The Land of Painted Caves - Jean M. Auel [52]
The First smiled again. “You are correct. There are both three and five seasons, depending upon how you count them. Can anyone tell me why?”
No one spoke up. Ayla remembered some of Mamut’s teachings, but she felt somewhat shy and hesitant to speak. Finally, when the silence grew awkward, she said, “The Mamutoi also have both three and five seasons. I don’t know about the Zelandonii, but I can tell you what Mamut told me.”
“I think that would be quite interesting,” the First said, looking around and seeing nods of agreement from others of the zelandonia.
“The downward-pointing triangle is a very important symbol to the Mamutoi,” Ayla began. “It is the symbol of woman, and it is made with three lines, so three is the number of the power of … I don’t quite know the word … motherhood, giving birth, creating new life, and is very sacred to Mut, to the Mother. Mamut also said the three sides of a triangle represent the three major seasons, spring, summer, and winter. But the Mamutoi recognize two additional seasons, the ones that signal change, fall and midwinter, making five seasons. Mamut said five is the Mother’s hidden power number.”
Not only were the young acolytes surprised and interested, the older Zelandoni were fascinated by what she said. Even those who had met her the year before and had heard her talk noticed the way she spoke, her accent. To those who were seeing her for the first time, especially if they were young and had not traveled much, her voice seemed absolutely exotic. For most of the zelandonia she had spoken of information unknown to them but that essentially agreed with their way of thinking, which tended to confirm their own beliefs. That gave her added credence and an element of prestige. She was traveled, knowledgeable, but not really threatening.
“I didn’t realize the ways of the Mother were so similar even from such a great distance,” said Zelandoni of the Third. “We also speak of three main seasons—spring, summer, and winter—but most people recognize five: spring, summer, autumn, early winter, and late winter. We also understand that the inverted triangle represents woman and that three is the number of generative power, but five is a more powerful symbol.”
“That is true. The ways of the Great Earth Mother are remarkable,” the First said, then continued with the instruction. “We talked about the counting-word five before, the five parts of an apple, five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot, and how to use the hands and counting words in a more powerful way. There are also five Primary, or Sacred, colors. All other colors are aspects of the main colors. The first color is Red. It is the color of blood, the color of life, but just as life does not last, the color red seldom stays true for long. As blood dries it darkens, becomes brown, sometimes very dark.
“Brown is an aspect of red, sometimes called old red. It is the color of the trunks and branches of many trees. The red ochers of the earth are the dried blood of the Mother, and though some can be very bright, almost new looking, they are all considered old Red. Some flowers and fruits show the true color of Red, but flowers are ephemeral, as is the red color of fruits. When red fruits, such as strawberries, are dried, they turn to old Red. Can you think of anything else that is Red, or an aspect of it?”
“Some people have brown hair,” said an acolyte sitting behind Ayla.
“And some people have brown eyes,” Ayla said.
“I’ve never seen anyone with brown eyes. The eyes of everyone I know are blue or gray, sometimes with a little green,” said the young male acolyte who had spoken earlier.
“The people of the Clan who raised me all had brown eyes,” Ayla said. “They thought my eyes were strange, perhaps even weak, because they were so light.”
“You are talking about Flatheads, aren’t you? They’re not really people. Other animals have brown eyes, and a lot of them have brown fur,” he said.
Ayla felt her anger flare. “How can you say that? The Clan are not animals. They are people!” she said through gritted teeth.