# The Altar of the Flaming God explained — Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

> Chapter companion for Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

## What happens

An earthquake traps Tarzan in the treasure vault of Opar, leaving him unconscious and wounded. Werper escapes the collapsed passage, navigates a dangerous tunnel system, and emerges into a circular court where he is captured by the primitive priests of the Flaming God. He is about to be sacrificed by La when a lion interrupts the ritual, causing panic.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Adaptation

Werper's desperate struggle to escape the underground tunnels and his capture by the Oparian priests highlight the primal fight for survival.

### Civilization vs. Primitivism

The contrast between Werper's civilized background and the savage, sacrificial rituals of the Oparian priests underscores the theme.

## Character check-ins

### Tarzan

Trapped and wounded in the treasure vault after the earthquake.

### Albert Werper

Escapes the vault, navigates tunnels, and is captured by Opar's priests for sacrifice.

### La

High Priestess of Opar, prepares to sacrifice Werper but is interrupted by a lion.

### Numa

The lion that interrupts the sacrifice, causing panic among the priests and priestesses.

## Key lines

> It was at the moment that Tarzan turned from the closed door to pursue his way to the outer world. The thing came without warning. One instant all was quiet and stability—the next, and the world rocked, the tortured sides of the narrow passageway split and crumbled, great blocks of granite, dislodged from the ceiling, tumbled into the narrow way, choking it, and the walls bent inward upon the wreckage.

Just as Tarzan was about to leave, an earthquake struck without warning, causing the passage to collapse around him.

_The earthquake traps Tarzan in the treasure vault._

> Werper, thrown to his length by the suddenness and violence of the disturbance, staggered to his feet when he found himself unhurt.

Werper was knocked down by the earthquake but got up unharmed.

_Werper survives the earthquake and begins to explore the vault._

> The rest was but a repetition of what Tarzan and Jane Clayton had passed through. The priestesses came, and with them La, the High Priestess. Werper was raised and laid across the altar.

Werper was captured and placed on the sacrificial altar, just as Tarzan and Jane had been before.

_Werper faces the same sacrificial ritual that Tarzan and Jane once endured._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_jewels_of_opar_se/chapters/v-the-altar-of-the-flaming-god
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_jewels_of_opar_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tarzan_and_the_jewels_of_opar_se/chapters