Main character index can be found here.
Zelandonii
Jondalar's tribe, found in Western Europe in the area that is now France. The tribe is divided into sub-groups known as Caves, with the most prominently featured one being the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii. They are known for their arts and crafts, especially cave paintings, and for their highly skilled shamans and healers (known collectively as the zelandonia). open/close all folders
In General
- Facial Markings: Fully initiated Zelandoni have tattoos on their foreheads. It's also mentioned other high-ranking members of the tribe have facial tattoos, such Marthona (a former cave leader) and Willomar (the Trade Master).
- Fantastic Honorifics:
- Full members of the zelandonia are known as zelandoni, going by this title publicly instead of their birth names. The leader of the zelandonia is called Zelandoni Who Is First, the First Among Those Who Serve the Mother, or just the First if that's too much of a mouthful. If they're in the company of other zelandoni, then a zelandoni will also be referred to by the number of their cave to avoid confusion.
- Trade Master of the Zelandonii is a title bestowed upon the lead trader of the Zelandonii (during the main events of the series, Willomar holds this title).
- Fantastic Racism: The Zelandonii are often very hostile towards so-called flatheads (Neanderthals) and those of 'mixed spirits'. Some people are more indifferent towards them, while others actually become tolerant towards them, but the prejudice towards them is clearly deeply ingrained in their culture. It's theorised that this may be because many generations ago, the Zelandonii and the Clan shared territory and ended up getting into fights over it, causing ongoing distrust and resentment on both sides.
- Theme Naming: The Zelandonii often have names with an "a" or "o" as the second letter, and/or ending with "a", "ar" or "an".
- Tribal Face Paint: The Zelandonii wear face paint with intricate designs on formal occasions; the paint is also sometimes used to complement or accentuate piercings. In The Shelters of Stone, Marona and her friends offer to paint Ayla's face for her welcoming ceremony so she'll fit in, but she declines. It's just as well, as they would probably have used the paint to make her look ridiculous like they did with her clothing.
Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii
Zelandoni Who Is First
Zelandoni Who Is First (formerly Zolena)
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The leader of the Zelandonii shamans and Jondalar's former lover.
- Age-Gap Romance: With Jondalar, who was much younger than her when she became his donii-woman (it's considered a normal practice in their culture to have an older woman teach a teenage boy about sex, though it's frowned upon for them to form an emotional attachment). It's not mentioned just how big their age-gap is, though Jondalar was around twelve or thirteen years old when she became his donii-woman; he's eighteen years old when he's first introduced, while Zelandoni is now considered "old" by her people's standards (in The Shelters of Stone she mentions that Jondalar - now around twenty-three years old - is still in the prime of his life and that if they'd stayed together he would've been stuck mated to an "old woman") so it can be assumed she's at least a decade older.
- Amicable Exes: With Jondalar. They remain good friends even though they’re no longer in a relationship. Zolena obviously cares for him and is happy when he brings Ayla home, announcing he intends to make a hearth with her.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: She is considered the First in part because of her beautiful contralto singing voice, which helps her to communicate with the spirit world.
- Big Beautiful Woman: Played with. Zelandoni no longer considers herself very attractive due to her large weight gain and getting on in years, though some people still find her pretty. She was once considered the most beautiful woman of the Zelandonii and was never a slender woman.
- Commonality Connection: She and Ayla really start to hit it off when Zelandoni realizes Ayla is also a trained healer, with them swapping knowledge on medicines and treatments.
- False Soulmate: To Jondalar. Their relationship was never ideal due to her being several years older and his donii-woman – her role was to introduce an adolescent Jondalar to the 'Gift of Pleasure', but nothing more. Having a serious relationship would be considered quite scandalous and could've gotten Zolena in trouble (Jondalar mentions that as the older woman, she would've received more blame). Despite this, Jondalar deeply loved her and was never interested in being with anyone else, while Zolena herself even considered breaking the taboo and mating him. The incident with Madroman, wherein Jondalar beat the crap out of him for publicly revealing their Secret Relationship, made Zolena realize it would never work out and she broke things off. Years later, Jondalar meets his Second Love Ayla and while they also face many challenges to their relationship, they're ultimately more compatible and end up Happily Married. Zelandoni herself greatly approves of Ayla and thinks it was destiny she and Jondalar didn't end up together, as otherwise, she would probably not have become Zelandoni Who is First.
- First Love: She was Jondalar's first love and the first woman he ever slept with when he was around twelve. Unfortunately, their romance ended badly, which partly led to Jondalar having relationship issues later in life.
- Formerly Fit: She was always considered "voluptuous", but is now obese. As a result, she finds it more difficult to get around long distances, though her mind is as brilliant as ever.
- Friendly Address Privileges: She lets a few people - though particularly Jondalar - call her Zolena, her birth name which she formally gave up when she became a zelandoni.
- High Priestess: Of the Zelandonii, bearing the title ‘Zelandoni Who is First’. She is considered the most powerful member of the zelandonia (both spiritually and politically-speaking), with all other zelandoni deferring to her when it comes to important decisions affecting the whole tribe. When Jondalar arrives at the Ninth Cave with Ayla, whom he plans to settle down with, he's anxious over whether Zelandoni will accept her, knowing that Zelandoni's influence means she could make it impossible for Ayla to stay.
- Icy Blue Eyes: She's described as having "piercing" blue eyes that miss little, and she exudes authority and confidence. She can also be quite intimidating if someone has displeased her or when she's sizing someone up.
- Improbable Age: Downplayed. It's mentioned on a number of occasions that she is unusually young to be the leader of the zelandonia, though seeing as she's shown to be exceptionally skilled and more than capable of handling the challenges that come with the position, it's likely justified.
- Iron Lady: She's tough and authoritative, and isn't afraid to exercise her power if someone gets out of line.
- Just the First Citizen: She's more or the less the Stone Age equivalent of the Pope and the spiritual leader of all the Zelandonii, but is simply known as "Zelandoni Who is First", "First Among Those Who Serve the Mother" or "the First".
- Law of Inverse Fertility: While she's not too bothered about still being unmated, it's implied that she wished she could've had children (and is possibly incapable of conceiving children); she mentions that despite having honored the Mother many times she never became pregnant, and Ayla also senses she seems wistful when she talks to other women about having children.
- The Medic: She has a fair amount of medicinal knowledge, often being called on to treat injuries and ailments as part of her job. She also tends Ayla when she gives birth to her second child.
- My God, What Have I Done? / Oh, Crap!: She's uncharacteristically horrified when she realises just how badly she underestimated the power of the psychotropic roots the Clan’s mog-urs use, she having talked Ayla into taking them with her, which almost results in Ayla's death.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In the climax of The Land of Painted Caves, she talks Ayla into taking powerful psychotropic roots as part of a ritual, believing they will be capable of traversing the ‘spirit realm’ they seemingly travel to under their influence. She turns out to be horribly wrong and as a result Ayla - who is already quite fragile due to a recent miscarriage and marital issues with Jondalar - slips into a coma and nearly dies. Afterwards, she swears off touching the roots again, due to how dangerous they are.
- The Obi-Wan: To Ayla in the sixth book, mentoring her in Zelandonii spiritual practices.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Like most shamans, she's referred to primarily by her title; - either Zelandoni, Zelandoni who is First, or the First - though a few people (namely Jondalar) still call her Zolena in private.
- Rank Up: In The Valley of Horses, it's mentioned that she was promoted to the position of Zelandoni Who Is First shortly before Jondalar left on his journey with Thonolan.
- Secret-Keeper: She's one of the few people who knows Ayla has a half-Clan son; she guesses that Ayla has given birth before and gets her to talk about her son to distract from labour pains. Zelandoni tells no one else about Durc, as she knows some people may shun Ayla for having a ‘mixed-spirit’ child.
- Sexy Mentor: Zelandoni was a justified example to Jondalar in the past. She was actually assigned the sacred role of introducing him to sex and teaching him all about it; she just happened to be gorgeous as well. It's largely because of her that Jondalar is the Sex God he is now.
- Shipper on Deck: Upon finally meeting and getting to know Ayla, she greatly approves of her as Jondalar's mate. She's especially glad that Jondalar didn't go through with mating Marona, whom Zelandoni felt was unworthy of Jondalar and didn't love him in the way he needed. In regards to Ayla, Zelandoni thinks that she's not just a good match for Jondalar, she even surpasses him in some respects, and is both beneficial to Jondalar and a boon to the cave because of the knowledge and skills she brings.
- Statuesque Stunner: She was once considered stunningly beautiful and Jondalar thinks she's still attractive; she's mentioned as being a tall woman, just slightly shorter than Ayla (who is nearly six feet tall).
- Teacher/Student Romance: She was quite attracted to Jondalar when she was his donii-woman and was at one point tempted to leave the zelandonia to mate him. However, she ultimately decided against this. She now views Jondalar only as a friend, though she is still somewhat responsive to his flirting and charms.
- Too Important to Walk: Invoked in The Land of Painted Caves. Ayla creates a padded chair that can be attached to a travois and drawn by a horse for Zelandoni to use. Because domesticated animals are nigh unheard of in the setting, seeing the First being carried by a horse is quite awe-inspiring. It's also justified; Zelandoni is overweight and getting on in years, so travelling long distances on foot is difficult for her.
Marthona
Marthona
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The mother of Jondalar, Joharran, Thonolan and Folara. Widow of Joconan, ex wife of Dalanar and current wife of Willomar. She was leader of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii before passing the mantle to her son, though she is still greatly respected and turned to for advice.
- Amicable Exes: With Dalanar. They have no hard feelings over their break-up and are friendly with each other and their respective spouses.
- Connected All Along: It turns out she was once very close friends with S'Armuna, the shaman of the Three Sisters Camp who Ayla and Jondalar meet in The Plains of Passage (who Marthona knew as Bodoa before she gave up her name).
- Cool Old Lady: Though she's more middle-aged than elderly, she’s emotionally intelligent, supportive and a strong role model.
- Establishing Character Moment: The first time Marthona appears in person, at the beginning of the fifth book, tells us a lot about her. She mentally notes that Ayla has an unusual accent she's never heard, meaning she must come from far away yet has learnt to speak Zelandonii well. She sincerely thanks Ayla for saving her son's life, acknowledges that Ayla has come a long way to accompany Jondalar home and promises to help her settle in at the Ninth Cave. Her honesty and directness prompts Ayla to answer in kind, admitting she's been excited yet nervous about meeting her, to which Marthona says she understands Ayla's feelings as she would feel the same in her place. She also shows no fear towards Wolf and happily introduces herself to him, saying she witnessed his interactions with others and saw nothing to be afraid of. This establishes Marthona as an observant, level-headed, kind, empathetic and emotionally-open person, who loves her children and can quickly put others at ease.
- First Girl Wins: To Joconan, who loved both her and her friend Bodoa, who had come to train with the zelandonia. However, it's downplayed as Joconan died only a few years into their marriage; Marthona was also very upset that her 'winning' Joconan ruined her close friendship with Bodoa.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: She usually comes across as quite feminine, her interests including sewing, cooking, healing and organising social gatherings. However, Jondalar mentions that she was also a skilled hunter, capable of hitting birds out of the sky with only a throwing stick, though she doesn't get out as much now due to her failing eyesight.
- Good Parents: She's a compassionate and supportive mother to her four children, and they all hold her in high esteem and seek guidance from her. It is mentioned she struggled a bit with raising Jondalar when he was growing up, to the point she had to send him off to his father to straighten him out, though they have a close relationship now. A few other characters, such as Brukeval, often wish they had a mother like Marthona.
- Gut Feeling: She says she sensed she would never see Thonolan again when he left on his Journey, because when they said goodbye she instinctively told him “Good Journey” (the farewell the Zelandonii tend to use when they don’t expect to see someone again for a long time). It doesn’t hurt any less when she finds out he’s dead, though.
- Happily Married: She was to her first mate Joconan until he died. She is now Happily Married to Willomar, her third mate. It's indicated the reason she and Willomar make a good couple is that Willomar is a lot more laid-back and enjoys travelling, which gives the self-reliant Marthona the physical and emotional space she needs without causing problems between them.
- Love Cannot Overcome: Although she loved him, she amicably ended things with her second mate Dalanar because they couldn't reconcile their differences. Though it's never explicitly mentioned what went wrong, it's implied she found him overbearing, whilst he felt she didn't really need him around.
- Meaningful Name: Her name sounds a bit like Martha, which means "lady" or "mistress of the house", which is fitting for Marthona, a gracious and composed woman who was once a leader and still holds a prominent position in her society.
- Misery Builds Character: Having to take over leadership duties while caring for a baby and her ailing husband, then being widowed young, has made Marthona a refined and resilient woman who can handle just about anything life throws at her.
- Outliving One's Offspring: She loses her youngest son, Thonolan, and eventually learns of his passing in The Shelters of Stone, five years later. Although she’s upset, she admits she somehow knew and accepted she wouldn’t ever see him again, so she’s able to cope with it.
- Parents as People: Jondalar says that she had trouble trying to control and discipline him growing up; he was quite a headstrong, defiant child and he was big for age. Marthona was also balancing this with leading the Ninth Cave, preparing her eldest son for leadership, being a single mother for a time after her marriage to Jondalar's father broke down and then raising two other young children. Things reached a head when Jondalar was in his early teens and seriously injured another boy, with Marthona finally deciding to send him to his father to fix his behaviour.
- Serial Spouse: Downplayed. She's been mated three times; her first mate died, she and her second mate amicably 'severed the knot' and she's been Happily Married to her third mate for many years.
- Tough Love: After the incident where her teenage son Jondalar was exposed for having an inappropriate relationship with Zolena and badly beat the other teenager who dobbed them in, Marthona had enough of his behaviour and sent him to live with father amongst the Lanzadonii for a few years. Marthona didn't have much choice but send Jondalar away until things cooled down, considering the seriousness of his actions and the potential political rammifcations, given Marthona was still leader of the Ninth Cave. Jondalar says that in hindsight it was the right decision for everyone.
- Wine Is Classy: Compared to Laramar, who makes birch beer and is a total sleaze, Marthona is famed for her wine and known to be a refined and charismatic woman. She has specifically figured out that grapes are valuable to the process (this is France).
Willomar
Willomarnote
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The master trader of the Zelandonii and Marthona's third mate. He is the father of Thonolan and Folara, and stepfather to Joharran and Jondalar.
- Animal Motif: The golden eagle. He is said to be restless with a love of travelling and adventure like an eagle.
- Good Stepmother. Gender Flip. He has a loving relationship with his stepsons, though his relationship with Joharran is more one of friendship, due to the fact he was already an adult when Willomar mated Marthona.
- Happily Married: To Marthona. They have a loving and stable relationship, balancing each other nicely.
- Heroic BSoD: He has a brief one early in The Shelters of Stone, after finding out Thonolan is dead. He initially goes into denial, stuttering that Thonolan can't be dead because he's too young, he hasn't yet found a mate and had children and finally that he "hasn't come home" before breaking down sobbing.
- Intrepid Merchant: He is the Trade Master of the Zelandonii and loves to travel to new places to trade. He's even open to the idea of trading with Neanderthals, who most Zelandonii view merely as animals.
- Near-Death Experience: As a baby, he was snatched by a golden eagle. His mother grabbed him and hung on until the eagle let go. Afterwards, the golden eagle is regarded as Willomar's personal totem.
- Nice Guy: He’s very open-minded and accepting of others; notably he's one of the few people who does not believe the Clan are simply animals.
- Outliving One's Offspring: His son Thonolan dies, though he doesn’t learn of his death until five years later. He takes it quite hard, especially because he last saw his son five years ago and he never got to see Thonolan have a family of his own, though he has his family for support.
- Scars Are Forever: He bears scars from an eagle's talons when it tried to grab him as a baby. It's believed that the scars mark him as having been 'chosen' by the totem spirit of the Eagle.
- Sudden Name Change: His name is spelt as Willomar for most of the series...then is suddenly changed to Willamar from The Shelters of Stone onwards for no apparent reason. This was just one of several things that irked some fans about the fifth book.
- You Didn't Ask: In The Shelters of Stone, he casually reveals he never believed the Clan were just animals, as he’d encountered them so many times he realized they were sapient. When everyone asks him why he never mentioned this, he says it never really came up.
Joharran
Joharran
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
Marthona's eldest son and her only child with her first mate, Joconan. He's the older half-brother of Jondalar, Thonolan and Folara, mate to Proleva and father of Jaradal. He is leader of the Ninth Cave.
- Disappeared Dad: His father died of sickness when he was a baby. He had a stepfather, Dalanar, for a few years, although he ended up moving away from the Ninth Cave when his marriage to Marthona didn't work out.
- Generation Xerox: Both his parents were the leader of the Ninth Cave; he became leader after Marthona retired.
- Happily Married: To Proleva; they have a loving relationship and he relies on her to help him run the Ninth Cave.
- The Leader: He’s the leader of the Ninth Cave. He inherits his leadership skills from his mother and father, who were both leader before him; it's indicated he learnt from Marthona in particular (seeing as his father died when he was too young to properly remember him) and his leadership style is reminiscent of her's.
- Practically Different Generations: He's indicated to be much older than Thonolan and Folara; he was already considered an adult when his mother mated Willomar and when Folara is having First Rites to become a woman (making her a teenager), Joharran is mated with a young child. It's complicated by the fact people in the setting are often considered adults at a younger age than most modern societies, note although this still puts at least a decade between Joharran and Thonolan, and more than a decade between Joharran and Folara.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's nervous about Ayla and Jondalar turning up with horses and especially a wolf, but hears them out when they explain the animals aren't dangerous. He willingly follows Ayla's instructions on how to introduce himself to Wolf and after being satisfied Wolf isn't a threat to his people, he agrees to let Wolf into the settlement provided Ayla and Jondalar can control him.
- Shared Family Quirks: Ayla notes that when he's worried, his forehead knots in the same way his brother Jondalar's does when he's fretting over something.
- You Remind Me of X: When Ayla first meets Joharran, she's reminded of Brun, the leader of the clan who raised her. She recognises that Joharran carries himself with confidence and authority, but is a bit nervous around her her and her animals, especially Wolf; Brun was also a competent and brave leader, but feared the spirit world (with Joharran assuming Ayla must wield powerful magic to control animals).
Folara
Folara
Appears in: The Plains of Passage | The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
Marthona and Willomar's youngest child and only daughter. She’s the sister of Joharran, Jondalar and Thonolan.
- All Girls Like Ponies: She is fascinated by Ayla's horses and even considers trying to raise one of her own.
- The Baby of the Bunch: She's the youngest of her family and the only one who still lives with her parents. Her youth and the fact she's the only girl out of the four siblings results in her brothers being rather protective of her.
- Happily Married: She ends up being this to Aldanor.
- Meaningful Name: Her name sounds like Flora or Flower, and she is noted to be pretty and sweet-natured.
- Strong Family Resemblance: One of the reasons Jondalar is convinced that Thonolia is a child of Thonolan's spirit is because she looks very much like Folara did at her age, with Thonolia likely being Folara's niece.
Proleva
Proleva
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
Joharran’s mate and mother of Jaradal.
- Best Friends-in-Law: She and Ayla become close friends after she moves to the Ninth Cave, Ayla being her sister-in-law through Joharran.
- Happily Married: To Joharran, happily helping him run the Ninth Cave.
- If Only You Knew: When Ayla goes into labor, Proleva tries to reassure her by saying she knows that the first child often takes a long time. She doesn't realize that this is actually Ayla's second child, as Ayla has told few people about her son Durc due to him being of mixed spirits, and that Ayla is nervous because she had an absolutely horrific time giving birth to Durc.
- Supreme Chef: Proleva is noted to be an excellent cook and is also skilled at beautiful food presentation.
Joconan
Joconan
First mentioned in: The Valley of Horses
Joconan was leader of the Ninth Cave before his untimely death. He was the first mate of Marthona and father of Joharran.
- Happily Married: Despite the trouble with Bodoa, he and Marthona were happy together for a few years, before he died.
- The Leader: Of the Ninth Cave. He was apparently a very skilled and popular leader, traits he passed on to his son.
- The Lost Lenore:
- A downplayed one to Marthona; although she misses him, she doesn’t dwell on his death anymore and is happy with Willomar.
- To Bodoa/S’Armuna as it turns out, though she doesn't learn of his death until years after the fact.
- Love Triangle: He was in one with Marthona and Bodoa. It's implied he loved them both and they considered a 'co-mating', but their Zelandoni spoke against it and Joconan ultimately picked Marthona. Bodoa wasn't happy.
- The One That Got Away: For Bodoa. She was in love with him as a young woman, but he chose to mate Marthona over her and she never mated anyone else, throwing herself into her work instead.
- Posthumous Character: He's been deceased for over a decade by the main events of the series.
Brukeval
Brukeval
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
A member of the Ninth Cave, who is strongly implied to be part Clan and thus got bullied as a child. He now has some serious self-esteem problems and develops an unhealthy obsession with Ayla.
- Anti-Villain: He's unpleasant to be around, but besides being unnecessarily hostile towards Ayla and Echozar, he never does anything really villainous or harmful to the protagonists, and he possesses sympathetic qualities.
- Berserk Button: Referring to him as a 'flathead' or even mentioning the Clan around him at all will send him into a truly frightening rage.
- Child by Rape: His mother most likely was.
- Disappeared Dad: His father apparently had no involvement in his upbringing.
- Freudian Excuse: His mother died when he was young, he was raised by an uncaring relative and bullied and ostracized for being a 'child of mixed spirits'. As a result, he's not only got anger and trust issues, but despises the Clan, blaming them for his misfortune.
- Jerkass: He's short-tempered, overly sensitive and bigoted towards the Clan and those of 'mixed spirits'. However, he's still quite sympathetic and not completely an asshole.
- Missing Mom: His mother died when he was a baby.
- Put on a Bus to Hell / Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He doesn't take the revelation that sexual intercourse between a man and woman leads to pregnancy very well, as this all but confirms he is indeed a child of mixed spirits with a Neanderthal grandfather, and proceeds to run away from the Ninth Cave with Madroman.
- Stalker with a Crush: Has shades of this towards Ayla, following her around, spying on her with Jondalar and fantasising about her. He is infatuated with her and often wishes he were in Jondalar’s place.
- Tragic Villain: He only became a Jerkass because of how others have treated him all his life.
- You Are What You Hate: He is heavily implied to be of 'mixed spirits' (his mother was apparently half-Clan), but utterly despises the Clan and even calls Echozar, another man who is more obviously mixed, an "animal" and refuses to be around him. This is due to the fact there is a great deal of social stigma around children of 'mixed spirits' and he was bullied for it as a child, which the characters discuss.
- You Remind Me of X: When he's enraged, he reminds Ayla of Broud, who was similarly mentally unstable with anger issues (albeit for different reasons) and overreacts to perceived slights Ayla unwittingly commits. As a result, Ayla feels quite uncomfortable around Brukeval and tries to avoid him, although she also feels sorry for him.
Madroman
Madroman (formerly Ladroman)
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
A shaman-in-training, who has some troubled history with Jondalar.
- The Apprentice: In The Shelters of Stone and for most of The Land of Painted Caves, he's training to become a zelandoni.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Played with. When the zelandonia learn he faked his Call, they expel him from their ranks. However, it’s possible he’ll travel to a distant cave and pretend to be a zelandoni with no one being any the wiser, but everyone else knows the truth and he’ll have to spend the rest of his life lying.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": He gets annoyed when people call him by his old name, Ladroman, not Madroman. This is justified when one considers that referring to a zelandoni, even one in training, by their pre-zelandoni name is considered not only inappropriate, but disrespectful.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He is extremely jealous of Jondalar and has been for years. It's implied this is the real reason he revealed Jondalar and Zolena's Secret Relationship, as Zolena preferred Jondalar to him. He only gets more jealous of him when they're both adults, because Jondalar is regarded as a handsome and successful man, and has found a stunning woman to mate, while Madroman is still single and struggling to make a name for himself as a zelandoni-in-training.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: When he meets Ayla, he bitterly thinks to himself that he could've gotten a woman like her if it weren't for Jondalar knocking his teeth out when he was a teen.
- Love Triangle: Fancied he was in one with Jondalar, for Zolena. She barely looked twice at him, which he didn’t take well.
- Meaningful Rename: Upon joining the zelandonia, he changed his name from Ladroman to Madroman for a fresh start. It's also likely because he now has difficulty pronouncing the letter "l" due to lacking two front teeth, giving him a noticeable lisp when he talks.
- Never My Fault:
- He blames Jondalar beating him up for everything that’s gone wrong with his life, even though it happened around a decade ago and he’s had plenty of time and opportunity to make something of himself. He seems to find it easier to just blame it all on Jondalar and play the victim, never taking any responsibility in screwing his life up.
- After Ayla discovers he faked his Call and turns him in to the zelandonia, he blames her and even Jondalar for him getting kicked out, despite the fact Ayla was doing the right thing and initially didn’t even know he’d done something wrong, and Jondalar has got nothing to do with the situation.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He was on the receiving end of this as a teen for trying to come between Jondalar and Zolena. Jondalar beat him so badly he lost teeth and has some facial disfigurement, causing him to speak with a lisp.
- Not Good with Rejection: When Zolena rejected him, he publicly revealed she and Jondalar had deeper feelings for each other, which was seen as taboo. It’s implied he did this purely from spite and jealousy. It backfired, as Jondalar lost his shit and beat him so badly some of his teeth were knocked out.
- Put on a Bus to Hell / Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After being kicked out of the zelandonia, he leaves the Ninth Cave along with Brukeval. It's theorised he may intend to travel to a distant cave where people won't know he's not a qualified zelandoni.
- Rank Up: He claims that he was Called by the Mother, meaning he will be promoted to full zelandoni status soon. It’s subverted when it’s revealed he faked his Call, resulting in his expulsion from the zelandonia.
- Spanner in the Works: Ayla discovers he faked his Call completely by accident; after going through her own Call and getting lost in the sacred caves, she finds a bag of water and mind-altering herbs he left there and returns it to the zelandonia.
- Stalker with a Crush: To Zolena; he used to follow her around and spy on her and Jondalar together. As a result he overheard that their feelings for each other were more than just physical attraction.
- Teacher/Student Romance: He was obsessed with Zolena, his donii-woman, who didn’t reciprocate.
- Teeth Flying: Played for Drama; in his youth, he had two of his front teeth knocked out by Jondalar punching him. Because of the time period, getting replacements isn't an option and it has some permanent impact on him; he lisps when pronouncing some words and sometimes has difficulty eating certain foods, and Jondalar says he's experienced some romantic rejection because of it.
- Tragic Dream: Becoming a zelandoni (shaman). He simply doesn’t have the skills or temperament for it, and has no hope of becoming fully qualified after the stunt he pulled in the last book.
Marona
Marona
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
An attractive but obnoxious member of the Ninth Cave and Jondalar's ex-fiancee, who is none too pleased when he returns to his tribe with Ayla in tow.
- Alpha Bitch: Of the Ninth Cave. Jondalar and Thonolan mention she has a reputation for being vindictive and sharp-tongued even before she actually appears. When she's finally introduced, she soon proves to be even worse than they let on, being very petty, self-centred, manipulative and just generally obnoxious to be around. She's even got a Girl Posse of sorts who follow her around, do her bidding and snigger along with her snide remarks and cruel jokes.
- Attempted Homewrecker: While open relationships are considered normal in Zelandonii culture, Marona clearly has malicious intentions when she seduces Jondalar in The Land of Painted Caves, as it's well-known that Marona is bitter that Jondalar chose to mate Ayla over her and bears Ayla ill-will for this. Marona specifically waits until Ayla is preoccupied and often away from home to move in on Jondalar, taking advantage of his increasing loneliness and frustration. When Ayla catches them together, Marona gleefully rubs it in her face and appears to believe Jondalar will leave Ayla for her (or at least favour her from now on). She underestimates how much Jondalar loves Ayla, as he instantly realises what a stupid mistake he made and what Marona's true intentions were. He admits he was only interested in sex with Marona and doesn't feel anything deeper for her, so he's hardly going to ditch his wife and mother of his child for her.
- Attention Whore: She loves to be the center of attention, including wearing provocative clothing, stirring up trouble and hanging around with high-ranking men; she also revels in being considered 'the Beauty of the Bunch'. She gets very irritated and jealous when she feels the equally beautiful Ayla and Joplaya are upstaging her, especially seeing as the former is marrying her ex.
- Bait the Dog: When she first meets Ayla early in The Shelters of Stone, she is outwardly quite pleasant to her and indicates to Jondalar she wants to let bygones be bygones. She even offers to take Ayla with her to get her some new clothes and do her hair and make-up, in preparation for the welcoming ceremony the Ninth Cave is holding for her that evening. However, it's soon revealed that Marona is actually using it as an opportunity to try and humiliate Ayla.
- Beauty Is Bad: She's said to be the most beautiful woman of the Zelandonii, but that's about her only positive trait.
- Betty and Veronica: She's the Veronica to Ayla's Betty for Jondalar.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: To Ayla. She tricks her into wearing inappropriate clothes to a welcoming ceremony]], on the pretence of befriending her and extending an olive branch to Jondalar.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She's still possessive towards Jondalar even years after they broke up. When her friend Portula brings up that Jondalar was the man chosen for her First Rites, Marona gets visibly annoyed. She absolutely despises Ayla because she sees her as having taken her rightful place as Jondalar's mate. Jondalar mentions that when they were together she could be jealous and spiteful, with this being one of the reasons he never truly fell in love with her.
- Didn't Think This Through: Her prank on Ayla. Though it may have been very embarrassing for Ayla at the time, it means Marona is going to be associated with it as well. As a result, everyone’s going to remember her as 'the asshole who thinks it's funny to humiliate newcomers and make our tribe look bad'. She realizes this later, when people start to shun her, and is pretty pissed off.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Her being vexed at Jondalar leaving her at the altar is understandable...but she still resents him for it over five years later and after she mated (then divorced) another man. It's clear she never actually loved Jondalar and they weren't even formally Promised; it was simply expected they would get together because she's the most beautiful woman of the tribe, whilst he's considered one of the most handsome and has a high social standing. She is also cruel to Ayla simply for being his new girlfriend, when she'd never even met the woman and Ayla had only ever been nice to her.
- Entitled to Have You: She thinks that Jondalar "should have been her's", because she's the most desirable woman of the Zelandonii and deserves the best of the men. When Jondalar didn't go through with mating her and ends up mating another woman, she is furious and takes it as a personal insult.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: She’s very beautiful with pale blonde hair. However, it should be noted that her unpleasant personality is seen as making her less attractive in spite of her looks, and the one man she really wants has no interest in her.
- Freudian Excuse: Her mother was very neglectful and uninterested in raising her properly, basically letting her do whatever she wanted and never showing her affection.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Most of her antagonism towards Ayla is motivated by jealousy over Ayla's beauty and popularity, especially because Jondalar - whom Marona once expected to mate - is with her now.
- Insult Backfire: This keeps happening to her.
- She tricks Ayla into wearing boy's winter underwear and a puberty belt to the ceremony to welcome her, to publicly humiliate her. But, Ayla continues wearing the clothes and acting like nothing is out of the ordinary. People notice that, overlooking what the clothes symbolise, Ayla actually looks really good in them, and some women begin copying the style. Oops.
- Marona calls Zelandoni (Zolena) a "fat old woman". Zelandoni simply points out that she herself was once considered the most beautiful woman in the Ninth Cave and is living proof that no one stays young and beautiful forever. In the meanwhie, she's become the Zelandonii equivalent of The Pope and is respected by all, whereas most people agree that, aside from looking hot, Marona has few positive traits.
- Karma Houdini: Zig-zagged. She ends up moving away from the Ninth Cave and marrying some random guy she met at the Summer Meeting. But, it's implied she did this because she realises that no one in the Ninth Cave really likes her, and that Jondalar, even though he was willing to sleep with her, doesn't actually care about her and isn’t interested in rekindling their relationship.
- Kids Are Cruel: Even a child she was a bit of a bitch, bullying her orphaned cousin Brukeval, who is implied to be of 'mixed spirits'.
- Meaningful Name: Possibly unintentional, but a few readers have pointed out it sounds a bit like 'moron'. Marona isn't exactly stupid, but her spite and pettiness does lead to her doing some pretty idiotic things, most of which backfire on her.
- Ms. Fanservice: Wears very skimpy clothing, such as a red 'fringe' skirt (which is considered very provocative amongst the Zelandonii) and is well-known for her skill with 'the Mother's Gift of Pleasure'.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: A minor example; her prank on Ayla leads to Ayla winning the majority of the Cave's respect almost immediately for maintaining her pride and dignity, and kickstarting a fashion trend to boot. Marona is not a happy bunny when she figures this out.
- Proud Beauty: Deconstructed. She's keenly aware of her beauty and revels in the opportunity to show it off. She regards it as one of her greatest traits and is well-versed in leveraging her looks to get what she wants. She hates it when she feels other pretty women are upstaging her and will try to knock them down a peg to hog the attention; she also tends to judge and insult people based on their appearance (especially if they don't meet her beauty standards). Zelandoni warns her that relying on her beauty while offering nothing else and treating others badly will only get her so far, especially when she gets older.
- Romantic Runner-Up: To Ayla, for Jondalar. Part of her hoped she might have a shot of rekindling things with Jondalar once he returns from his journey, but it's immediately obvious to her he hasn't exactly been pining for her given he shows up with Ayla and announces their engagement. It's to the point where even though she succeeds in seducing Jondalar in the sixth book, it's still made blatantly obvious that he'll always prefer Ayla.
- Sex with the Ex: Played for Drama in The Land of Painted Caves. It's revealed that while Ayla was away doing her zelandoni training, Marona began following Jondalar around and actively trying to seduce him. Jondalar eventually gave in out of frustration and loneliness. When Ayla finds out and is clearly upset, Marona even gloats about it to her face...but is left looking pretty stupid when Jondalar immediately ends it and states he only had sex with her out of convenience more than anything, regards it as being a huge mistake and couldn't care less about getting back with Marona.
- Woman Scorned: Jondalar and Ayla find out the hard way that she doesn't handle being rejected well; she attempts to publicly embarrass Ayla (and by extension Jondalar), and during their Matrimonial she vows to find a way to get back at them, eventually settling for seducing Jondalar while he and Ayla are separated and rubbing it in Ayla's face when she catches them.
Laramar
Laramar
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
One of the lowest ranking members of the Ninth Cave, on account of the fact he contributes nothing but barma (an alcoholic drink) and is very neglectful towards his family.
- The Alcoholic: He spends a lot of time drinking the barma he makes and using the resulting hang-overs as an excuse not to help out with the rest of the cave.
- Asshole Victim: After Jondalar beats him up in the sixth book. Although Jondalar is clearly in the wrong, Laramar is a total Jerkass with a habit of provoking people and utterly rebuffs a remorseful Jondalar’s attempts to make restitution. It doesn’t help that Jondalar attacked him because he caught him having sex with Ayla…whilst she was drunk out of her mind and emotionally unstable.
- Awful Wedded Life: With his mate, Tremeda. He reveals in the last book that they haven’t slept together for many years (not since his first child was born) and the only thing they seem to have in common anymore is a shared love of alcohol. He leaves her at the end of the last book.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Laramar is gifted at brewing birch beer, and considers it his primary contribution to the welfare of the Ninth Cave; despite the difficulty of the craft and resulting increases to the Cave's quality of life, he is the lowest-ranked member. That said, he uses it his craft as an excuse to get out of any sort of practical contributions (hunting, gathering, cave maintenance, etc); he's also The Resenter and The Alcoholic, which doesn't precisely help anyone sympathize with him.
- Hated by All: Just about the entire cave detests him. It's implied he only has a handful of friends because he gives them free barma.
- Jerkass: He’s rude, lazy, irresponsible, constantly complaining and very neglectful towards his children. He also kicks up a fuss about Echozar being allowed to mate Joplaya, because of his half-Clan heritage, even though he doesn't even know the couple. In the middle of their Matrimonial ceremony it should be noted.
- Lazy Bum: His sole contribution to his community is making booze... which he then drinks or gives away to his 'friends'.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: On the receiving end. In the sixth book, Jondalar catches him having drunken sex with Ayla, loses it and beats the crap out of him.
- Parental Neglect: He barely even acknowledges his children exist, to the point that he lets his young daughter care for her baby sister and doesn’t notice that his eldest son has been passed out with a head injury after getting into a fight. He eventually abandons his kids altogether after discovering they’re probably not even his.
- The Resenter:
- To Ayla, because despite being a foreigner, she has higher status than him. He fails to notice it’s possibly because she actually contributes to the cave with her hunting and healing skills.
- To Jondalar, for being mated to Ayla and later for beating him up after he catches him having drunken sex with Ayla.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: At the end of the last book, he breaks up with his wife, abandons his children and moves to a different cave.
- Slimeball: He comes across as sleazy, wheedling and selfish free-loader. One of his creepiest moments is when he has rough sex with an intoxicated Ayla.
Tremeda
Tremeda
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
A low-ranking member of the Ninth Cave. She’s the mate of Laramar and mother of Bologan, Lanoga, Trelara, Lavogan, Ganamar and Lorala...though the term 'mother' is used rather loosely, given she lets her eldest daughter do most of the parenting.
- Abhorrent Admirer: A downplayed example to Jondalar. At the end of the last book, when Jondalar offers to take in Tremeda and her kids and provide for them after Laramar abandons them, Tremeda tries flirting with him a bit and suggests she'll be his "second woman". Jondalar shuts her down immediately, making it clear he's only helping her out and that he in no way thinks of her in such terms.
- The Alcoholic: She spends most of her time drinking her mate's barma or nursing a hang-over from said drinking.
- Awful Wedded Life: With Laramar. Besides neglecting their kids and drinking, they don't have much in common anymore, they frequently argue and they haven't had sex in years. Laramar dumps Tremeda at the end of the last book and she doesn't seem too upset.
- Dead Sparks: She and Laramar once had some affection or at least attraction to each other, given they got married and used to be sexually intimate. However, over the years their relationship has deteriorated to the point where they barely act like a couple at all and haven't had sex in a long time; Laramar finds Tremeda repulsive, while she complains about him ignoring her and having little involvement in her their family.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: It turns out in the last book that because she and Laramar haven't slept together (according to him) since their eldest child was born, then it's extremely unlikely that any of the kids beside Bologan are biologically his.
- Manipulative Bitch: Though she never really bothers with her children, she's not above using them to guilt-trip people into helping her for the sake of her "poor, hungry children".
- Massive Numbered Siblings: She has six living children. She neglects all of them, forcing her eldest daughter Lanoga to step in as a parent. She has given birth to seven children in all, but her fifth child died in infancy.
- Outliving One's Offspring: It's mentioned that she had a baby between the birth of her fourth child Lavogan and her sixth child Ganamar, but the baby didn't live long. It's hinted the baby may have died as a result of neglect. Tremeda doesn't seem all that torn up by it, but it spurs her eldest daughter Lanoga to do everything she can to save her new baby sister.
Bologan
Bologan
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The eldest child of Laramar and Tremeda, and older brother of Lanoga, Trelara, Lavogan, Ganamar and Lorala. He is learning barma-making from his father.
- The Apprentice: About the only time Laramar interacts with him is to teach him how to make barma.
- Harmful to Minors: His parents are both neglectful Jerkasses, who offer him no guidance or support. When he’s first introduced, Ayla finds him unconscious with a head wound after getting drunk and fighting with some other boys. The kid is about twelve.
- Loser Son of Loser Dad: He’s generally treated this way by most of the cave.
- Promoted to Parent: Along with his sister Lanoga, to his younger siblings.
Lanoga
Lanoga
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The second child and eldest daughter of Laramar and Tremeda. She acts as a mother figure to her younger siblings.- Big Brother Instinct: She's doing her absolute best to look after her younger siblings, including her infant sister, Lorala. Unfortunately, she doesn't really know what she's doing as she's a child herself and Lorala is underweight because she's not eating properly, though things improve after Ayla steps in to help (and persuades other women to help too).
- Birds of a Feather: With Lanidar. They’re both overlooked or judged for things beyond their control (Lanoga for having crappy parents, Lanidar for his crippled arm).
- Don't Split Us Up: When their neighbours learn just how neglectful Tremeda is, they try to take Lanoga's younger siblings away from her. Luckily, Ayla intervenes, saying the women should help support Lanoga rather than splitting the family up.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: She mates Lanidar, who treats her kindly and freely offers to help care for her younger siblings, and she learns skills like cooking and healing from Ayla, who along with Jondalar, become a surrogate family to her.
- Happily Married: She ends up being this to Lanidar.
- Loser Son of Loser Dad: She’s treated this way by many people in the cave, along with the rest of her siblings. They're dismissed as a lost cause and looked upon disdain for being constantly dirty and begging for food, and their lazy, freeloading parents are some of the lowest-ranking and least-popular members of the Ninth Cave. However, Ayla points out that it's hardly their fault that they have such awful parents and that Lanoga is doing her best to look after her younger brothers and sisters. Ayla is able to shame some of the neighbours into helping Lanoga care for her family by informing them that in the Clan no child would be allowed to starve, essentially implying they're worse than the "flatheads" they dismiss as mere animals.
- Practically Different Generations: She's ten-years-old in The Shelters of Stone and her youngest sibling Lorala is only a baby. Consequently, Lanoga takes it upon herself to care for her infant sister, as well as her other siblings. However, while she is a decade older she's still a child herself and so struggles to provide Lorala with the care she needs until Ayla steps in.
- Promoted to Parent: Along with Bologan. She's more of a mother to her siblings, especially baby Lorala, than Tremeda ever was. However, due to her young age and lack of experience, she doesn't quite understand how to properly feed and bathe Lorala, resulting in the baby being underweight and dirty. She does try her best though, such as feeding Lorala mashed-up roots because she can't produce breast milk (as their mother's milk dried up) and Ayla notes that she's mature and intelligent enough to follow instructions, believing she just needs support from adults.
Matagan
Matagan
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
A young hunter who takes up flint knapping after being mauled by a wooly rhino; although Ayla saves his life, he is left with a permanent limp.
- The Apprentice: To Jondalar following his hunting accident, learning flint knapping from him.
- Career-Ending Injury: His limp means he is no longer able to hunt; however, he takes up flint knapping instead. He also bears no ill will towards Ayla over it, as without her intervention, he would probably have died instead.
Jonayla
Jonayla
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The daughter of Ayla and Jondalar, conceived in The Plains of Passage and born right at the end of The Shelters of Stone.
- All Girls Like Ponies: She’s fond of riding horses, like her parents, and takes Gray (Whinney's second foal, who was born round about the same time as her) as her personal mount.
- Children Are Innocent: She gets in a bit of trouble for teasing her cousin Bokovan; she says she’s right that Bokovan won’t ever be able to have a baby because only women give birth, but Ayla explains it’s still wrong for her to tease him about it. Her parents’ marital issues in the sixth book clearly affects her, though she doesn't fully understand what is happening.
- Go Through Me: When a group of hunters try to harm her family's horses, she bravely stands between them.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She inherited blonde hair from her parents and is kind and innocent.
- Last Episode, New Character: She's born right at the end of The Shelters of Stone and is a main character in the final book.
- Meaningful Name: Her name has two meanings. In addition to being a combination of both her parents' names, it also highlights Ayla's belief that she is of both her and Jondalar's 'essence'.
- Walking Spoiler: Her whole character is a spoiler for the ending of the fourth and fifth books, revealing that Ayla gets pregnant, and that she gives birth to a girl.
Other Caves
Kareja
Kareja
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
The leader of the Eleventh Cave of the Zelandonii.
- The Leader: Of the Eleventh Cave.
- Meaningful Name: Lampshaded. Her mother intentionally named her Kareja due to the fact it sounds like ‘courage’, hoping she would grow to be as brave as her name.
Portula
Portula
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone
A member of the Fifth Cave who is friends with Marona.
- Beta Bitch: To Marona; she willingly goes along with Marona's plan to publicly humiliate Ayla, mostly because Marona promised to do Portula's make-up for her and help make her the center of everyone's attention. That said, Portula isn't as malicious as Marona, as when Marona's plan backfires Portula regrets her actions.
- Jerkass Realization: When she sees how everyone is disgusted with Marona's prank on Ayla, Portula realizes how awful it was to humiliate a woman who had done nothing wrong to her and there wasn't really anything funny about it. She later apologizes to Ayla, saying that Marona talked her into it. Ayla coolly accepts her apology.
- Meaningful Name: She's described as being "fairly plump" and her name sounds similar to the word "portly".
- Stalker with a Crush: A more mild example than many. It's mentioned that Jondalar was chosen for her First Rites, but that he doesn't have fond memories of the experience because afterwards she kept following him around and trying to get him alone, despite her being well aware it's considered inappropriate for a woman to approach the man who deflowered her for at least a year afterwards.
Lanidar
Lanidar
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone | The Land of Painted Caves
A boy from the Nineteenth Cave who has a deformed arm. He’s determined to prove himself and become independent in spite of this.
- Birds of a Feather: With Lanoga. They’re both overlooked or judged for things beyond their control (Lanoga for having crappy parents, Lanidar for his crippled arm).
- Determinator: The kid will let nothing stop him from achieving his dream and from trying to help Lanoga and her family. Case in point, when the neighbours try to remove the younger children from Lanoga's care against her wishes, he defends them, insisting he will learn how to hunt and then help provide for Lanoga and her siblings.
- Disabled Means Helpless: His mother acts as though he's helpless and is incredibly overprotective because he has a deformed arm, but Lanidar finds this frustrating and wants to be as independent as possible. Ayla and Jondalar persuade his mother to let him try hunting; they give Lanidar a spearthrower they invented that lets him get around the issues with his arm, allowing him to become just as good with a spear as other children his age.
- Disappeared Dad: His father left him and his mother shortly after he was born.
- Dream-Crushing Handicap: Subverted. He was initially unable to become a hunter because of his arm, which was deformed at birth, preventing him from using it properly. However, when Ayla and Jondalar introduce the spear-thrower they invented, Lanidar realises he can use it to bypass the physical limitations of his arm and quickly begins learning how to use it.
- Happily Married: Eventually to Lanoga.
- Inspirationally Disadvantaged: He is determined to become a hunter and provide for himself and his community despite having a crippled arm.
- My Beloved Smother: His mother is very overprotective and never lets him do much because of his arm. He eventually begins standing up her and persuading her to let him be more independent.
Janida
Janida
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone
A girl from the South Holding of the Twenty-ninth Cave. She gains some notoriety for not waiting until First Rites to start having sex and thus became pregnant.
- Catch-22 Dilemma: This arises due to her not having waited for First Rites and consequently gotten pregnant. She wants to mate Peridal, the boy she had sex with, but she can't be mated until she's formally had her Rites. Some people are opposed to this though, because she's clearly already been sexually active. The zelandonia resolve the matter by arranging for her to have her Rites with the other girls and then letting her mate Peridal at the Matrimonial a few days later.
- Slut-Shaming: Some of the other girls look down on her because she "cheated" by not waiting until First Rites. Janida herself isn't too concerned because she's happy her first time was with a boy she loves and plans on mating; her mating is also regarded as lucky because she's already pregnant. Nor does she have to experience the same uncertainty and awkwardness the others do regarding the Rites. Ayla also treats her with sympathy, wondering why it should matter so much if a girl has sex before First Rites unless force was involved.
- Teen Pregnancy: She's said to be only around thirteen years old and is already expecting her first child. Although she's regarded as quite young to be having a baby, she's unconcerned and considered herself blessed (though it is mentioned part of this could be due to pregnancy hormones).
- You Remind Me of X: Jondalar feels a lot of empathy for Janida because she reminds of himself when he was the same age; he also broke the rules of his community regarding intimate relationships and was judged for it.
Peridal
Peridal
Appears in: The Shelters of Stone
A boy from the South Holding of the Twenty-ninth Cave. He gets involved in a scandalous situation due to having had sex with a girl named Janida before her First Rites and gotten her pregnant.
- Didn't Think This Through: He persuaded Janida to have sex with him despite her not having had her First Rites yet. Consequently, she became pregnant (even though Peridal isn't aware he directly contributed to the pregnancy, he does know of his people's widely-held belief that girls can only conceive after First Rites) and he's now having to take responsibility for the fall-out.
- Shotgun Wedding: Both he and his mother are reluctant for him to mate Janida because he's so young (nearly fourteen years old), and his mother thinks Janida is an unsuitable mate because she didn't wait to have sex (even though Peridal had talked her into it). However, both Janida, her mother and the zelandonia have put pressure on him to mate her and help provide for her coming child, seeing he's partially responsible for the situation.
Balderan
Balderan
Appears in: The Land of Painted Caves
The leader of a violent gang causing trouble around the Third Cave of the Zelandonii.
- Asshole Victim: He's beaten to death by a mob of people he hurt and terrorised, after trying to kill Ayla.
- Batman Gambit: He plots to take Ayla hostage to get himself free, expecting that Jondalar and the others will do anything he says to have her released unharmed. Unfortunately for Balderan, he misinterprets Jondalar's character as a "gentle giant"...
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Averted. Balderan reportedly didn't give a toss about his mother and was unwilling to provide for her.
- Freudian Excuse: Possibly. He never had a father figure, his mother had difficulty controlling him and expected him to look after her when he grew up.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Ever since he was a kid, he's had a nasty temper, often erupting into violence.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He makes a huge mistake assuming Jondalar is a 'gentle giant' who would do anything he said if he took his mate hostage.
- Jerkass: One of the biggest in the series. He actively enjoys hurting and killing people, targeting women in particular, and feels no remorse for any of it.
- Kick the Dog: After raping Amelina and killing her mate when he tried to protect her, he and his gang stole her bedroll and supplies and left her in the woods alone. As a result, she miscarried her pregnancy when she finally made it back home.
- Not So Stoic: When he overhears the cave discussing executing him, he finally loses his smugness and starts to become afraid. And again when Jondalar punches him for attacking Ayla, triggering a mass No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
- Oh, Crap!: When he realises that threatening Ayla didn't render Jondalar helpless, but actually angered him.
- The Sociopath: It's implied he's one, showing little to no empathy for other people, experiencing no remorse for his crimes and deriving pleasure from hurting people, and has been this way since he was young. Some people outright state it's as if he's 'broken' or 'deformed' on the 'inside'. He does have some charisma though, being able to convince some his friends who admired him to follow him when he was banished from his cave.
- Would Hit a Girl: He's a serial rapist who once held a girl prisoner for months and did god know's what to her, left one woman he attacked alone in the wilderness without her supplies and intended to attack Ayla and later tries to strangle her.
