The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel [220]
“Woolly rhinos are unpredictable and can be vicious,” Jondalar said. “Thonolan was gored by one not far from here. He would have died then if the Sharamudoi hadn’t found us.” The man closed his eyes with the painful memory, letting Racer carry him along. They didn’t speak for a while, then he asked, “Does everyone in the Clan have a totem?”
“Yes,” Ayla replied. “A totem is for guidance and protection. Each clan’s mog-ur discovers every new baby’s totem, usually before the end of the birthing year. He gives the child an amulet with a piece of the red stone inside it at the totem ceremony. The amulet is the totem spirit’s home.”
“You mean like a donii is a place for the Mother spirit to rest?” Jondalar asked.
“Something like that, I think, but a totem protects you, not your home, although it is happier if you live in a place that’s familiar. You have to keep your amulet with you. It is how your totem spirit recognizes you. Creb told me that the spirit of my Cave Lion would not be able to find me without it. Then I would lose his protection. Creb said if I ever lost my amulet, I would die,” Ayla explained.
Jondalar hadn’t understood the full implications of Ayla’s amulet before, or why she was so protective of it. He had occasionally thought she carried it too far. She seldom took it off, except to bathe or swim, and sometimes not even then. He had supposed it was her way of clinging to her Clan childhood, and he hoped she would someday get over it. Now he realized there was more to it than that. If a man of great magical power had given him something, and told him he would die if he ever lost it, he would be protective of it, too. Jondalar no longer doubted that the holy man of the Clan, who had raised her, possessed true power derived from the spirit world.
“It’s also for the signs your totem leaves for you if you make the right decision about something important in your life,” Ayla continued. A nagging worry that had been bothering her suddenly struck her with more force. Why hadn’t her totem given her a sign to confirm that she had made the right choice when she decided to go with Jondalar to his home? She had not found a single object that she could interpret as a sign from her totem since they left the Mamutoi.
“Not very many Zelandonii have personal totems,” Jondalar said, “but some do. It’s usually considered lucky. Willomar has one.”
“He’s your mother’s mate, right?” Ayla asked.
“Yes. Thonolan and Folara were both born to his hearth, and he always treated me as though I was.”
“What is his totem?”
“It’s the Golden Eagle. The story is told that when he was a baby, a golden eagle swooped down and picked him up, but his mother grabbed him before he could be taken away. He still bears the scars from the talons on his chest. Their zelandoni said that the eagle recognized him as his own and came for him. That’s how they knew it was his totem. Marthona thinks that’s why he likes to travel so much. He can’t fly like the eagle, but he has a need to see the land.”
“That’s a powerful totem, like the Cave Lion, or the Cave Bear,” Ayla commented. “Creb always said that powerful totems were not easy to live with, and it’s true, but I have been given so much. He even sent you to me. I think I have been very lucky. I hope the Cave Lion will be lucky for you, Jondalar. He is also your totem now.”
Jondalar smiled. “You’ve said that before.”
“The Cave Lion chose you, and you have the scars to prove it. Just as Willomar was marked by his totem.”
Jondalar looked thoughtful for a moment. “Perhaps you are right. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
Wolf, who had been off exploring, suddenly appeared. He yipped to get Ayla’s attention, then fell into place beside Whinney. She watched