The Plains of Passage - Jean M. Auel [82]
Using the ancient sacred language of silent hand signs that was used to address the spirit world, and to communicate with other clans whose few spoken everyday words and more common hand signs were different, Ayla closed her eyes and directed her thoughts to her totem.
“Great Spirit of Cave Lion,” she gestured, “this woman is grateful to be found worthy; grateful to be chosen by the powerful Cave Lion. The Mog-ur always told this woman that a powerful spirit was difficult to live with, but it was always worth it. The Mog-ur was right. Though the tests and trials have sometimes been difficult, the gifts have matched the difficulty. This woman is most grateful for the gifts inside, the gifts of learning and understanding. This woman is also grateful for the man her great totem Spirit guided to her, who is taking this woman back with him to his home. The man does not know the Clan Spirits, and does not fully understand that he was also chosen by the Spirit of the Great Cave Lion, but this woman is grateful he was also found worthy.”
She was about to open her eyes, then had another thought. “Great Cave Lion Spirit,” she continued, in her mind and with her silent language, “The Mog-ur told this woman that totem spirits always want a home, a place to return where they are welcome and want to stay. This traveling will end, but the people of the man do not know the spirits of Clan totems. The new home of this woman will not be the same, but the man honors the spirit animal of each, and the people of the man must know and honor the Cave Lion Spirit. This woman would say the Great Spirit of the Cave Lion will always be welcome and will always have a place wherever this woman is welcome.”
When Ayla opened her eyes, she saw Jondalar watching her. “You seemed … occupied,” he said. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“I was … thinking about my totem, my Cave Lion,” she said, “and your home. I hope he will be … comfortable there.”
“The spirit animals are all comfortable near Doni. The Great Earth Mother created and gave birth to all of them. The legends tell about it,” he said.
“Legends? Stories about the times before?”
“I guess you could say they were stories, but they are told in a certain way.”
“There were Clan legends, too. I used to love it when Dorv told them. Mog-ur named my son after one of my favorites, ‘The Legend of Durc,’ ” Ayla said.
Jondalar felt a moment of surprise and a twinge of disbelief at the thought that the people of the Clan, the flatheads, could have legends and stories. It was still difficult for him to overcome certain ingrained ideas he had grown up with, but he had already been made aware that they were much more complex than he would have thought possible; why couldn’t they have had legends and stories, too?
“Do you know any Earth Mother legends?” Ayla asked.
“Well, I think I remember part of one. They are told in a way to make them easier to remember, but only special zelandonia know them all.” He paused to remember, then began in a chanting singsong:
“Her birth waters gushed, filling rivers and seas,
Then flooded the land and gave rise to the trees.
From each drop that spilled, new grass and leaves grew
Till sprouting green plants filled all the earth’s view.”
Ayla smiled. “That’s wonderful, Jondalar! It tells the story with a nice feeling, and a nice sound, something like the rhythms of the Mamutoi songs. It would be very easy to remember that.”
“It is often sung. Different people sometimes make different songs for it, but the words mostly stay the same. Some people can sing the whole story, with all the legends.”
“Do you know any more?”
“A little. I’ve heard it all, and generally know the story, but the verses are long, a lot to remember. The first part is about Doni being lonely and giving birth to the sun, Bali, ‘the Mother’s great joy, a bright shining boy,’ then they tell how She loses him and becomes lonely again. The moon is Her lover, Lumi, but She created him, too. That story is more of a woman