able to let go of his irrational hatred of Ayla after he learns she saved his son's life, even expressing gratitude for it. But when he learns that Ayla saw him being chewed out by Zoug when she watched the hunters practicing to learn how to use a sling, he swiftly loses any sliver of respect or goodwill he had started to feel towards her...in fact, he arguably hates her even more.
Karma Houdini: He never gets his comeuppance for all of the horrible things he's done, although in the end, the whole clan seems to recognize what an asshole and a horrible leader he is, and Brun also loses his respect for him.
Manchild: Invoked many, many times. For instance, many of the men blamed Ayla's defiance of him on his inability to act like a man. He indeed comes off as extremely immature at times, with poor impulse control and a childish penchant for cruelty.
Meaningful Name: His name sounds similar to 'Proud', which is apt given his massive but fragile ego is the source of most of his issues.
Morality Pet: He genuinely loves his sons, Brac and Grev, dotes on them and is distraught when Brac is attacked and nearly dragged off by a hyena, even briefly gaining some respect towards Ayla for saving him (though doesn't last long).
Narcissist: He ticks an awful lot of the boxes for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and definitely doesn't think or act much like a mentally healthy person would. This includes a pathological desire for power and respect, inflated self-importance, extreme selfishness, an inability to handle criticism and tendency to shift blame onto others, and overconfidence in his own abilities and judgements even when faced with information to the contrary. He doesn't show remorse about hurting people unless it causes other people - especially Brun - to think less of him.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: He starts out as a Spoiled Brat who bullies Ayla and shows little respect for others, but is mostly just a whiny jerk. Then he snaps when Ayla, who is only a child still, expresses reluctance at waiting on him hand and foot and beats her to the point of unconsciousness. It only escalates from there.
Only-Child Syndrome: He's the only child Brun and Ebra ever had. As a result, they both doted on him (Ebra especially), and Brun invested a lot of time and energy trying to make Broud a good future leader, seeing as he was the only one of Brun's line who could inherit the position (Brun's brother Creb never had children, Iza had only daughters whom she trained as medicine women). Unfortunately, it's implied that Broud never having to share his parents' attention with siblings, his mother's overindulgence and his father's lofty expectations, all contributed to him becoming a selfish egotist who cares more about his own status than the needs of others.
Pet the Dog: Early in the first novel, he shows Oga sympathy and comfort while she's grieving for her parents, who both died recently. This kindness is one of the reasons Oga wishes to marry Broud, though unfortunately his kindness towards her doesn't last after they're mated.
Petty Childhood Grudge: The root of Broud's lifelong resentment of Ayla is him feeling she upstaged him when they were children. Broud had just made his first kill on a hunt and so was now considered ready for adulthood; he expected all the attention to be on him during the ceremony to bless the clan's new cave. However, many clan members' attention is diverted when Creb announces that Ayla has the totem of the cave lion (it's rare for a boy to have this totem and unheard of for a girl). The novelty eventually wears off and Ayla is treated much like everyone else, but Broud never forgets this perceived slight and grows to despise Ayla more and more over the years, doing some reprehensible things to her to prove his superiority.
The Resenter: Towards Ayla, to the point where he beats her up and repeatedly rapes her just to one up her.
The Rival: To Ayla. Well, he seems to think so, thought what she's supposed to be rivalling him in isn't clear...he just hates it when she gets more attention than him (whether that's actually the case or not).
Sadist: Made blatantly obvious when he rapes Ayla, with him actually deriving more pleasure from beating her down and causing her pain and humiliation than from the sexual aspect.
Sketchy Successor: To Brun. Broud's father was a brilliant leader, being stern and cautious, but always fair and just, putting his people's well-being first. Broud is a pompous and self-absorbed Manchild who makes decisions purely based on how he feels in a given moment, demands respect he's done little to earn and promotes or punishes people based on how he personally feels about them, rather than their actual merits or misdoings.
Spoiled Brat: As an adolescent, he was a whiny, entitled jerk most of the time. He doesn't get better.
Ungrateful Bastard: Ayla saves his son's life by killing a hyena that had attacked him with a sling. However, when he learns she taught herself to use a sling by watching the young hunters practicing, and so saw him humiliated by Zoug for being a brat, he immediately insists she be cursed with death for using a weapon.
Villainous Breakdown: He has a complete meltdown at the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear. He orders Ayla be cursed with death when she publicly stands up to him over his unjust actions, but any triumph he feels dissipates quickly when an earthquake strikes, destroying the clan's cave. Broud desperately tries to blame it on Ayla, insisting she brings bad luck, but it's obvious that the majority of the clan and Broud himself fear that he actually angered the spirits by abruptly and unjustly cursing Ayla and caused the destruction. Ayla stands up to Broud again, insisting that she isn't really dead and that no matter what else he does to hurt her, he cannot force her to die. Broud gets so riled up by Ayla's words that he completely loses it and tries to hit her; he immediately realises that he's made himself look even worse because he publicly acknowledged a cursed person, which is thought to be bad luck, and proved once again he has little self-control. Broud tries to deflect the negative attention onto his own father after noticing he subtly acknowledged Ayla, only for Brun to turn it back on him. Broud is left utterly humiliated in front of everyone.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: To his father in his youth (though Brun isn't intentionally doing it). He seems genuinely shaken when Brun calls him out on his poor behavior and states he wishes Ayla were his son instead.
Would Hit a Girl: Men of the Clan are allowed to hit women if they're being 'uppity', but Broud damn near beats Ayla to death at one point, which is seen as going too far even by their standards. He also brutally and repeatedly rapes her. Broud is also quick to lash out at his mate Oga; on one occasion she spills tea on him because she's distracted worrying about another woman giving birth and Brun has to stop Broud from striking her, saying it was clearly an accident and not a big deal.
The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: As 'the son of Brun's mate', he's regarded as the rightful heir to leadership of the clan and has the inherited memories for leading. But he is completely unfit for the position, which Brun and the clan finds out the hard way.

Uba

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Iza's biological daughter and Ayla's adopted sister.

The Apprentice: To her mother, who mentors her as a medicine woman alongside Ayla. It's just as well, seeing as Ayla gets kicked out by Broud a few years after Iza's death, leaving Uba to take up the mantle.
Big Sister Worship: She adores her older sister; she never thinks of any differently even though she's not clan, is never jealous of her for becoming Iza's heir over her despite being adopted and defies the Clan's traditions to try and protect Ayla and her baby.
Child by Rape: She was most likely this; her biological father was abusive to Iza and she never loved him; their mating was arranged by the previous clan leader and Iza had no say in the matter.
Dead Guy Junior: She's named after her late great-grandmother, who was also a medicine woman of great skill.
Disappeared Dad: Her father died in an earthquake before she was born. Considering the kind of man he was, she's probably not missing out on much and she seems to view Creb as her father figure.
Nephewism: She takes in her nephew Durc after Ayla is cursed with death and forced to leave the clan.
Nice Girl: She often shows compassion and concern for others. She adores her older sister even though she doesn't always understand why she acts strangely, sneaks out to visit Ayla and a newborn Durc at their secret cave to ensure they have food and water, and later warns Ayla that Brun intends to curse her with death for her defiance unless she returns, indirectly saving both their lives. She's also very accepting and loving of her nephew, despite the fact he's regarded as 'deformed', and willingly takes him in.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Vorn, as it turns out.
Rank Up: She becomes the clan's medicine woman at the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear due to Ayla being cursed with death, though they hadn't yet held an official ceremony.
Secret-Keeper: She's briefly one for Ayla when she hides out in a cave with her newborn son to prevent him from being abandoned to die, due to his so-called 'deformity'. Uba follows Ayla to make sure she doesn't get sick or injured and sneaks essential supplies to her.
Tragic Stillbirth: Uba manages to get pregnant, but the child is stillborn. It's downplayed as though it's still upsetting for her and Vorn, she comes to terms with the loss and doesn't dwell on it. Ayla, who delivers the baby, also privately thinks it's better the child was stillborn, as it turns out Uba gave birth to conjoined twins who were unlikely to have survived, either due to health conditions or through Uba being forced to abandon them (Ayla keeps this detail from Uba to spare her feelings).

Durc

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear | The Mammoth Hunters ^note

Ayla's son, who is half-Clan and half-Cro Magnon.

Adorably Precocious Child: He's considered a straight example by the clan, unlike his mother. He shows an interest in spears at an early age and tries to drag Grod's largest once back home with him, much to the old hunter's amusement.
Animal Motif: The gray wolf is his totem.
Arranged Marriage: His mother arranges for him to mate Ura, a girl from another clan who is also a hybrid, as she worries he'll never get a mate otherwise and this way he and Ura will always have someone to support them.
Best Friend: He's very close with Grev, Broud's youngest son whom he was 'milk-brothers' with (they were both breastfed by Grev's mother due to Ayla's milk drying up). He constantly hangs out with Grev and they love each other like brothers. They actually are paternal half-brothers, though only Ayla figures this out due to the Clan not quite understanding biological fatherhood.
Child by Rape: He was conceived after Broud raped Ayla.
Child of Two Worlds: He has a Neanderthal father and Cro-Magnon mother. He has physiological traits of both types of human.
The Chosen One: Creb believes him to be this, as through him, some part of the Clan will survive. It's even hinted that he may become leader of Brun's clan instead of Broud someday. Creb says that Durc is "Ayla's gift" to the Clan.
Cursed with Awesome: Brun only accepts him into the Clan after Creb makes an impassioned plea on his behalf due to his so-called deformity. However, he is promised a mate while still very young, as the girl is similarly "deformed." And Creb realizes that he will carry on the Clan lineage after they go extinct, as his lacks the limitations of most Neanderthals due having a Cro-Magnon mother. His life may be difficult at first due his perceived deformity but it will eventually prove to be a boon.
Half-Breed Discrimination: Technically averted amongst the Clan. Although he is discriminated against by some of them, it's because he's mistakenly believed to be deformed, not because he's half-Cro-Magnon. In fact, Ayla uses her theory that his unusual appearance is due to being a hybrid as an argument for him being accepted by the Clan. He is discriminated against by Cro-Magnon for being half-Clan, though he's not around to witness it, with his mother bearing the brunt of people's prejudice (and furiously calling people out on it).
Meaningful Name: Creb names him after the main character of Ayla's favorite legend, a man who defied Clan traditions and left his cave to forge his own path, never to be seen again.
Missing Mom: Ayla becomes this to him, though not by choice (see Parental Abandonment below).
Momma's Boy: Although he loves all his family, Durc is particularly close to his mother (especially as his father is absent from his life). He's able to vocalise like her due to being half Cro-Magnon and they sometimes play a special game where they make nonsense sounds together (that the rest of the Clan are incapable of). He is understandably distraught when Ayla is forced to leave him.
Nephewism: Uba, his adoptive aunt, takes him in after his mother is forced to leave him, with Ayla explicitly stating that she will be his 'mother' now. Previously, his adoptive great-uncle Creb also had a large role in his upbringing, serving as a father/grandfather figure.
Parental Abandonment: Initially defied by Ayla; she refuses to abandon him to die due to him being seen as 'deformed'. Later played straight though not by choice; Ayla is forced to leave him after being banished by Broud. Luckily, he has his aunt Uba and grandfather Brun to care for him.
Raised by the Community: A downplayed example. Durc's mother isn't incompetent or unloving (despite being a child herself when she had him), but after her breast milk dries up other women with babies step in to feed Durc. Consequently, Durc uses the Clan gesture for "mother" for many of these women, though he only verbally calls Ayla "Mama". It's also unknown who Durc's father is; Ayla was unmated when she got pregnant so Durc has no man of his hearth and no one is certain which of the men's totems could've defeated Ayla's cave lion totem to impregnate her, with it even being theorised several men's totems could've worked together (in reality Ayla was raped by Broud, though even if Broud figured this out he's not willing to be a father to Durc). As a result, Durc has several father figures; Creb (whose hearth he shares) initially helps raise him, Grod encourages Durc's interest in spears, Durc's uncle Vorn takes him into his hearth after Ayla is banished and Brun promises he will protect and mentor Durc. Creb and Ayla note that Durc essentially becomes the son of the whole clan; it's either stated or strongly implied that multiple members will raise him in Ayla's absence.
Raised by Grandparents: Downplayed, although Uba and her mate Vorn are his primary carers after Ayla leaves, Durc's mother extracts a promise from his grandfather Brun that he will protect him from Broud, teach him to hunt and educate him in the Clan's ways.
Wonder Child: He's seen as such by his mother and most of the clan. Because Ayla's totem is so strong, no one believed it would ever be overcome by any of the men's, meaning she would never have a child (as this is how the Clan think babies are conceived). Ayla is thrilled when she learns she's going to have a baby after all, and she and Iza do everything in their power to keep Durc alive and healthy during and after the pregnancy. Due to being a hybrid, Durc is seen as rather unusual for his appearance and ability to vocalize, and Creb comes to believe he is Ayla's "gift" to the Clan as he will ensure that they live on in some form even after Neanderthals go extinct. Of course, in reality Ayla was always capable of conceiving and carrying a child, although Durc's birth is still unusual given that Ayla was only eleven when she had him.

Ebra

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Brun's mate and Broud's mother.

Always Someone Better: She sees Iza as this. As the mate of the clan leader, Ebra should be the highest ranking woman, but because of Iza's status as a medicine woman from a talented and prestigious line, she technically ranks higher. Ebra is rather jealous of this, though she tries not to show it openly and is always respectful to Iza.
Doting Parent: She's a very proud and loving mother towards Broud. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to have improved his personality any and it's implied her tendency to spoil him may have contributed to his more unpleasant traits.
Parents as People: Because Broud was her only child and the future leader of their clan, Ebra tended to coddle and over-praise him. It's implied this didn't help Broud in the long run, as he becomes extremely egotistical and entitled. Although Ebra wasn't fully responsible for how Broud turned out, her early indulgence of him sowed the seeds, with Brun even calling her out on this.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She and Brun seem happy enough together, with one of their only major disagreements being Brun's belief that Ebra over-indulges their son.

Oga

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Broud's mate and mother of Brac and Grev. She was orphaned shortly prior to the story.

Awful Wedded Life: Her marriage to Broud is not the fairytale she hoped it would be. After her youthful infatuation for him fades, she becomes acutely aware of his glaring personality flaws. Broud treats her rather poorly at times, verbally berating her and occasionally using physical violence against her for displeasing or 'embarrassing' him in some way, with Brun intervening on one occasion. Oga lives in fear of Broud's tempers and meekly obeys him in almost all matters to avoid setting him off. He even controls who she can be friends with, throwing a wrench in Ayla's attempts to befriend her. His sudden interest in Ayla (read: repeated rapes of Ayla) also makes Oga extremely uncomfortable (especially given Broud's public dislike of her), though she dares not speak up.
Be Careful What You Wish For: As a young woman, she desperately wished to become Broud's mate, believing herself in love with him. Her wish was granted, only for her to eventually realise Broud is far from Prince Charming.
Disappeared Dad: Her father was fatally gored during a hunt shortly before the clan's original cave was destroyed.
Extreme Doormat: Clan women are generally raised to be obedient and deferential towards others - in particular men - but Oga takes it to another level when it comes to Broud. It's indicated this is due to Broud's explosive tempers, frightening her into meek submission.
Forbidden Friendship: She and Ayla take a liking to one another but when Oga realises Broud hates Ayla, she distances herself from Ayla and rebuffs her attempts to hang out. They never truly get to develop a friendship because of Broud's interference, although it's implied that if it weren't for Broud they probably would've been good companions. Oga also defies Broud to help nurse Ayla's son when her milk dries up, partly out of gratitude for Ayla having saved her own son's life.
Grew a Spine: Oga finally stands up to Broud in a subtle yet no-less-meaningful way when he demands she stop nursing Ayla's son Durc. For one of the first times in her life Oga refuses, saying that what baby a woman nurses is no business of men and so she doesn't have to heed his demand. Broud throws a fit but Oga ignores him, feeding Durc alongside her own baby.
Missing Mom: Her mother was killed in the earthquake that destroyed the clan's cave, leaving her with no family. She was taken in by Brun until she marries Broud and forms her own hearth with him.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She falls in love with Broud as a young woman because he offers her comfort when she's grieving for her parents. Unfortunately, she later came to realize Broud's kindness in this instance was a rarity for him.

Grod

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Zoug's son and Brun's second-in-command. He is the father of Ovra and mate of Uka.

Best Friends-in-Law: He and Brun have a close bond and are technically brothers-in-law; Grod's mate Uka is the sister of Brun's mate Ebra.
Generation Xerox: His father Zoug was the second of the previous leader while he became the current leader's second.
Number Two: To Brun; he's his right-hand man and leads the clan in Brun's absence. He's also responsible for carrying and maintaining the embers used to create a fire while the clan search for a new home, an extremely important task.
Outliving One's Offspring: His only son was killed in the earthquake that destroyed the clan's old home, though his daughter Ovra survived.
The Silent Bob: Even by Clan standards, he's known to be quite laconic.

Zoug

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

An elderly hunter of the clan, who is especially skilled with a sling. He's also the father of Grod and grandfather of Ovra.

Cool Old Guy: He's still a gifted hunter despite his advanced years. He's all about dignity in the face of brash young Jerkasses. He's also one of the few senior clan members who defends Ayla when she breaks with Clan traditions.
The Mentor:
- He mentors the clan's young hunters, including Broud, in how to use a sling, though Broud is rather unappreciative of Zoug's training and Zoug himself has a low opinion of him.
- He's an unwitting mentor to Ayla. She learns how to hunt with a sling by watching him teaching the boys. When he finds out, he's actually quite proud of having such a talented student, even if he had no idea he was mentoring her.
Reasonable Authority Figure: To Ayla. He often defends her when she's seen as having broken Clan rules and protocols, pointing out that she's not Clan and has an unusually strong totem to boot, so it should be expected she'd behave differently. He also argues against cursing her with death when she's caught using a sling, arguing that her skills could be valuable to the Clan.
So Proud of You: Downplayed towards Ayla. Though he can't really show it as openly as he'd like, he's actually really impressed by Ayla's skills with a sling, which she learned by watching him teach the adolescent boys.
Suffer the Slings: He's considered a master of the weapon and is responsible for teaching the boys how to use one. Ayla began to develop her own incredible skill with a sling by observing Zoug's lessons.

Ovra

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

The daughter of Grod and Uka, and mate to Goov.

Contraception Deception: A sympathetic example. Ayla secretly provides Ovra with the contraceptive tea Iza told her about, as Ovra will probably never have a living child and the physical and emotional toll of the multiple pregnancies she goes through could end up killing her one day.
Happily Married: To Goov, with the only source of unhappiness in their relationship being Ovra's disappointment she could never give Goov any children.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Brun arranges for her to mate Goov shortly after Ayla is adopted by the clan. They end up having a very happy and loving relationship.
Secret-Keeper: She helpes Ayla deliver Uba's stillborn conjoined twins. She tells no one, not even Uba, about the babies' deformities, so as not to cause Uba further distress or cause others to believe Uba attracts bad luck.
Tragic Stillbirth: Poor Ovra suffers multiple miscarriages and stillbirths; she doesn't have trouble conceiving but never gives birth to a living child. Everyone is saddened by this and it takes quite a toll on Ovra's health.

Droog

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

The toolmaster of Brun's clan. He is the father of Goov and becomes Vorn and Ona's stepfather after taking their mother Aga as his second mate. With Aga, he has another son, Groob.

Because You Were Nice to Me: He is fond of Ayla due to her saving his stepdaughter's life and also stands for Ayla whenever she is in trouble.
The Blacksmith: He's the Stone Age equivalent, working with flint and wood rather than metal. He is the best toolmaker in the clan, with Ayla learning a great deal from him.
Good Stepmother:
- A gender-flipped example towards Ona; she's not his biological child but he comes to love her as if she were his own (especially given she was an infant when he mated her mother and so raised her) and he's extremely grateful to Ayla for saving Ona's life.
- He cares for his stepson Vorn and attempts to teach him about toolmaking, though they're not as close as Droog is to Ona due to Vorn being older. Vorn also has little interest in toolmaking, which Droog expresses disappointment over.
Like Parent, Like Child: He's delighted when he sees his youngest son Groob banging two stones together, hoping that he will become his apprentice toolmaker when he's older.
The Mentor: He informally mentors Ayla in making tools and weapons. She could never formally be his apprentice as Clan women aren't allowed to make and use tools, but Droog finds Ayla's fascination with his craft endearing - if not a bit odd - and appreciates her dedication, so he allows her to watch him and make tools of her own. This proves highly beneficial for Ayla in the long-run, because when she's banished she's able to use what she learnt from Droog to make tools and weapons she needs to survive alone. Ayla emphasizes that Droog's skills far surpass her own and sometimes frets over her own toolmaking, as she doesn't want it to reflect badly on Droog.
Nice Guy: He is very appreciative of Ayla and doesn't mind letting her watch him make tools, even letting her play around making tools of her own despite women not usually being allowed to do this. He finds her interest a bit odd but harmless (as long as she doesn't touch the weapons and tools he makes for the clan) and appreciates her fascination and attentiveness.

Aga

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

A woman who was widowed in the earthquake that destroyed her clan's original cave. She is the daughter of Aba and mother of Vorn and Ona. She becomes the second mate of Droog, also becoming the stepmother of Goov. With Droog, she has a son named Groob.

Arranged Marriage: Brun decrees that she and Droog should become mates, as they were both widowed by the earthquake and can support each other. She and Droog end up being quite happy together.
Happily Married: She and her second mate Droog have a close relationship; he is loving father figure to her two children and they go on to have a son of their own.
Tears of Fear: She becomes hysterical when her daughter Ona nearly drowns, especially as neither she or any other clan members are good enough swimmers to save Ona. Luckily, Ayla does know how to swim and rescues Ona.

Vorn

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

A young hunter; he is Broud's best friend, the son of Aga, adopted brother of Goov, brother of Ona and half-brother of Groob.

Disappeared Dad: His father was killed shortly prior to the first book in the earthquake that devastated the clan's cave.
Improbable Age: He's only 13 when he becomes Broud's second-in-command. Though an adult by Clan standards (they reach physical maturity much sooner than Cro-Magnon), he's still very young for the role, he was only given it because Broud is his best friend, and Brun worries his inexperience could endanger the hunters. Even he seems uncomfortable with it, but there's no arguing with Broud.
Number Two: To Broud once he becomes leader. Brun actually worries Vorn isn't experienced enough for the position and its obvious Broud simply promoted him because they're friends, but at the very least, he's a lot nicer and more mentally stable than his boss.
Parental Substitute: He becomes a father figure to his nephew Durc, whom he takes in after Ayla is cursed with death.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Uba. He actually has more say in the matter than she does; when he comes of age there are no suitable women to mate, so he asks Brun's permission to mate Uba once she reaches womanhood. He and Uba turn out to be well-matched and he is kind and affectionate towards her (especially as some worried he'd be more like Broud, whom he used to emulate).
Rank Up: He's promoted to second-in-command once Broud becomes leader at the end of the first book.
Toxic Friend Influence: Downplayed. Although Vorn idolizes Broud and sometimes copies his arrogant behavior as a child, he manages to avoid becoming as aggressive and unstable as him, and never shared his Irrational Hatred for Ayla. As an adult, Vorn also treats his mate in a far more loving and respectful way than Broud treats his own, and has no problem taking in the supposedly deformed Durc (who Broud wants nothing to do with despite having the means to care for him), indicating that Vorn has grown out of the negative traits Broud retains.

Ona

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

The daughter of Aga and her first mate. She is the younger sister of Vorn, the adopted sister of Goov and older half-sister of Groob. She becomes Droog's stepdaughter following his mating to Aga, although Ona views him as her father and vice versa.

Animal Motif: She is given the totem of the owl early in the first book; while Creb is meditating to uncover her totem, he keeps coming back to an owl despite this being considered an unusually strong totem for a woman. Creb notes that Ona's big, round eyes even remind him of an owl and so he decides this must be her totem.
Arranged Marriage: She is mated to Borg once she comes of age.
Disappeared Dad: Her biological father was one of several people who perished in the earthquake, dying not long after she was born. She grows up viewing her mother's second mate, Droog, as her father, as he's the only father figure she's ever known.
Like a Daughter to Me: Her stepfather Droog feels this way towards her; although he knows her father was Aga's first mate, because he is involved in Ona's life from the time she's a baby, he comes to love her as his daughter and Ona likewise views him as her father.
Near-Death Experience: When she's four years old, she is caught in a strong current while the clan are fishing and almost carried out to sea, nearly drowning. Ayla - who is much better swimmer than anyone else in the clan - is able to reach her in time to pull her to safety, which earns Ayla the gratitude of Ona's parents.

Goov

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

Droog's son, adopted brother of Vorn and Ona, and half-brother of Groob. He is Creb's apprentice, being trained to become the next mog-ur.

Act of True Love: Ayla says that one of the ways he demonstrated his love for Ovra was risking his own life to kill a snow leopard that was getting too near the cave and scaring Ovra. Ayla explains to Deegie that although Goov didn't make it explicit that he did it for Ovra - including giving the leopard's pelt to Iza to make boots for Ayla - Ovra knew that he had done it to demonstrate his love for her (as Ayla tells Deegie, the Clan tend to be more subtle about their affections, with she herself not realising the significance of Goov's actions until Ovra herself explained it to her).
Always Someone Better: Although skilled and hardworking, everyone clearly sees that he will never be as powerful a mog-ur as Creb. Goov doesn't seem to mind though, having nothing but respect for Creb.
The Apprentice: He is Creb's acolyte, set to become the next Mog-ur.
Blood Knight: Downplayed. Although he is training to succeed Creb as mog-ur and is a diligent student, it is obvious that he will never be as skilled a mog-ur as Creb is due to his love of hunting. Also justified, as in Clan culture, hunting is what makes a man a man.
Missing Mom: His mother died in the earthquake that destroyed the clan's original cave.
My Country, Right or Wrong: He opposes giving Ayla a death curse more vigorously than Creb had previously done. There was much justification for his hesitancy, as not only had Ayla done nothing to warrant a death sentence as per Clan traditions, but Broud had ordered the curse without debate, deliberation, or consultation. However, as the (newly appointed) Mog-ur of the Clan, he has no choice but to perform the curse.
Nice Guy: He is kind and loving to his mate even though she's given him no children (having heirs, especially male heirs, is a big deal in the Clan) and he's very loyal to Creb, respecting him not just as his mentor but for who he is. He puts his mentor's well-being before his own ambition and is clearly disturbed by Broud's order to curse Ayla with death even though she's done nothing wrong, even hesitating before reluctantly doing as his leader asks.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: To Ovra. He cares for her a great deal and doesn't even mind that she's never carried a pregnancy to term.
Rank Up: At the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear, he's promoted to full mog-ur status after Creb retires.
Undying Loyalty: To Creb. When Broud tries to kick him out of the mog-ur's hearth after he retires, Goov tries to stand up for him, stating Creb doesn't need to leave the hearth even though he's no longer mog-ur, as it's been his home for years and wouldworsen his health.

Dorv

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

An elderly retired hunter; he is the father of Ika and grandfather of Borg and Igra.

Career-Ending Injury: Not so much an injury as a symptom of getting old; he has retired from hunting due to his increasingly failing eyesight.
Character Death: He dies in the final third of The Clan of the Cave Bear during the Clan Gathering. Hus eyesight was too poor for him to safely attend and so he stayed behind at the cave. When the rest of the clan return, they're informed of Dorv's passing.
Death by Despair: The clan members who were with him when he died state that his eyesight deteriorated to the point he was unable to see the gestures and facial expressions of others. Because the Clan primarily communicate via signed language, Dorv had essentially lost his ability to speak with other people. Not long after, he weakened and died.

Other

Oda

Appears in: The Clan of the Cave Bear

A woman Ayla meets at the Clan Gathering, who has a half-Clan, half-Cro Magnon daughter named Ura; she arranges for her daughter to mate Ayla's son Durc due to him also being a hybrid.

Animal Motif: Her totem is a hamster.
Awful Wedded Life: Her relationship with her mate doesn't sound particularly happy. After their baby was killed by Oda's rapist and Oda learned she was pregnant again, her mate was angry at her for daring to wish for another daughter. When the baby girl, Ura, was seemingly born with deformities, Oda's mate only spoke up to let the baby live to punish Oda due to the negative stigma; he doesn't appear to care about Oda's well-being or what will happen to Ura.
Child by Rape: Her second baby, Ura, was conceived after she was raped by a Cro-Magnon man. Oda herself doesn't realize her second daughter is the product of her rape, thinking her daughter's physical differences from the Clan are deformities, although the truth is obvious to both the reader and to Ayla (after she starts figuring out how conception works).
Commonality Connection: She quickly forms a bond with Ayla due to them both having 'deformed' children and the accompanying stigma.
Hope Bringer: She and Ayla are both this to each other, to an extent, as Oda hopes that by arranging a mating between her daughter and Ayla's son, Ura will be provided for and their children will never have to be alone.
Outliving One's Offspring: Her first child was accidentally killed when Oda was assaulted by a Cro-Magnon man.
Rape as Backstory: She was raped by a man of the Others, resulting in the death of her baby when she accidentally dropped her. Due to the Clan's beliefs around sex, she doesn't even think of it as rape, not understanding why the man was so rough with her when she would've submitted willingly. The main source of her grief is the death of her daughter.
Trauma Conga Line: Good grief. When a man of the Others raped her, he pushed her down whilst she holding her baby daughter, causing her to fall and hit her head on a rock, ultimately dying of her injuries. Oda's second daughter was supposedly born 'deformed' (in reality, she's a hybrid of both Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal, she unwittingly being the result of the aforementioned rape) and would've been abandoned to die...if not for the fact Oda's mate allowed Ura to live to shame and punish her for daring to wish for another girl. She is then worried about what will happen to Ura when she grows up, as no man is likely to want a deformed mate.

Guban

Appears in: The Plains of Passage

A Clan hunter Ayla and Jondalar meet in The Plains of Passage. He is mated to Yorga.

Amazon Chaser: Downplayed; he was already happily mated to Yorga, who is generally a peaceful and soft-spoken woman. However, when Yorga begins fighting with their attackers in his defence, he is pleasantly surprised by her courage, and finds he loves and respects her more than ever.
Battle Couple: Briefly with Yorga, with his mate helping him fend off a gang of the Others who attacked them.
Connected All Along: It's revealed that he knows of Creb, whom he refers to as "Mog-ur One-Eye". Learning of Ayla's close relationship with him helps her earn Guban's trust.
Determinator: He leaps off a cliff to protect his mate from a gang of youths trying to assault her, and keeps fighting them despite having a broken leg.
Happily Married: To Yorga, in a rare example of a Clan couple marrying for love.
Marry for Love: Unusually for a Clan man, he wanted to mate Yorga purely out of love for her rather than gaining status or forming an alliance. Knowing she felt the same way, he brought it up with the leader of her clan and he fortunately agreed to let them marry.
Not So Stoic: He tries not to show how painful his broken leg is, but eventually swallows his pride and allows Ayla to treat his injury.

Yorga

Appears in: The Plains of Passage

A Clan woman Ayla and Jondalar meet in The Plains of Passage. She is mated to Guban.

Action Survivor: As a Clan woman, Yorga is not trained nor expected to fight, but she still puts up a good defence against Charoli's gang.
Attempted Rape: Charoli's gang attack her with the intention of raping her, though this is thwarted by Guban, Ayla, Jondalar and her own efforts.
Battle Couple: Briefly with Guban, helping him hold off Charoli's gang.
Everyone Loves Blondes: She has pale blonde hair and is considered very attractive by Clan standards; her uncommon hair colour is particularly remarked upon.
Happily Married: To Guban, whom she actually married for love, which is unusual for the Clan.
Imperiled in Pregnancy: She is pregnant when she's attacked by Charoli and his gang. Unfortunately for them, she's not as soft a target as she appears, holding them off long enough for help to arrive.
Marry for Love: She truly fell in love with Guban and prayed to become his mate, as the final decision still lay with her clan's leader despite Guban sharing her feelings. She was over-the-moon when the leader agreed to the mating.
Nice Girl: Although most of the Clan, including Yorga herself, tend to be wary of the Others, Yorga quickly warms up to Ayla and Jondalar once she realizes they want to help her and Guban; she even cracks jokes with them and says she will suggest naming her unborn child after Jondalar out of gratitude. Despite her amiable nature though, she fights Charoli's gang tooth and nail when they mess with her mate.
Shrinking Violet: Played with. She's usually shy and submissive but surprises everyone, especially her mate, by fighting back when Charoli's gang attack her and Guban.
Violently Protective Girlfriend: Towards Guban. When her would-be rapists attack her mate, she starts trying to fight them off to protect him, which greatly surprises both Guban and the gang of delinquents.

Echozar's mother

First mentioned in: The Plains of Passage

Echozar's Clan mother, who was cast out of her clan following her son's birth and died shortly before he was taken in by the Lanzadonii.

Birds of a Feather: It's indicated the reason she and Andovan formed such a close bond is because they were both driven from their home; Andovan had to flee his camp because of the leader's tyranny, while she was banished from her clan for allegedly bringing bad luck.
Blaming the Victim: Her brother-in-law blamed her for the attack on her and his brother, which saw her gang-raped and her mate killed when he tried to protect her; her brother-in-law proclaimed that she was ill-favoured by the spirits and so carried misfortune with her. This opinion was only cemented when she gave birth to a supposedly deformed son as a consequence of the rape, leading to them both being banished.
Death by Despair: After her second mate died, leaving her alone save for her young son, she quickly fell ill and followed him to the spirit world, with both Ayla and Echozar believing the death curse finally caught up to her.
Determinator: Ayla tells Echozar she must've been an incredibly brave and determined woman to have survived a death curse for as long as she did (most of those who are cursed die before long, but Echozar's mother lived for several years, raising her son as best she could, before eventually succumbing to its effects).
Good Parents: She did a decent job raising Echozar, and loved him despite him being considered deformed and resulting in her banishment.
Mama Bear: A somewhat understated example, but she defied the death curse (which Ayla says is highly unusual) to raise her son to young adulthood.
Trauma Conga Line: She was raped by a group of Cro-Magnon men, who also killed her mate when he tried to protect her. Her clan's leader - her mate's brother – blamed her for his death, claiming she was a "bad luck woman" but did not punish her due to her pregnancy (unknowingly a result of the rape). Of course, Echozar was born mixed and mistakenly believed to be deformed, causing the clan leader to cast them both out, taking her son's birth as confirmation she brought bad luck. Echozar's mother survived for several years in spite of the death curse, even finding companionship with Andovan, a kind man of the Others who helped her raise her son. Sadly, her will to live eventually died along with Andovan.

Characters / Earth's Children - The Clan

Brun's Clan

Brun

Iza

Creb/Mog-ur

Broud

Uba

Durc

Ebra

Oga

Grod

Zoug

Ovra

Droog

Aga

Vorn

Ona

Goov

Dorv

Other

Oda

Guban

Yorga

Echozar's mother

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Characters / Earth's Children - The Clan

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Brun's Clan

Brun

Iza

Creb/Mog-ur

Broud

Uba

Durc

Ebra

Oga

Grod

Zoug

Ovra

Droog

Aga

Vorn

Ona

Goov

Dorv

Other

Oda

Guban

Yorga

Echozar's mother

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