AlecTwining

English11
MrSalow
November30,2015

TheInheritorsHistoryAnalysis
TheInheritors
isabookthatisprimarilybasedontheneanderthalsandthetransferof
controlfromtheneanderthalstothehomosapiens.Goldingshowsapictureoftheneanderthals
slowlybeingwipedoutbythemoreintelligenthumans.OnethingthatGoldingdoesreallywell
thisbookiscraftinganimageoftheneanderthalsbeingdeeplybasedintheirreligion,inoneway
oranother.Thisrepresentationoftheneanderthalsbeingbasedheavilyinreligionhelpstoshow
whytheneanderthalstooktheactionsthattheydidinthisbook.But,weretheneanderthals
actuallyveryreligiouslybasedoristhisbookaninaccuraterepresentationoftheneanderthalsat
thetimethathumansstartedtoappear?Theneanderthalswere,infact,veryreligiousbased
peopleasshownin
TheInheritors
,thelittleOa,theIceSanctuary,andtheRitualisticBurialsare
allgreatexamplesofthis.
ThelittleOaisthefirstexamplethatGoldinguseswhenreferringtothereligioninthe
neanderthalslife.ThelittleOaislikeasmall,dolllikeobjectthatistreatedwithacertain
reverenceasifitwillbeabletohelpthemintimeintrouble.Inonesensetheypersonifythelittle
OabelievingithastheabilitytohelpthemthatnormallycanonlybedonebyaNeanderthal.The
littleOaisbasicallylikeanidoloriconthatrepresentsOawhoisagodtothem.Whenpassing
byasnowbank,whichfrightenedthem,theneanderthalsbegantochantOa,Oa,

Oa(Golding28).Theneanderthalsthereforebelievedbychantingthenameoftheirgodit
couldsavethemfromanyharmthatmightotherwisemighthavehappened.Thisshowsafaith
in,andgodstatusintheeyesoftheneanderthals.Additionally,whenMalwasonhisdeathbed
NilsuggestedthatLokgotoOaandrequestthatOahealMal.Inresponsetothisthoughtheold
womanrespondedAwomanforOaandamanthepicturesinhishead.Thisresponseshows
thatthewomenactlikepriestessforOaapositionthatmencant(oratleastshouldnt)carryout.
ThisevenfurthershowsthepoweranddedicationthatOahasovertheneanderthals,thatthey
wouldcreateaspecialsect(thewoman)thatonlythisgroupcanspeaktotheirgod.Golding
makesmanyassertionsoftheexistenceofaneanderthalreligiousiconsandwhileitisdifficult
to,inactualneanderthalhistory,provethat,thereismuchevidencethatpointsusinthat
direction.AccordingtotheAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistoryinthebriefarticlecalled
NeanderthalToolsandInJ.M.RobertsAShortHistoryoftheWorldclaimthatthe
neanderthalshadnumerousstonetools.However,withoutwrittendocumentationitisdifficultto
specificallyclassifyastoneasaspecificobject.Itispossiblethatsomeofthestonesclassifiedas
toolwereinfacticonsoftheneanderthalsvariousgodsbecause,onceagain,itishardtoasserta
stoneasaspecificitemwithoutanywriting.
ThesecondexamplethatisusedbyGoldingtoshowthereligionoftheneanderthalswas
theicesanctuary.Theicesanctuaryislikeachurchfortheneanderthals.WhenMalwasin
danger,anddying,FaandLokwenttotheicesanctuarytogetMalhealed.Theyceasedtoutter
theseparatewordsandsangOandAatthesamemoment(Golding83)Thisshowthe
chantingofFaandLokastheyareintheicetemplerequestingthehelpofOa.Thechantingto
OaintheIceSanctuaryislikeprayerforotherreligionstoday.Thisprayershowsthereligious

aspectoftheneanderthalsandhelpsyouseethepowerOahasovertheneanderthalsbecause
theyarewillingtocometotheIcetemple.Theneanderthalsaredeathlyafraidofsnowandas
showninthepreviousparagraphaquoteshowedhowtheychantedthenameofOaasthey
walkedbyasnowbank.Thenthefactthattheneanderthalswouldcometothisplacewhichis
filledwithsnowandIceassaidwithForatlasttherewasnowaterbytheirfeet.Therewere
instead,congealedtrunksoficethatwerefixedsolidlyagainstthecliffistremendous
consideringtherefearthattheiceexertsovertheneanderthals.Atthesametimemaybeitisthe
icethatisfearedinaholyreverencebecauseoftheassociationoficewiththeicesanctuary.
OnceagainthisclaimthatGoldingmakesoftheexistenceofholytemplesfortheneanderthalsis
veryhardtoprovetheexistenceofbecauseofthelackofwrittendocumentationfromthe
neanderthals.However,wecannotdenythisclaimeitherbecauseofthelackofevidence
disprovingitandiftheneanderthalshadareligionitisverylikelythattheyalsohadaholyspot
likeallreligionstheyhavesomespotthatisespeciallyholy.InexampletheIslamreligionhas
Meccaastheirholiestplace.Therefore,whileGoldingsclaimcannotcurrentlybeprovenitcan
alsonotbedisprovedandtheassertionthatGoldingmakesisverylogicalduetothetendencies
ofreligionstodaytomakeholyspots.
Finally,thelastclaimthatIwilldiscusstodayaretheritualisticburialsofthedead.In
Goldingsbook
TheInheritors
hedescribestheburialoftheNeanderthalsleaderMal,by
explaininghowtheneanderthalsdugthegraveplacingMalsbodyin,andthenthrowingdirt
overhisbodyuntilhewascovered.Thisissignificantbecausetheburialofthedeadis
somethingthatwasnotpracticedbyreallyanyotherlivingbeing(untilhomosapienssapiens),
becauseofthistheburialofthedeadwasmostlikelypracticedduetosomereligiousbelief.This

opinionisderivedfromthesentencetheoldwomanspeaksafterMalhasbeenburied,Oahas
takenMalintoherbelly(Golding91).Golding,byusingthisstatement,hasshownthatthe
neanderthalsareburyingtheirdeadtoputtheneanderthalintheplacetheycamefrom(outfrom
OasbellyandbackinOasbelly).Additionally,the3ayinwhichtheneanderthalsperformthis
ritualisticburialactuallyhelpsyoutoseethat(accordingtoGolding)theneanderthalsbelievein
andafterlifeofsomeformoranother.AfterputtingMalintheground,butbeforecoveringhim
withdirttheoldwomansays,afterputtingsomemeatinthegravewithhim,Eat,Mal,when
youarehungry.(Golding90)andatanotherpointwhenputtingwaterinhisgravetheold
womansaysDrink,Mal,whenyouarethirsty(Golding91).Thesetwothingsaddedtothe
mentionofOauponburialfurtherstrengthentheargumentthattheneanderthals,accordingto
Golding,believeintheafterlife.Theactofgivinghimfoodandwaterinhisgraveistoallow
himtoeatwhenheisaliveintheafterlife(muchliketheEgyptians).Onceagainthe
neanderthalsinGolding'sbookisbasedonfactsfromrealneanderthals.Accordingtothe
SmithsonianinthearticleTheSkeletonsofShanidarCavebelievethatinsomecasesflowers
havebeenburiedwiththedead.Thiscouldverywellbeawayinwhichtomaketheneanderthals
afterlifeabetter,prettierplace.
Insummation,theneanderthalsalthoughtheydidnothaveasindepthofthoughtas
modernday,orevenancient,homosapienssapienshavetheywerestillcapableofbelievingand
followingagod.Thisgod(orgods)couldverywellbehowtheneanderthalsexplainedaway
somethingthattheycouldnotunderstandwiththeirlimitedcognitiveability.Eventhoughitis
hard,ifnotimpossible,totellhowindepththeneanderthalsreligionwentmostevidencepoints
totheneanderthalshavingreligionincorporatedintheirlife.Andbasedontheevidenceinthis

paperitiseasytosaythatthebook
TheInheritors
byWilliamGoldingwasdefinitelybased
historyandourknowledgeofitatthetimethisbookwaswritten.